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We have a fine listing of
the
leading hotels, hostels and
B&Bs in Cork. | |
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out how to get to and from Cork. Bus, train, plane and
cabs. | |
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Discover the colour & vibrancy of Cork's theatres &
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at our great quality photos of various places in County
Cork. | |
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Skibbereen,
County Cork |
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 Skibbereen
(Irish: An
Sciobairín) in
Ireland is known
as the capital
of West Cork.
The name "Skibbereen"
(often shortened
to "Skibb")
means "little
boat harbour".
The river Ilen
which runs
through the town
reaches the sea
at Baltimore.
Prior to 1600
most of the land
belonged to the
native McCarthy
tribe - today
McCarthy remains
the town's most
common surname.
At the height of
the Irish Potato
Famine
(1845-1849) in
1847 the body of
an unnamed boy,
taken for
lifeless, was
placed in a
coffin in the
Town Square and
conveyed for
burial to the
Abbey Cemetery.
As he was
lowered into the
pit, the youth
regained
consciousness
and walked
unaided from the
grave. It is
probable that
some
8,000-10,000
Famine victims
are buried in
the Famine
Burial Pits of
Abbeystrewery
Cemetery.
The Skibbereen
Eagle, a
newspaper
founded in 1857,
became famous by
declaring it was
"keeping an eye
on the Czar of
Russia" over his
expansionist
designs on
China. This
newspaper was
superseded by
the Cork County
Southern Star,
founded in 1889,
its first editor
D.D. Sheehan,
and included
amongst its
shareholders one
Michael Collins.
Skibbereen is
also the name of
a song about the
Famine, and the
impact it and
the British
Government had
on the people of
Ireland. The
song, known as
Dear Old
Skibbereen,
takes the form
of a
conversation
between a father
and a son, in
which the son
asks his father
why fled the
land he loved so
well. The father
relates to his
son how the
famine ruined
his farm in
Skibbereen, and
killed his wife.
Unable to pay
taxes,
...the landlord
and the bailiff
came to drive us
all away. They
set the roof on
fire with their
cursed English
spleen, And
that's another
reason why I
left old
Skibbereen. In
the final verse
the son swears
he will return
to Skibbereen to
take vengeance
on the
government that
he holds
accountable. A
fine version can
be found on the
soundtrack to
the PBS
mini-series,
"The Long
Journey Home",
performed by
Sinead O'Connor. |
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