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Baltimore
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Baltimore is a pretty
fishing village in West Cork, situated 13kms south-west of
Skibbereen. This historic maritime village is renowned for its
harbour, incorporating sailing, angling and diving trips, ferry
crossings to the nearby islands, private boat charters and much more
besides. The village has two sailing schools and it is the base for
the southernmost RNLI lifeboat in Ireland. Baltimore has a fine
range of restaurants with the local sea food a particular
speciality.
From Baltimore's attractive harbour visitors can catch a ferry to
the nearby Sherkin Island with its wonderful beaches and ruined
abbey. Cape Clear Island can also be reached by ferry from
Baltimore. This remote gaeltacht island is noted for its bird
sanctuary.
The seas off Baltimore are one of the best places for whale watching
in Europe, providing a feeding ground for several whale species for
7 months of the year. There is also a year round population of
dolphins and seals. Baltimore has also became a very popular venue
for scuba diving, due largely to the number and variety of
shipwrecks in the bay. These include a WWII submarine (The U-260)
and the bulk carrier Kowloon Bridge.
Baltimore boasts a number of festivals and other events throughout
the year covering heritage, traditional music, seafood, historic
sailing boats, regattas, angling, arts, storytelling and walking.
One of the most notable landmarks in the area is the Baltimore
Beacon, also known as Lot's Wife. This large stone structure at the
entrance to Baltimore Harbour was part of a series of lighthouses
and beacons dotted around the Irish coast, forming a warning system.
The remains of the O'Driscoll Castle, Dun na Sead, tower over the
village and are a reminder of the once powerful O'Driscoll clan who
controlled much of the South West for a number of centuries. Spain
Tower to the south-east was another O'Driscoll stronghold. Other
places of interest in the Baltimore area include Drombeg Stone
Circle, Timoleague Abbey and the beautiful villages of Kinsale and
Clonakilty, the former famed for its seafood restaurants. Baltimore
is ideally placed to explore the beauty of West Cork, Mizen Head and
the Beara Peninsula. |
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Baltimore Holiday Homes - County Cork, Ireland