As it happens, the posts on the Goat and Skeam Islands, and the others listed last week, were also among my own favourites this year, but I want to concentrate on posts that didn’t get a look-in then. Be warned – some of them tap into my nerdy side.

Readers will know how I love some meaty research, especially if I can combine it with photographs,  and I started off the year with a bang with two posts on the Anglo-Normans in West Cork: Hiding in Plain Sight. I had the huge advantage of piggy-backing on the work of Con Manning, esteemed medieval archaeologist, and together we looked at sites that might give us clues at the presence of the Anglo-Normans in this part of the country. This was particularly significant because they have left behind so few clues to their presence – or so it seemed. Turns out we were looking in the wrong places after all. One of the sites we think is an Anglo-Norman Ringwork is at Cnockeens, across from Dunmanus Castle (above), currently labelled a cliff-edge fort in the National Monuments records.

I also loved a three part examination of a book, discovered in Inanna Rare Books, about the voyage of St Brendan. What made this book special was that it contains a facsimile reproduction of a 14th century illustrated manuscript which takes us through the Navigatio, incident by incident, with subtitles in Gothic-script Latin and ‘joyful’ pen-and-ink drawings. 

A highlight for me this year was my visit to Owen Kelly, Stitching and Storytelling Among the Rocky Fields. To hear Owen talking about his practise, his inspirations, his methods and his stories, is to spend time with a master craftsman – it’s humbling and elevating all at once. The mermaid in the lead photograph is his work, as is the cheerful fellow below.

I did a ‘co-op’ blog with Amanda Clarke of Holy Wells of Cork and Kerry. We went to the end of the world – well, the far reaches of Kerry, to look for a sacred site that hadn’t after all, as she was afraid it might have, dropped off the cliff. This was a journey into the realm of Punishment and Pilgrimage in 16th Century Ireland and I don’t think I will ever forget Amanda’s excitement at what we found.

Also with Amanda, we had a day on Sherkin Island in May, and as these things tend to do, it turned into a three part blog exploring the Island, the Castle and the Friary. Despite having been on Sherkin many times, I had never managed to get inside the Friary before, but this time we found an open gate (shhh) and had a good old explore. The feature photo at the top of the post was taken by Amanda that day – coffee break on Sherkin.

And – although it wasn’t my blog post, I really enjoyed being on the podcast Cork Chronicles with Shannon Forde. We drove out to Toormore and talked about Rev Fisher, the protagonist of my Saints and Soupers series, and the firestorm of accusations and counter-accusations about his actions during the Famine. You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the image below.

I am thankful to Rev Terry Mitchell who facilitated my access to the vestry so that I could photograph this original portrait of Rev Fisher. Isn’t it wonderful? It’s probably an albumen print , dating to the 1860s or so. It’s been hand-coloured and although most of the colour has faded, the gold-rimmed spectacles remain as well as those startling blue eyes.

And on we go to 2026! This will be the 15th year for the blog – our first post was in Oct 2012 and garnered 5 views. Just an advance notice that operations may slow for January as I am moving house. Details to follow as sorting and packing allows. Don’t worry, I am staying in West Cork, not far from where I am now. But I sure will miss this view!

Happy New Year to all my wonderful readers – you are why I do this.

Each year we (now I) go back through the posts from that year and pick out our favourites – or your favourites, as shown by our stats. As predicted in my musings on the future of blogging in the age of AI, our overall views have gone down this year by about 12%. Of course that can also be partly explained by the fact that there are half the number of posts now that I am blogging on my own, I so perhaps it’s not a fair statistic. At any rate, your encouragements for me to look at engagement not numbers turned out to be bang on, as the number of likes at the end of posts is up by 50%! (But, as a reference to that post, I couldn’t resist asking ChatGPT to generate an image for me. Sorry. And no, I am not left-handed.)

Everyone loves Crookhaven, it seems and my post, Crookhaven Through Time, with its marvellous evocative images, captured your hearts this year and received the most views.  Thanks to James Goggin, who provided photos and who alerted me to the movie that supplied the images of Crookhaven in the 60s. This month, we were saddened to hear of the death of Billy O’Sullivan, the iconic and beloved innkeeper of O’Sullivan’s Bar in Crookhaven where you can get the most southerly pint in Ireland. That’s Crookhaven in my feature photo, above.

Your attention was also caught by the trip I took through the Goat Islands with my friend Nicky. This had been a long-held ambition of mine – to sail through the cleft that separates Greater and Lesser Goats Islands, and on a sparkling day in October we did just that. It was all I expected it to be and more, especially when Nicky took us through the Grey Seal colonies in the Carthys on the way home, and we heard the otherworldly song of the sea.

Your next most viewed post was The Return of the Earls – the one about the Crowley Clan Gathering, which featured seventh cousins embracing on the quay at Baltimore in a reunion 300 years in the making. Pedro Alonso O’Crouley was born in Cadiz in 1740. His parents had come from Limerick, Cork and Clare and his great, great (not sure how many times) grandson was carried in on a traditional wooden boat as we stood on the quay and waved flags and cheered. It was spine-tingling.

Believe it or not, although it might seem a little niche, a very popular post was Dublin’s Stained Glass, a Review. I suspect many of our viewers may have had Christmas presents in mind, and what a gift this would make for anyone living in or visiting Dublin.

If post views are anything to go by, you are all enjoying my series on the tiny island in Roaringwater Bay, the Wester Skeam. I am up to four so far, thanks to Cormac Levis and his generosity on bringing me there, and to Hester’s Memoir, Misty Memories, shared with me by her daughter, Brenda, and to Mary Mackie who transcribed her interviews with Hester’s brother, Joe, and published them in the Mizen Journal. 

I did a round-up of many of the posts we have written over the years about the Mizen (Mizen Magic Miscellany). I started off with reviewing its archaeological landscape and then concentrated, over three posts, on The Far End – it is truly unbelievable how many unique and fascinating places we have written about just in the final few kilometres of the Mizen Peninsula.

Finally, you loved, as I hoped you would, Robert’s headstone, which we unveiled in April, just over a year after his passing. Carved by Victor Daly of the Sheeps Head, it features a marvellous leaping hare – Robert’s spirit animal. If you are ever in Schull, drop by St Mary’s graveyard along the Colla Road and say hello to Robert – his benign presence will linger in these pages forever.

Next week, for the last post of the year, my own favourites of 2025. Meanwhile – the Best of the Season to you all!