News & Events
Market research is underway to examine the
optimum approach towards the enhancement and development of the Dursey
Island Cable Car and Visitor Centre.
Beara Composer David Harmax
(Some of us know him as David Geraghty!)
David is going to take us on his journey to becoming a film and
concert composer. He'll talk about the process of composing
music as an example of how to turn ideas into somethings!
He will also discuss his varied approaches to composing for screen as
well as for the concert stage and will demonstrate his compositional
process, the technology he uses, and the organic nature of composing
music for many varied medium.
With his relaxed and familiar approach, David will perform some of his
own works as well as use visual media to every musical interest.
8:00 P.M., Friday, 21 September
Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's
Retreat
Eyeries, Beara
For information or to book, call Sue,
027 74441. -------------
EYERIES PARISH NEWSLETTER
2018 Please have your articles,
stories, photos, and news items in by Monday, 15 October to Mary Frank O'Sullivan
(maryfrankosullivan@eircom.net), Norelene O'Dwyer
(noreleneodwyer@yahoo.com), or Sue Booth-Forbes
(anamcararetreat@gmail.com) so that the newsletter can be ready in
time for Christmas mailing! Thank you!!!
Watch this new video on Dursey with narration by Dursey born Rosarie O'NeillDursey Island videoThe following events are being organised by
the Beara Historical Society for National Heritage Week:
Castletownbere gearing up for the Regatta on Monday 6th. On the left is the fun fairt that comes to town each year.
The Beara Arts Festival 2018 opens at the Beara Coast Hotel 2pm August 4th featuring the work of the late great artist Maurice Henderson who used to live and work in Allihies here on the Beara peninsula
The Dursey Cable Car is proving very popular. If you wish to go our advice is go early in the day. Little room in the car park judging by this aerial picture by John Eagle, and you can see the long queue of people in the blue building on the lower right
12 views of the Beara Peninsula, the 2019 calendar is now available to purchase Mailed Worldwide
The Eyeries brochure above is available to download
Eyeries has its very own motor home park
Glengarriff Harbour is a favourite mooring spot for yachts and other boats. Garnish Island has the Italian gardens, a short boat trip from the village. Glengarriff is also the gateway to the Beara peninsula on the northern Cork side. Casey's Hotel is a fine place for your stay
Eyeries has a fine new cafe
Cindy's Gems Cafe is now open and serving delicious home made food
Fancy a walk in Beara? There are many to choose from
The |Rabach's Glen is one of many walks to do in Beara
South America Solo at 60! A fundraising talk by Sue SwansboroughFriday April 27th at Anam Cara 8.30pm
Allihies Paintings At The Copper Café
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
| Aerial views of Castletownbere fishing fleet taken by John Eagle using his Phantom 4 Pro +. The view on the left is looking west from the BIM teaching buildung to the Sarah Walker Gallery. The view above right is from BIM building to RNLI station. The large blue and white vessel is the newly acquired tug Ocean Challenger belonging to Atlantic Towage | |
John Eagle flew his drone Eagle Eye 2 up Gleninchaquin waterfall to the top
to see the lake
There is a Allihies Men's Shed meeting that
may be of interest to you.
Local historian Theo Dahlke presents a seminar on the history of
copper mining in Allihies, 11th September, 8pm,
The venue is 'Allihies shed' (which is not a shed, it's actually a
little meeting centre) on the back road in Allihies.
All welcome
Fishing trawlers passing at Berehaven harbour mouth watched over by Ardnakinna lighthouse
on Bere Island. On the right is Bantry Bay with Sheeps Head in the distance. Into the bay come
the oil tankers going to Whiddy Island. The picture was taken from the Eagle Eye drone
which also shot a video that takes in the Piper Rocks, several trawlers and the lighthouse
The John Eagle Beara Calendar 2018 is now on sale 13 fine prints of the peninsula
Inisfernard is an island in Coulagh Bay, off the tip of Kilcatherine. It divides Coulagh Bay from the Kenmare Bay. Now uninhabited it used to have a small community living there. Ruins can be found, and stone walls.
John Eagle flew his Phantom 3 Advanced drone the legnth of the island showing all the nooks and crannies, cliffs, walls, ruins and just by chance three jet skis. The film starts at the western tip and goes over the island finishing on Kilcatherine Point
€615 was raised at the Beara Arts Festival from the sale of the John Eagle oil painting, all monies going to Cancer Connect
Deirdre Purcell, novelist and broadcaster, will open the Beara Arts Festival this Friday August 4th at 6pm at the Castletownbere Community School, where she opened the first Beara Arts Festival 25 years ago
The 2017 National Heritage Week is
Saturday 19th to Sunday 27th August
These are the Beara Historical Society
events:
Saturday 19th, 10am-6pm
Bronze Age Mining Smelting Casting
At the Cornish Village, Allihies
Sunday 20th, 2-4pm
Field Trip to Allihies Copper Mines
Meet at the Old Schoolhouse, Reentrisk,
Allihies.
Followed by Bronze Age Mining Smelting
Casting
At the Cornish Village, Allihies, from 4-6pm
Thursday 24th, 7.30-8.30pm
Seanchaí Pádraig Ó Murchú Plaque
Eyeries Village
Sunday 27th, 3-4pm
Visit to St Finian’s Cemetery, North Road,
Castletownbere
(See www.heritageweek.ie)
The Beara Arts Festival this year celebrates 25 years since the very first Beara Arts Festival, with showings of local Beara artists work, talks and apainting demonstration. An oil painting by John Eagle will be auctioned to raise funds for Cancer Connect which provides vital service taking cancer patients to and from hospitals in Cork. 2 showings of the film starring Fred Astaire The Purple Taxi will be shown in Eyeries where it was partly filmed 40 years ago, and proceeds from this will also go to Cancer Connect
Watch new video of Castletownbere port and Beara Coast Hotel
Visitors to Castletownbere looking at an exhibition of b/w portrait photographs by freelance photographer Shay Hunston
Good pots never go out of style and we have some beautiful ones here. From terracotta to glazed, very large practical sizes to nice and neat pressies. With of course plenty of sea hardy designs and colourful plants to compliment them! And, since sometimes it is not a plant that is needed, we have lovely ornaments to fill that space too. Check out our quality terracotta, glazed and concrete ornaments at Garra Fado Garden, Eyeries. Happy Gardening!
........................
The comedian Brendan Grace will be appearing at the Beara Coast Hotel July 20th
Throughout the summer there is a succession of blooming wild flowers like these foxgloves and buttercups, enhancing the sides of the road
The red fuschia will be with us all summer long
These come out in the month of May
Transpose is the new bestseller by resident Beara novelist Matt Padwick
Is Ed still a messed-up adrenalin junkie, tripping around the world in a vain attempt to find meaning in life, or is he a changed man? After an enlightening year of simple living, he has packed all the inner peace and contentment he can carry and is travelling from his remote west coast cabin in Ireland to attend a wedding at an exclusive English hotel. It could be the perfect opportunity to show off his new-found meditative equipoise – or a stage for yet another audacious adventure
In 1990 Matt Padwick left
university none-the-wiser and spent a decade globe-trotting as an
Adventure Travel Guide before arriving at a Tibetan Buddhist
meditation centre in south-west Ireland, where he surprised everybody
(but mostly myself) by entering a two-year closed retreat. After the
retreat he joined the staff and then managed the centre for ten years
until 2013.
Matt has written two autobiographical novels; "RUNNING CONTRA DICTION
- and the flight of a soul athlete" (2015) and "TRANSPOSE - a
self-styled revolution" (2017) which explore the insecurity that
powered a life of extreme sport and wilderness adventure, and the
moments of pure mind and perfect balance that made it addictive. With
planet-sized humour and wry vision he scales some of the big questions
of his generation.
The book can be purchased from Amazon
Rally of the Lakes 2017 was held April 29th in appalling conditions, lashing rain, sleet, howling gales. Here a car goes along the Kilcatherine stage, with Ballycrovane harbour behind and Miskish Mountain in the distance
Basking sharks, whales and dolphins in great numbers have been seen off the south coast of Beara this month, a truly beautiful site to behold, and drawing lots of people to view these lovely creatures of the sea
“WINDOWS OF EYERIES”
ART TRAIL UPDATE!
21 July through 25 August
CALLING ALL ARTISTS!!!
-
Please bring your new and original artwork (all types accepted) to Evie’s Hall from 2:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., Saturday, 15 July and from 2:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Sunday, 16 July.
-
To protect your work, please have it safely wrapped and on a stiff backing or in a frame. There will be a portfolio stand for a limited quantity of works on paper.
-
Please label each piece with its title, the price (if for sale, or NFS if not for sale), your name, and your contact information because we want to make sure that prospective buyers deal directly with you.
-
Please volunteer to be part of the team that will be putting up the exhibition from 15-19 July.
Beara Gallery, Mill Cove Gallery, and Sarah Walker Gallery are the sponsors of the Art Trail.
For more information, e-mail Billie and John at john.weston@virgin.net or Sue at anamcararetreat@gmail.com.
 |
 |
| Cathy and John Harrington are retiring from
Jack Patrick's Restaurant today. The restaurant has been in
business for 50 years. Previously run by John's sister
Margaret Nolan and his mum Julia. Cathy and John have been
running it for the last 33 years. Cathy and John say 'We would like to thank our customers for their support and we shall miss you all. ' |
|
Castletownbere has the best deep water berth in Ireland, handling large container ships and fishing boats. In 2012 it was officially opened and now the Irish Government in recognising how import it is has approved a new super dock extension with breakwater
The sink lift for bringing vessels out of the sea for inspection and service
The pier itself with trawlers and the tug Ocean Challenger in the centre
You can watch a video of Dinish Island deep water pier if you wish
The first event of the year organised by the
Beara Historical Society will be held in Twomey's Lounge,
Castletownbere on Thurs 23rd Feb at 8pm.
There will be a screening of a documentary "The Seaflower Disaster of
Christmas 1968" which recounts the circumstances of the tragic event
of almost fifty years ago.
On the 22nd of December 1968 the Castletownbere fishing vessel
"Seaflower" was lost in a raging storm off the coast of Ardgroom with
the loss of all five crew on board, Michael Crowley, Bernie Lynch,
John Michael Sheehan, Noel Sheehan and Niall Crilly. The heroic
attempts of the crew of another boat, the "Ard Beara", to round Dursey
Head to try to rescue the marooned men will also be recalled on the
night.
All welcome.
Happy New Year from Discover Beara
A meeting was held in the Beara Coast Hotel October 11th to discuss ways of reducing congestion in Castletownbere. With two narrow sections of the main street something needs to be done. The first section which runs between the church and Harringtons a one way system could be arranged with traffic using the road behind Harringtons and their warehouse. The other part of the narrow street poses the biggest problem, where it runs between the Garda Station and Wisemans. Suggestions have been made to make a bridge from the pier across the inlet to link up with the road to the hotel, another to run along the backs of the houses on the north side of the inlet and a road going north of the town taking traffic clear of Castletownbere altogether. There is not an easy solution, and a lot of thought and planning will need to be done on this.
---
To celebrate Culture Night 2016, Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat is proud to host the launch of Beara singer/songwriter Gerry Bruton's latest CD. Featuring his original songs, Gerry (gerrymbruton@gmail.com) will be joined by Beara musicians Eileen O'Driscoll on the fiddle, Michael O'Driscoll on the banjo, and Mary Maddison on the bodhrán.
Gerry's songs chronicle his life's experiences of love, impending
fatherhood, rural decline, political and business corruption and
even a fisherman’s fishing trip, themes and issues most people can
relate to. He recorded the album with Clonakilty-born guitarist and
producer Bill Shanley in Cauldron Studios (Dublin).
September 16th
Time: 8:00 P.M.
Place: Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat, Eyeries, Beara, Co.
Cork
Sue Booth-Forbes, Director
Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat
August 15th is special in Allihies for the horse racing, click on the above pic to watch a video of it
Mike Tim O'Sullivan making silage for Paddy Sheehan in August near Garnish with Dursey Island in the distance
Watch a white knuckle ride through the Bull Rock tunnel
If you would like to do this boat trip then please the Tours page
Ardgroom village basking in the summer sunshine, caught on camera by Eagle Eye drone
In 1805 the British built signal towers on the headlands of Ireland. These were designed to be easily seen by the next tower in line of sight up or down the coast. The point being that a signal could be sent to Dublin in the event of Napolean attacking the coast with his fleet of ships. The towers did not last very long as it was soon discovered how useless they were in the event of sea fog which obscured them.
You might like to watch a short video on Blackball
There is a website dedicated to signal towers which might be of interested
Pictures taken by John Eagle www.JohnEaglePhoto.com
The picture here shows the tower at Blackball head which stands on the north shore of Bantry Bay, and can be seen from the road from Castletownbere to Allihies
Here's a video of Anam Cara Artist's and Writer's Retreat in Eyeries
The picture at the top of the page was takern by John Eagle in 1994 from a Bolkow helicopter flown by Capt. Mick Conneely. Taken using colour slide film it has faded somewhat over the years and so he decided to re-shoot it
Flew a bit higher this time, taking picture from Eagle Eye drone shooting in RAW with 12 mega pixel camera. Prints are available from his website
While he was at it he also shot a video. Watch video
The cable car to Dursey Island
Here's an aerial view of the Garra Fado garden centre near Eyeries, a great place to explore
2016 Summer Time operating hours for the Dursey Island Cable Car.
 |
|
| The Oscars came to Beara May 20th in Lehanmore | |
 |
 |
| Niall receiving his Best Actor Oscar | Lehanmore group |
History and Tradition: The
Michael Dwyer Festival
This will be the 18th year of our festival in Allihies, Beara, Co.
·
Music from the
·
Presentation by Jackie Daly and Matt Cranitch
This interactive presentation is on the history of the music of Sliabh
Luachra and will take place at
In this illustrated presentation, Jackie and Matt talk about their
formative musical influences with particular reference to the Sliabh
Luachra tradition. They also weave in a music workshop, however anyone
interested in simply sitting and listening to the narrative will
equally benefit. The tunes they teach are from Sliabh Luachra, known
particularly for its rich repertoire of slides and polkas. The
workshop is not instrument-specific, and so participants who play any
of the traditional melody instruments are welcome to attend.
Jackie Daly and Matt Cranitch will then adjourn to
Kevin O'Neill's Bar for a
Saturday evening session.
·
The Dwyers in Concert
Michael Dwyer’s
brothers John and Richard will give a performance together in
Michael was a gifted performer on both the
fiddle and tin whistle, being a national champion in both
The concert will
be introduced by fellow musician and cousin of the Dwyers, Mary
Donegan. Richard will be
accompanied by Mary Conway (a presenter with Kerry radio) and national
treasure Sean Garvey (a former award winner of Amhránaí na
Bliana/Singer of the Year). John will be accompanied by Siobhán
O’Connell.
Since
his retirement John travels the country, performing in sessions and
concerts often with younger musicians who revere his music, including
Lia Byrne, Siobhán Peoples and Edel Fox. John's reputation has now
extended to music academia with Lia Byrne currently preparing a thesis
about his compositions through
·
Amala
Another highlight of this years festival is the launch of Amala's CD,
Resonance, in
Allihies Mine Museum on Friday
June 10th, followed by their gig at
Jimmy's Bar at 9 pm.
Kerry based Amala consists
of Reidun Schlesinger
(mainly harps, also flute, concertina) and Paul de Grae (guitars).
They play music from several centuries in original arrangements. Amala
have co-presented "From Chieftain's Court to Polka Sets: 500 Years of
Harping in Kerry", a lecture/recital in the "Handed Down" series in
Scartaglin Heritage Centre in Kerry, and presented an expanded version
as part of Na Píobairí Uilleann's "Notes and Narratives" series in
their
In 1989 Paul published
"Traditional Irish Guitar", the first such tutor book.
·
Seán Garvey
·
Irish traditional/Sean Nós
Singer/Musician
From
Cathair Saidhbhín Co. Kerry, Sean gas been
singer-in-residence for the Gaeltacht area of South Kerry, Gaeltacht
Uibh Rathaigh, and he continues to perform, teach music and lecture.
He studied Irish language and Irish Folklore and obtained a Masters in
ethnomusicology at the
Seán Garvey has
been previously awarded the most prestigious traditional music award,
the TG4 Traditional Singer of the Year, and has been acknowledged by
his peers as much as by his audiences, as being one of our finest
exponents of traditional singing.
He has performed in The Masters of Tradition Festival, Bantry
House and is recognised as having made outstanding contribution to
Irish music at home and abroad.
Seán is a fine guitar accompanist to his
own voice, as well as a player of flute and tenor banjo.
He will present at our festival
and will give a singing workshop with Tim Dennehy (another renowned
singer of tradition) at Allihies
Halla, 10 am Saturday 11th June.
 |
 |
| A sudden increase in warmer weather sucked cold air in off the Wild Atlantic creating dramatic fog scenes on the Beara Peninsula May 11th. Above left fog cascades over the Miskish Mountains, and on the right a fish farm boat crew work away as fog sweeps up the Kenmare Bay. Pictures taken by John Eagle | |
he Beara Vintage and Classic Club will hold a tractor and vintage run in aid of the Castletownbere Daycare Centre on Sunday, May 15th, meeting at the Wild Atlantic Bar, Adrigole at 1pm. All ages of tractors, classic and vintage cars and bikes are welcome. Starting at the bar, the tractor route will take in the Healy Pass before returning to Adrigole. The car and bike route will leave the bar to head to Glengarriff, via the tunnel road to Kenmare before returning via Lauragh and the Healy Pass. Refreshments will be available after the run.
A huge gorse fire raged all night around Garranes Bhuddist Retreat Centre near Allihies April 21st, many were woken to find flames at their outside their homes which must have been truly terryfing. Eagle Eye flew over the scene and shot this video
April 18-19th welcomed another film crew, this time Oscar winning director of the short film Stutterer, Ben Cleary was in the village to make a test commercial called The Suit. John Eagle's drone Eagle Eye flew over the set/ Watch video
At the screening of Atlantic in Castletownbere this evening are, left to right: Director Risteard Domhaill, Pat Murphy, Patrick Murphy CEO IS & SW Fisheries, (in front of him are his daughters Roisin and Clara) John Dee O'Sullivan, and Noel Harrington
How about a spot of camping on the Beara Peninsula
This is the Hungry Hill Lodge and Camp Site in Adrigole, with close proximity to the sea
Picture taken by Eagle Eye
If you would like to have your property photographed by Eagle Eye then please
Contact Us
This is an aerial view of Dunboy Castle from
Eagle Eye. Paddy O'Sullivan who leads walks on the Beara Peninsula said 'The Star shape defences were built circa 1650 during the Cromwellian era by a contingent of English soldiers'.
John Eagle flew his drone 'Eagle Eye' round the entrance to Berehaven, showing the Piper Rocks
Ardnakinna lighthouse as well as the two sides, the mainland and Bere Island. It is here that ships leaving Berehaven
enter Bantry Bay before the Atlantic Ocean. The video is on his website www.JohnEaglePhotography.com
The video is called The Harbour's Mouth
Pictures from the air show the shape of the castle at Dunboy.
The pictures taken by Eagle Eye the drone belonging to Beara photographer John Eagle clearly show the layout of the castle. Recent clearing work by Michael Ed O'Sullivan and Paddy O'Sullivan to clear brambles and weeds from the walls now give a much better perspective of how the castle was shaped. The castle was defended to the last man by the O'Sullivan Beare clan in the early 1600s
Art workshop happening on Beara end of May start of June. For further details@
Discover Beara now has its very own video library where you can see views of the peninsula, places to see and places to stay
Click on above picture to watch video of Ballydonegan
Coulagh Bay Cottages at Cahirkeem (the two buildings on the right) are available for rent from Theresa Murphy. See the self catering section for Eyeries on this site
Allihies Holiday Homes, sited close to the sea and beach. See the self catering in Allihies for more information on these lovely houses
January 10th 2016 Beara woke up to much colder temperatures and a dusting of snow on the Caha Mountains, which form the backbone of the peninsula
The snow seen here is on the north side of Glenbeg Lake
Sharon Shannon comes to Allihies Hall on Sat 6th Feb 2016 and proceeds from the night go to Cahermore National School. Great Xmas Pressie for friends and family and anyone who deserves a treat!
Dear Poets,
This is a follow-up to remind all those interested in entering Hungry
Hill Writing's poetry competition, that the deadline for entries is
February 6th 2016.
Here are the details again:
Hungry Hill Writing invites entries for our annual poetry competition:
Poets meet politics 2016
This year we are awarding two first prizes of €500
One for a poem about any political subject
One which focuses on the 1916 Irish Easter Rising
This year’s judge is Afric McGlinchey
Please feel free to forward to anyone who you think may be interested
in entering, and we look forward to seeing your work.
More information can be found on the competition section of our
website, here:
Geoff Ward's new book Spirals is now available in the
Beara Bookshop
Workshops at Anam Cara for 2016 have been announced, see
WorkshopsSuper high speed broadband is coming to the Beara peninsula. Allihies is the first parish to get it. The people living in the rest of Beara will have to wait awhile, and put up with what Eir can supply us with
Introducing the new Head Chef at The Olde Bakery, Eoin Davis.
Eoin has a wealth of culinary experience, including being head chef at the 4 star Zetland House Hotel in Galway, The Blue Haven Hotel, Kinsale & more recently as private chef to actor Jeremy Irons in Kilcoe Castle, Ballydehob. Eoin prides himself on giving guests a great dining experience and has a passion for local & regional products. And where better than Castletownbere & West Cork to exploit this passion!
Sunday November 15th there is a sale of small art at the Lighthouse Bar in Allihies. Each piece is in a brown an unmarked brown envelope so the buyer does not know what he or she is buying, it's a surprise. Each piece costs €25. The collected money is going to raise money for the Michael O'Dwyer tin whistle festival held in June each year. The sale starts at 4.30, so come along and be in with a chance to buy an exclusive piece of art work by a well known artist
The 2016 Discover Beara Calendar
Now available to
purchase online
----
POETRY THURSDAY
on the last Thursday of the month
Thursday 24 September, 8pm
White Room, The Square, Castletownbere
Read your own poems, read favourite poems,
listen, discuss, chat…
All welcome!
-----
A plaque in tribute to Dr. Aidan MacCarthy has been erected on the front of the house in which he was born MacCarthy's Bar in Castletownbere. This was done by the Beara Historical Society August 22nd 2015. It was followed by a screening of a new film on his life 'A Doctor's Sword'
| Local house wins Home of the Year on RTE | |
 |
 |
| Teach Maoildia, Ita Molloy and Andrew Harvey's
beautiful eco-friendly home in Castletownbere that won RTÉ
One's Home of the Year last night! Here's another peek at
their beautiful home, which was designed by Ita's son,
architect Donn Ponnighaus |
|
 |
 |
| South side with slopes of Maulin beyond | Reflected in the pond |
 |
 |
| The upstairs open plan lounge with magnificent views | Staircase from dining area to the lounge |
| The house uses passive heating giving the interior a warm and cosy feeling | |
| more pictures of Teach Maoildia and other
buildings can be seen at
www.johneaglephoto.com |
|
 |
 |
| Kilcatherine Church on the Beara Peninsula, thought to have been built by the monks who created the monastic settlement on Skellig Michael. The church is no longer used, but open masses are held once or twice a year, the most recent being on Easter morning at dawn which was a traditional event in years gone by | |
Eyeries long awaited playground is nearing completition. It is hoped to have it ready by the end of May with an offical opening during the Family Festival in the middle of July. Picture below taken by drone showing the enclosed ball game area
John Eagle sent his drone up to take a look around above Ardgroom village April 30th and Eyeries below which has just had new road surface put down, and new footpaths
 |
 |
| Eyeries road is being re-surfaced and drawing quite a lot of attention in the process. Upper left shows the finished section passing Mary O'Shea's pub, whereas the others show work in progress outside the Health Centre. The villagers won't know themselves by the time it is finished | |
 |
 |
The Castletownbere Development Association hosted their Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 15th April and with this we saw the election of the new Chairman, Darren Lynch and the new committee.
They would like to thank everyone that was able to attend and share in the ideas for the coming year.
As a voluntary team of members of the local community, they work every year to host the annual Regatta, Easter, Halloween, Christmas market and Christmas lights.
We would like to say a very special thank-you to everyone that signed up as volunteers on the evening, this will now fully enable us to provide Castletownbere with a very fun packed summer season for 2015, the busiest year to date.
If you would like to get involved and help as a volunteer, please contact the C.D.A through Facebook at
Our website www.Castletownbere.ie is in the process of being updated. Please send in your news articles and photos to help us keep it current.
Also don't forget to follow us on Twitter; CastletownCDA
A scene from 'Arsenic and Old Lace' performed by the Peninsula Players at the Beacon April 17 and 18th
The Wild Atlantic Way stretches from Fanad in the far north of Co. Donegal to Kinsale south of Cork city. The entire Beara coastline is on the route and some photographs of it can now be seen on
The Wild Atlantic Way page
Love from Cork - Postcards of the City and County
is a beautifully produced book by The Collins Press. For anyone interested in old postcards showing scenes of a bygone era this is a must have book. Look at the old cars, the 'coloured' postcards John Hinde made famous, scenes of Cork city and all over County Cork
 |
 |
| A postcard of the original Fastnet lighthouse | A postcard view from Bere Island showing naval ships in Berehaven |
The fascinating book is filled with postcard scenes like those above, with details of when they were posted. Like the one above right was posted in 1914 at Waterfall near Bantry
Love from Cork - Postcards of the City and County by Perry O'Donovan
€9.99 + shipping can be purchased here online from
Beara Books
|
|||||||||||||||
 |
 |
| Trad. dancing in the square | Overall winners Darkness into Light |
 |
 |
| Starting off | The Great Pyramid passing the Great and Co |
| St. Patrick's Day Parade 2015 in Castletownbere | |
Garnish looking lovely at the start of St. Patrick's Day. There are two fine B&Bs to stay at here,
Harbour View and Windy Point
Fancy a bus tour round the Beara Peninsula? Discover Beara have teamed up with the No: 1 bus company on Beara
Tommy Hartnett to give groups of people a lovely day out on the peninsula
Also available are walking tours, see where artist John Eagle gets his inspiration from or go with him on a guided walk
Events for 2015
Michael O'Dwyer Tin Whistle Festival in Allihies June 5,6 and 7th
July
The Eyeries Family Festival will run July 17th to 19th this year
31st July-7th August
The Festival of the Sea
A week long celebration of the heritage of the fishing cummunity of Castletownbere, it is a real showcase of the towns people and what is available here.
starting on the friday evening with the informus sheaf tossing, air rugby, wheel barrow racing and lots of other fun new games every year. This leads into a three day market and childrens entertainment on the main square followed each evening by live bands and a late night D.J.
Monday marks the main regatta day with lots of fun water sports and games organised by the Castletownbere Rowing club and Castletownbere Development associasion.
This leads into a fun packed week around the area for all ages with the finally 'Take Me Out' on the friday evening
Wild Atlantic Words Poetry Festival
5th & 6th September
Hungry Hill Writing
Hosted in various venues in Castletownbere(TBA)
Creative Writing workshops, poetry readings, childrens workshops and the Hungry Hill Writing's international summer compertitions and awards.
The festivals Patron is Bernard O'Donoghue.
Further details available at
www.hungerhillwriting.com or email hungryhillwriting@gmail.com or call Jennifer Russell (027 76996)or John Post (027 70841)Saturday 12th of September
http://corksports.ie/index.cfm/page/2015anpostrebeltour This is organised by The Cork Sports Partnership. It has 2 routes both are to go through Castletwnbere
Saturday 12th of September
http://corksports.ie/index.cfm/page/2015anpostrebeltour This is organised by The Cork Sports Partnership. It has 2 routes both are to go through castletwnbere.
Halloween Party
A fun packed afternoon for the kids in The Beacon followed by the haunted garden for those who dare......
More info to follow, www.facebook/CTBfestivalinfo
Christmas Market and Town Christmas light switch on Sunday 6th december. please stay tuned to the facebook for more information.
Gosh we really do have lots to do, writing it all out is so exciting, here's to a fun year, I hope this helps and is not too much, I can also forward on posters and programs as they are produced throughout the year.
chat soon and many Thanks
March 2nd saw temperatures plunge here in Beara
The Caha Mountain range, above, got a coating of snow. This view shows Glenbeg on the right over to the back of Barrakilla
There will be a car boot sale at the Lake House Hall March 29th
May 2 and 3rd Mick Flannery will be at Lehanmore 8pm
The dance workshop in the Beacon had to be cancelled for February 28th, postpostoned to March 7th
March 1st 10pm TG4 there is a programme about Finbarr Dwyer the well known accordian player who passed away a year ago
A page dedicated to Beara artists has started on the website. If you live on Beara or paint scenes of Beara please contact us
The page is called Discover Beara Artists
Great news came our way this month in that we are having our hotel restored. What was once Cametrigane and also Ford Rí is now to be called The Beara Coast Hotel. The hotel has been purchased by Mark Golden and Mark Johnston two hoteliers from Youghal who have made a great success of The Old Imperial Hotel there. We look forward to welcoming these two to the Beara Peninsula
Beara resident Matt Padwick's novel 'Running Contra Diction' was successfully launched at the Sarah Walker Gallery Feb 5th. This is Matt's first novel and it is hoped he will write more, such is the interest in the book. Running Contra Diction is the story of Ed’s fight for meaning in life, a globetrotting adrenalin junkie enjoying all the freedoms and adventure he ever wanted. And Ed is not happy.
Signed copies are on sale at the online book shop
Beara BooksThe Beara Historical Society welcomes home Castletownbere-born broadcaster John Greene for its next talk, "A career in broadcasting and the emergence of Independent radio in Cork".
Twomey’s Lounge, Monday 16th February 8.30pm.
All welcome
A trawler heading out of Castletownbere with snow capped Hungry Hill behind
February 1st was a really nice sunny day, and snow to boot. The above picture is of the Caha Mountains behind Ardgroom village
---
Book launch this week at the Sarah Walker Gallery in Castletownbere on Thursday 5th at 8pm. 'Running Contradiction' by Matt Padwick
Jennifer Russell play 'Naming Baby' at Sarah Walker Gallery Friday to Sunday at 8pm
A fine job has been made of the footbridges in Glanmore. They were falling into a disrepair and have recently been restored
A grand turn out for the Ballroom Dancing in the Beara Bay on Saturday 24th. There must have sixty at least who came to learn or re-learn the waltz and quickstep. The author of this news hadn't danced in forty years and felt a bit apprehensive. However with many others not really knowing what they were doing it was easy to join in and have a great time. Noralene was great in showing us the steps and obviously saw potential in us, as now we set our sights on Strictly (I wish). Here's to the next dance!
Stormy conditions along the Coulagh Bay shore. Jan 22nd. This is near the village of Eyeries, the mountain in the background is Miskish
Beara in Winter time has its own particular charm. This view shows the north shore on the coast road from Ardgroom to Eyeries. Come and see for yourself. The nearest B&B is Highfield House in Ardgroom
The Castletownbere fishing fleet returned to the ocean Friday 16th on a bitterly cold evening. Spare a thought for these brave lads out there on the ocean wave trying to bring home some catch. Long nights, rough waves, cold winds
'Boy Jason' passing Ardnakinna lighthouse, heading for the the fishing grounds in the North Atlantic
Why not try the Beara Bookshop, selling books about Beara
The bookshop is open 24/7
Liam Ó Maonlaí (Hothouse Flowers) played the High Tide Club on New Year's Eve to a packed audience
Paula Gomez on stage at The High Tide Club (Sarah Walker Gallery) singing 'Rivermouth. The song came from a poem by Paula Meehan arranged by Tim Goulding.
Watch video shot by Richie Hodges
Eyeries has had its Christmas lights switched on for the festive season and the village is looking really nice. There are more pictures on our Facebook wall
Christmas shopping weekend. Saturday December 6th, 11am till late & Sunday December 7th, 1pm till 6pm. Christmas Cocktails & Fashion Parade on Saturday night at 7pm.
A crime mystery set in Beara
Anna Sweeney
Deadly Intent by Anna Sweeney is a new crime mystery novel set on our own Beara peninsula, whose magnificent scenery is evoked in the story, along with a tangled plot and a highly engaging cast of characters to keep you turning the pages.
Maureen is found unconscious on a lonely mountain track. Her husband blames a fellow guest staying at Nessa McDermott’s country house. Two days later, a man’s body is found, strangled and dumped. Amid a frenzy of police, media and family pressures, Nessa sets out to find her own answers – and soon comes into conflict with ambitious young policeman Redmond Joyce. Anxiety grows as suspicion shifts from a holiday fling to ugly secrets far and near.
Deadly Intent was first published in the Irish language as Buille Marfach under the author’s own name, Anna Heussaff, who later translated it to English. Anna has been to Beara many times, including a stay at Anam Cara . She lives in her native Dublin.
Deadly Intent, published by Severn House in London, is available from Amazon on both sides of the Atlantic, in hardback, paperback and on kindle. For more information see: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Intent-contemporary-Irish-mystery/dp/0727883690
And here's a review that gives quite a flavour of the story (though I don't agree with every word in it, of course!) http://atriptoireland.com/2014/09/15/irish-book-review-deadly-intent-by-anna-sweeney/
Videos a delight showing off Beara
Richie Hodges, an Allihies photographer, has been making some wonderful videos of the Beara Peninsula, showing the area off to great acclaim. 800 views in under 48 hours is no mean feat, but then when you see the quality of the videos you will start to understand why
Richie's work can be viewed at balooz.com where you will find details on how to contact him. Well worth a visit
The first 'running' of the Eyeries 5 Mile Run got off to a great start with 400 odd competitors either running or walking the route
The run started near the village limits on the Ballycrovane side then passed through the village and up to the Cross, turning left and along past the football pitch and up to Bofikil, past the quarry and first left coming back around the lower road to Eyeries and finishing outside O'Sullivan's Foodmarket. The first man home was Alex O'Shea running in just under 30 minutes. It is hoped the event will be staged every year from now on
Castletownbere Regatta 2014
The Regatta is held on the first Monday of August each year, and this year attendance was on a massive scale partly due to the gorgeous weather and one of the best bands to play The Square in a long time.
Bruce Springsteen tribute band The Springsteens from Dublin pulled in the crowds from all over as the above picture taken by Beara photographer John Eagle shows. The first two weeks of August starts off with the Regatta and then the attention shifts to Lehanmore, to Ardgroom and Bere Island for the 1st weekend, then to Allihies for the famous horse races
Bus for Dursey
In April 2014 after thinking it over for about a year Hartnett Bus and Coach Hire decided Dursey Island needed a bus service, a step that some people wondered if they had lost their senses. It would never work, you’d be mad to be trying. Well Thomas Hartnett decided to brave it out and put a bus on the island, shipping it round from Castletownbere. Bright blue they painted it, to stand out from everything else.
The bus now meets the cable cars as they come over and take people on tours of the most south westerly island in Ireland, telling visitors about the island, most not having a clue what is on the island. Things like the signal tower, and the old fort that was beseiged by the English. They take people through the three villages, dropping them off, picking others up. People can walk as much as they wish. Be taken to the end of the island and then walk back, or vice versa. The proprietor was quoted as saying, 'We pride ourselves on being friendly, there to help and give information on what is available on the island.'
January is often a difficult month for everyone to get through, but it is also full of opportunities to do things, go walking, dancing, climb hills, there are lots of groups this year to help you come out of your home and do things with other people. Nothing worse than sitting at home moping about the weather and worrying about impossible things to yourself. So come out and share your thoughts with other people
Have you thought of joining a walking group?
Castletownbere Operation Transformation Walks might be just the thing for you, nothing too testing. Meet at TDK Fitness Centre at the back of the Beara Bay Tuesday and Thursday 7-8pm and Sunday 5-8pm
Thursday morning 9.30 to 10.30am meeting at Beara Womens' Fitness Centre (Centra)
Men's Shed meets in the Caha Centrte each Monday at 8pm, so don't stay at home, come out and join in some woodwork projects
Coffee morning, last Thursday of every month 11 to 1pm, meets at O'Shea's Bar in Eyeries. Come out for a chat, great company, mug of coffee or tea and bickies
Happy New Year to everyone.
Beara Historical Society’s first 2015 meeting is next Thursday, 15th January, 8.30pm in Twomey’s Lounge.
Tim Flavin will present, “The Herd west of Dursey”, an illustrated account of his Beara kayaking journey.
All welcome.
Workshop retreats at Anam Cara 2015
‘‘What do I Mean by Creativity?" A Proprioceptive Writing Retreat
Led by Ginny Keegan,
http://www.ginnykeeganwatercolors.com/mbr_statement.php
Arrival: Saturday, 18 April 2015
Departure: 25 April 2015
Painting The Beautiful Beara Peninsula of Ireland: A Watercolor Painter's Idea of Heaven
Led by: Evelyn Dunphy,
www.evelyndunphy.com
Arrival: Saturday, 30 May 2015
Departure: Saturday, 6 June 2015
Lining Our Thoughts: A Poetry Writing Workshop
Led by: Leanne O’Sullivan
Leanne O'Sullivan
Arrival: Saturday, 4 July 2015
Departure: Saturday, 11 July 2015
Loosening the Bonds - A Silent, Guided, Elements
Retreat Leader: Kim Richardson
Departure: Saturday 22nd August 2015
Singing Over the Bones
Retreat Leader: Sharon Blackie
(http://reenchantingtheearth.com/cou…/singing-over-the-bones/
Arrival: Sunday, 11 October 2015
Departure: Friday, 16 October 2015
