8 Sights in West Cork, Ireland (with Map and Images)

Castle Donovan or Castledonovan or O'Donovan's Castle refer to the remains of an Irish tower house or túrtheach, in a valley near Drimoleague, of medium size which was the so-called "seat" of the Clann Cathail sept of the O'Donovans for a period during the 16th century. The original name of the castle, and when the O'Donovans were actually living in it, was Sowagh before the 17th century. The name of Castle Donovan, after the Manor of the Castle of O'Donovan, is associated with a regrant from James II of England in 1615. Approximately 60 feet in height, it sits on a large rock or outcropping, which forms the ground floor, close to the bank of the River Ilen. It is commonly believed to have been built, or at the very least augmented, by Donal of the Hides, Lord of Clancahill from about 1560 to his death 1584. His son Donal II O'Donovan then repaired or further altered the structure some decades later, but was not living in it by then. It is believed that his father had already relocated the family in the first decade of that century to the more profitable Rahine Manor on the seacoast to protect their maritime interests.

Wikipedia: Castle Donovan (EN)

Knockdrum Stone Fort is a circular stone rath, ringfort, or hilltop fort near Castletownshend in County Cork, Ireland. It was restored before 1860, and there were archaeological excavations from 1930–31. The three-metre thick walls are reported as either 2 metres or 1.75 metres high depending on the source, and as 29 metres in diameter. The site is owned by the Irish Government which has declared it a national monument.

Wikipedia: Knockdrum Stone Fort (EN)

Coppingers Court is a ruined four-storey fortified house dating from 1616, situated on private property approximately 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) from the sea. It was built by Sir Walter Coppinger and located in Ballyvireen valley, west of Rosscarbery in County Cork, Ireland. The house has a rectangular centre flanked by two wings on the east and west, resulting in a total of 9 gables.

Wikipedia: Coppingers Court (EN)

Dursey Island lies at the southwestern tip of the Beara Peninsula in the west of County Cork in Ireland. Dursey Island is 6.5 kilometres long and 1.5 kilometres wide. The island is separated from the mainland by a narrow stretch of water, Dursey Sound, which has a very strong tidal race, with the submerged Flag Rock close to the centre of the channel.

Wikipedia: Dursey Island (EN)

Dunlough Castle, standing atop the cliffs at the northern tip of the Mizen Peninsula, looks at the Atlantic Ocean from the extreme southwest point of Ireland. Founded in 1207 by Donagh O’Mahony, Dunlough is one of the oldest castles in Ireland and an example of Norman architecture and dry stone masonry.

Wikipedia: Dunlough Castle (EN)

Skeagh Cairn is a cairn and ring barrow and National Monument located in County Cork, Ireland. It is located 5.8 km northwest of Skibbereen. A ring barrow is located 20 m to the north. It is a large flat-topped cairn 19 m (62 ft) across and 2 m high.

Wikipedia: Skeagh Cairn (EN)

Castle Salem is a fortified house near Rosscarbery, in County Cork, Ireland. The house was home to the Morris family from around 1660 until the early 1800s, and was bought in 1895 by the Daly family, descendants of whom now run it as a guest house.

Wikipedia: Castle Salem, Cork (EN)

Garinish or Garnish Island is an island in Glengarriff Bay, an inlet of Bantry Bay, near the shore of the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland. It is a tourist attraction with walled gardens and a Martello tower.

Wikipedia: Ilnacullin (EN)