It was an ‘odd’ Olympic year – 2021. Firmly etched in my mind is the knowledge that years in which Olympic Games are held – like leap years – are divisible by 4! This one was different, because of Covid. But that didn’t prevent Ireland producing its heroes: gold for rowing and boxing, and bronze, also for rowing and boxing: a total of 8 sports heroes bringing medals home. If you will forgive the pun, the small country of Ireland punched well above its weight! All the rowers trained at the Skibbereen Rowing Club in West Cork, under the expert eye of their coach Dominic Casey. No surprise, then, that the town was in celebratory mood for weeks after the event, as you can see from many of my photographs, taken around the town at the end of August.
The town, from its situation in a wild, unenclosed part of the country, has frequently been the rendezvous of disaffected parties, but it has been much improved of late years, and is now a very flourishing place. It is situated on the southern bank of the river Ilen, and comprises seven streets; that part which extends into the parish of Abbeystrowry is called Bridgetown, and consists of three streets, one of which has been recently formed. The number of houses in the whole town is 1014, many of which, in the eastern part and in the parish of Creagh, are large and well built: the approaches have been much improved by the formation of new lines of road at each extremity . . .
LEWIS TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF IRELAND 1837
It’s interesting that Lewis – in 1837 – describes the number of houses as just over a thousand. He also states elsewhere that there were 4,429 inhabitants in 1691: in the 2011 census the town recorded a population of 2,568.
The first edition of the Ordnance Survey 6″ map was produced around 1840, just after the Lewis Topographical Dictionary was published. From the extract above, the layout of the town we know today had been broadly established by then. Compare this to today’s OS map (below) and the annotated aerial view.
There are a few theories as to the earliest origins of the town. Oft quoted is the story of the survivors from the sacking of Baltimore by Barbary Pirates in 1631 having moved upriver to found, or expand, the settlement that is now Skibbereen. It is likely that there was already a community on this part of the river, which was tidal and probably easily navigable up to its sheltered reaches at this point: at one time there were no less than five quays, warehouses and a Customs House within the town – this post will tell you more.
Skibbereen today is defined by its river – as it always has been. The waterside deserves a bit more attention – and is being opened up a little in some of the new civic improvement schemes that have been enabled by major flood relief works in the town. There are many opportunities yet to be explored.
All towns evolve and, hopefully, move into the future: Skibbereen – we’ll be keeping an eye on you! But it’s a great town already: it has the busiest market in West Cork on a Saturday; lively shopping streets; easy (and free) parking – and a very healthy ‘pavement cafe’ culture that has grown up during the pandemic, and is likely to continue to flourish. Let’s walk the streets and see the town as its best in the late summer sunshine . . .
Here at Roaringwater Journal we will always sing the praises of this town, and it has been the subject of a good deal of our historical research and writing. Have a look at our posts on Agnes Clerke, Ireland’s first and foremost female astronomer; Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, the famed nationalist and Fenian: Uillinn – one of Ireland’s most innovative art galleries – here, here and here. We also must not forget that Skibbereen was at one time an important part of Ireland’s railway network: you could travel to and from Cork and Baltimore, and it was a terminus for the narrow gauge railway that trundled off to Schull, and whose loss is now much mourned.
I hope my post inspires you to explore this prominent West Cork town, if you haven’t already done so. It has historic foundations – too numerous to list in this one, short article. Choose a sunny afternoon – or go there to shelter from the infrequent showers. Whatever the day, make the Skibbereen Heritage Centre your starting point: you will find a wealth of information which will help to guide you on your way. The building itself is a piece of history: it used to be Skibbereen’s gas works!
The town name was familiar to me long before I settled in Ireland a decade ago. I lived in the fishing village of Newlyn, Cornwall, for many years and got to know the history of the artists’ colony in West Penwith, centred on that town and St Ives. One artist – Stanhope Alexander Forbes – was known as ‘The Father of the Newlyn School of Artists’ – he was Irish born, and lived from 1857 to 1947. I vividly remember one of his works, displayed in the Penlee Gallery in Penzance. It shows fishermen leaving Newlyn to follow the shoals of herring and pilchards to the waters of Roaringwater Bay. The title of that picture? Goodbye – Off To Skibbereen!
Previous posts in this series:
Roaringwater Journal 
Great stuff Robert-I consider myself very lucky to be living in Skibb;
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And Skibbereen is very proud to have you and your family living there too, Brendan! You have all contributed so much to our life and culture, here in the heart of West Cork.
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Dear old Skibbereen! Wonderful to see the pride & joy of the towns Olympic heroes on display & rightly so! They made their club, town, county & country very proud. Up Skibb! Up West Cork!
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I heartily agree, Patricia – well done all!
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What a lovely article! The day I visited Skib, it was tipping with rain, but the welcome and warmth of the people there was amazing. I had brought an old (English) friend of mine, Ruth, in her 80s, on a first visit to the southern end of Ireland and we popped into the hotel for a cuppa. It was a Sunday and the place was full of families having Sunday lunch. I left her for a few minutes to find out where Agnes Clerke’s house was, and returned to find her in deep conversation with a local farmer, although neither could really understand the other they were having a ball. Lovely place. I shall forward this article to her now. We still giggle about that day.
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You were unlucky to get the rain, Janice! But it does happen very occasionally… It’s certainly a friendly town and anyone will engage you in a chat at any time of the day.
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Thank you Robert for encapsulating Skibbereen in such a colourful and cheerful way. Every time I go there I appreciate it a little more, not least Field’s supermarket.
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That’s great, Patricia! Many thanks for the comment.
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Skibbereen, like Ballydehob, seems to be good at re-inventing itself – hope the café culture survives the winter!!
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Yes, Oliver – it will certainly be testing!
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The al fresco living suits it – a colourful town full of interesting corners and old buildings – and characters
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Agreed!
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Hi Fiona and Robert. As you know, I often pour over your beautifully written and illustrated posts. They warm my heart. This one is particularly meaningful to me because of the several summers I spent with the O’Dwyers in Church Cross as a boy. We often made the 6 mile trip into Skib in those old days (60s), winding down N71 in my uncle Joe’s Ford Prefect (which he said was a powerful car – not really!). We stopped to watch the salmon fishermen netting fish in the Ilen, and one time they threw us a lovely flounder (everyone knew Joe O’Dwyer, the Lisheen school master). In Skibbereen, we would first stop at Newman’s little store (near Ilen and Bridge on your map) where Joe would banter a bit with Mr and Mrs Newnan, and they would get us lovely ice creams, sandwiched between 2 wafers, The ice cream was sliced off the block with a knife, and it was sooo good! Then there would be a stop at the grocery store for a few staples, and maybe the hardware store (I was wearing a farmer’s cap one time when we went into the hardware store, and the owner said “I thought you were from Ballybane”) .
One Skib memory that stands out is attending a burial at the cemetery on N71 outside town (Abbeystown?). There was terrible anguish and crying, then a bottle of Powers came out; after the coffin was lowered, one of the family members threw the bottle into the hole and it smashed on coffin – a funeral the likes of which I have never seen, and probably never will again!!
Aside from old memories, I am so pleased how Skib has changed for the better, even since my last visit in 2015.
Gala is absolutely right, the town is greatly improved and beautiful. I can’t wait to get back as soon as this cursed plague passes.
Thank you Fiona and Robert for this wonderful post, and reviving some old and fond memories.
Jeff Duggan
Southbury, CT, USA
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Jeff – that’s a great comment! Many thanks. How good to have such clear and detailed memories. The past comes to life…
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You have painted a realistic and lovely picture of our town here in West Cork. I’ve lived here for a long time now and came to love it, I have seen quite a few changes over the years and town is improving all the time and becoming more beautiful too. I absolutely love the outdoor café culture that you highlighted, makes me think of my own town (Antwerp) it is healthy and lovely and it makes town a place for people, people are more visibly because of it and a town full of people is a wonderful town. Your photos as always are lovely too. Much enjoyed Robert.
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Thank you, Gaia. We have also found Skibbereen to be an attractive and vibrant place: long may it continue to be so!
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Yes it is a great place Robert!
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