20 Attractions to Explore Near Michael Collins Birthplace

Owenahincha is a beach located in Rosscarbery in County Cork. It is a Blue Flag beach. It is an exposed beach and the sea can be quite rough at times. Public car parking and public toilet facilities are provided at the beach.

West Cork Model Railway Village, a leading tourist attraction in the West Cork region, is tucked in along the Clonakilty stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way, over looking Clonakilty Bay. See fully operational trains and the towns that the railway served. This is a delightful way to whet the appetite for your visit to West Cork.

Inchydoney is a small island off West Cork, Ireland, connected to the mainland by two causeways. The nearest town is Clonakilty. It has a Blue Flag beach. It is a popular tourist destination. There are two beaches, one either side of the Virgin Mary headland. In Summer there is a lifeguard station on the headland for three months.

This vast, sandy beach is one of the most beautiful to be found along this stretch of the coastline. The beach has two separate sections, divided by the rocky Virgin Mary Headland. The swell here can be excellent and there are good opportunities for surfing. The beach is also popular with families who come here to play in the sand, picnic and hunt for shells or marine life in the rockpools around the headland.

Red Strand is Green Flag Beach located in a horseshoe bay near Rosscarbery in County Cork. It is quite popular for surfing and has reasonably consistent surf all year round. Nestling between two lush green headlands, one of which contains the iconic Galley Head lighthouse, the water here is exceptionally clean and suitable for swimming in good weather.

Drombeg Stone Circle is a circle of 17 standing stones which on excavation showed that there had been an urn burial in the centre. Although not an especially significant example, Drombeg is one of the most visited megalithic sites in Ireland, and is protected under the National Monuments Act.

Galley Head is a gleaming white lighthouse that sits at the southernmost point of a picturesque headland known as Dundeady Island and is close to the charming market town of Clonakilty. It is also one of twelve lighthouses which make up Great Lighthouses of Ireland, a new all-island tourism initiative. Visitors from home and abroad now have the chance to visit or stay in a lighthouse and to find out about our history and heritage.

This beautiful three-acre garden is full of surprises with amazing designs and fun for all the family with over ten unique gardens designs, including; Japanese, Chinese and Sunken White Gardens and a fairy woods. A wander over the birch mound leads to the walled kitchen garden. The kids will have great fun visiting the Hobbit House built right through the birch mound, searching for the fairy houses in the fairy woods, and playing with the Pygmy Goats and Birds.

Timoleague Franciscan friary is located in a village on the bank of the River Argideen overlooking Courtmacsherry Bay. It was built on the site of an earlier church dedicated to St Molaga whose feast was celebrated here until the seventeenth century. The friary at Timoleague is one of the few early Franciscan friaries with substantial standing remains in Ireland. Located in a medieval village in County Cork, it stands on the banks of the Argideen River overlooking Courtmacsherry Bay.

This is one of the largest and finest stone forts in Ireland and was probably built in the early centuries AD before Christianity came. Approximately 29 metres in diameter the fort has thick walls some 3 metres wide and standing almost 2 metres high. Access to the fort is through a narrow entrance on the north eastern side of the walls. The site is owned by the Irish Government which has declared it a national monument.

Castledonovan is a townland in Dromdaleague, which lies on a rock on the east bank of the River Ilen in the townland of the same name, in County Cork in Ireland. Approximately 60 feet in height, it sits on a large rock or outcropping, which forms the ground floor, close to the bank of the River Ilen. The Castle was divided into various chambers or rooms. One room was set aside in the old days for food for the garrison and another store room for gunpowder and shot.

Beautiful vistas surround an upgraded traditional farmhouse located on a craggy promontory deep in West Cork, writes Tommy Barker.Strolling along the rugged coast of Toe Head along the cliff edge, you will discover remarkable rock formations and enjoy a wonderful view over the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Gearagh is a submerged glacial woodland and nature reserve two kilometres southwest of Macroom, County Cork, Ireland. It is located at the point where the River Lee descends from the mountains and widens at an alluvial plain, and stretches for roughly five kilometres, bounded by the townlands of Toonsbridge, Illaunmore and Anahala.

The Old Head of Kinsale is a narrow headland that stretches about 4.5 km into the Celtic Sea. The rugged terrain and dramatic views of the striking Old Head lighthouse and golf course offer the perfect opportunity to capture that crucial photo of a Wild Atlantic Way Signature Discovery Point, no matter what the weather.

Dún na Séad castle was built in 1215 and has had a long and fascinating history. It fell into a ruined state in the middle of the seventeenth century. The tower house is built on the site of an earlier Norman-era structure, which itself replaced an earlier Bronze Age ringfort. Traditionally associated with the O'Driscoll family, it was purchased and restored by members of the McCarthy family in the late 1990s, and partially opened to the public from 2005.

Old Head is one of Ireland's most spectacular links courses located on the Old Head of Kinsale that juts out over two miles into the Atlantic Ocean. As one of the most photographed golf courses in the world, Old Head provides an unforgettable links golf experience that is revered the world over and adorns many of the Top 100 Golf Course lists not just in Ireland but Europe and further afield.

A majestic old castle on the outskirts of Kealkill village, in the heart of West Cork, played a dramatic role in one of Irish history. A 4-storey tower surrounded by a 14-foot-high outer curtain wall or bawn. The main tower is perched on a rock overhanging the Ouvane river, and has 4 corner turrets. The main entrance to the castle was via a gate in the north wall of the bawn, which had 4 corner towers, the main tower being set into the west wall of the bawn.

The Baltimore Beacon is a white-painted stone beacon at the entrance to the harbour at Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland. The beacon was built at the order of the British government following the 1798 Rebellion. It was part of a series of lighthouses and beacons dotted around the Irish coast, forming a warning system. The locals call him Lot’s Wife with a wink after a biblical figure that solidified into a pillar of salt.

Carrigadrohid Castle is situated on a rock outcrop in a wonderfully picturesque setting on the River Lee. Built in the 15th century by the MacCarthys of Muskerry. It is partially ruined building, whose charm is well worth a visit. It has been in ruins since the late 18th century. In later years, a local group has been formed with the aim of preserving the castle.