windy day overlooking beaches Owenahincha near Rosscarbery West Cork Ireland next stop America
Owenahincha is an extensive sandy beach which for much of its length is backed by dunes. This area is a popular holiday destination with lots of camping and caravan sites in the vicinity.
However, the resort isn’t quite the height of popularity it was back in the 70s and 80s, and there is a bit of a run-down feel to the village to say the least.
The beach here is as lovely as ever though. A wild and exposed stretch of beach divided by a rocky outcrop. It has recently been awarded Blue Flag status which is testimony to the cleanliness of the beach and the available facilities.
Despite the resort’s current low, Owenahincha can still get busy in the summer as it is within easy driving distance of Cork City.
Owenahincha Beach is a good surf spot and there is a surf school nearby. It is also frequented by kite surfers.
Rosscarbery (Irish: Ros Ó gCairbre, meaning 'Cairbre's wood')[2] is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The town is on a shallow estuary, which opens onto Rosscarbery Bay. Rosscarbery is in the Cork South-West (Dáil Éireann) constituency, which has three seats.
Rosscarbery
Ros Ó gCairbre
Town
Rosscarbery Cathedral
Rosscarbery Cathedral
Rosscarbery is located in IrelandRosscarberyRosscarbery
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°34′40.80″N 09°01′54.12″W
Country
Ireland
Province
Munster
County
County Cork
District
Clonakilty
Population (2016)
490
Time zone
UTC+0 (WET)
The area has been occupied from very early times, as is evidenced by the Neolithic remains (pred 2000 BC) such as portal dolmens. The area is very strong in Bronze Age remains - including a number of stone circles. There are also two inscribed stones in Burgatia. The number of ring forts and holy wells witnesses the Iron Age and transition from the Old to the New (Christian) God.[citation needed]
Rosscarbery was home to the School of Ross, a major centre of learning, at one time being a university town, and one of the major cities in Europe, around the 6th century. Due to its popularity as a centre of pilgrimage it was also known as Ros Ailithir ("Wood of the Pilgrims").The hereditary chieftains of the area, or tuath, were the O'Learys, known as Uí Laoghaire Ruis Ó gCairbre, until it passed to Norman control in the early thirteenth century.The entire region had belonged to the ancient Corcu Loígde, of whom the O'Learys were one of the leading septs.
Demographics
The town itself has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent times, despite the lack of any major industry in the area, and being just outside the commuter belt for the city of Cork. The majority of new housing is holiday accommodation, which results in an annual swell in population during summer months. According to the 2016 census, the population of the town is 490.
Religion
The Church of Ireland's dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross were effectively merged during rationalisation in the 1860s. The bishop of this tridiocese, Paul Colton, is based in Cork.
There is a cathedral in the town, an unusual feature for what now would be considered a sleepy country town. It is a Church of Ireland cathedral - St. Fachtna's Cathedral. St Fachtna's is the smallest cathedral in Ireland, and is the size of a typical parish church.
The Catholic church, in the diocese of Cork and Ross, is St. Fachtna's, dating from 1820.
Places of interest
Collins' shop on Chapel Street in Rosscarbery at the turn of the 20th century
Square Edit
An annual horse fair is held in the town's square every year in August.
Rosscarbery is a tourist destination in the summertime, being in proximity to at least three beaches. The nearest of these, the "Warren Beach", is about a mile from the village, and is designated a blue flag beach, along with the nearby Owenahincha beach. The Warren Beach has experienced extensive coastal erosion in recent times, with remedial works undertaken throughout 2004/2005. Rosscarbery Pitch & Putt Club is located at the beach.
Bohonagh is a recumbent stone circle located 2.4 km east of Rosscarbery. It dates to the bronze age and a boulder-burial is located nearby. (grid ref: 308 368, Latitude: 51.580102N Longitude: 8.998987W
Castle Salem is also near the town, and was the home to the Morris family from around 1660 until the early 1800s. The castle is now a guest house and run by the family who bought the castle in 1895