Sheep's Head, also known as Muntervary ( ga, Rinn Mhuintir Bháire), is the headland at the end of the Sheep's Head peninsula situated between Bantry Bay and

Dunmanus Bay Dunmanus Bay is a bay in County Cork, Ireland. The bay lies between Mizen Head to the south and Sheep's Head to the north with the small village of Durrus at the head of the bay. The bay is out of the main tidal flow with no significant rivers ...

in County Cork, Ireland. The peninsula is popular with walkers, and the Sheep's Head Way is an 88 km long-distance trail which follows old tracks and roads around the peninsula from

Bantry Bantry () is a town in the civil parish of Kilmocomoge in the barony of Bantry on the southwest coast of County Cork, Ireland. It lies in West Cork at the head of Bantry Bay, a deep-water gulf extending for to the west. The Beara Peninsula is ...

to the headland and back. The trail is very accessible and is well signposted (see image on right). The route combines low and rugged hills with coastline and cliffs. The walkway is straightforward and can be walked during any time between April and October. The trail is divided into eight stages—each representing a half-day's walking. Among those responsible for establishing the Sheep's Head Way were Tom Whitty, an American, local farmer James O’Mahony, and Jim Leonard. The Sheep's Head Way network of trails includes 20 looped walks, and extends eastwards to include

Kealkill Kealkill () is a small village in County Cork, Ireland, located 10.3 kilometres from Bantry and 75.8 kilometres from Cork City. Its amenities include a church, a shop, a school, a community playgroup, two public houses and a GAA club ( St Colu ...

, Drimoleague and Gougane Barra where it intersects with the Beara-Breifne Way. A Sheep's Head Way cycle trail also exists, and begins in Ballylickey, County Cork. It extends around the coastline of the Sheep's Head peninsula, and ends in Ballydehob. The peninsula has three villages, Durrus (six miles from Bantry), Ahakista (twelve miles from Bantry), and Kilcrohane (sixteen miles from Bantry). Durrus has been identified as one of the key staging posts on the Wild Atlantic Way driving route along the Irish coastline and is the home to Durrus Cheese.

Awards

The peninsula was named as a European Destination of Excellence for Sustainable Tourism in 2009. In March 2015, the Sheep's Head won Silver at the Irish Responsible Tourism Awards, and was longlisted for 'Best Destination' in the World Responsible Tourism Awards 2015. The area's tourism cooperative won a special judge's commendation at the Irish Tourism Industry Awards in 2015.

Archaeology

Durrus

*Boulder Burial, Ballycomane *Burial Ground, Brahalish, Clashadoo, Coolcoulaghta, Dunbeacon, Kilvenogue, *Cairn, Coolcoulaghta, Moulinward *Castle, Dunbeacon *Church, Moulinward (in repair 1639; ruins 1699) * Fulacht Fiadha (cooking pit), Dunbeacon (Celtic Iron Age, 600 BC - 400 AD) *Graveyard, Moulinward *Holy Well, Dunbeacon *Mill Stone, Brahalish *

Promontory fort A promontory fort is a defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the ramparts needed. Although their dating is problematic, most seem to da ...

, Coolcoulaghta (Celtic Iron Age, 600 BC - 400 AD) *Ring forts, Ballycomane, Brahalish, Clonee, Drumtahaneen, Dunbeacon, Gortyalassa, Kealties, Rushineska (Celtic Iron Age, 600 BC - 400 AD) *Shell Midden, Dunbeacon *Standing Stones (Gallauns), Ballycomane, Coolcoulaghta (Stone Pair, Bronze Age, 2200 - 600 BC, Kealties, Parkana) *Stone Row, Moulinward (Bronze Age 2200 - 600 BC *Stone Circle, Dunbeacon (Bronze Age 2200 - 600 BC) *Tower House (medieval post 1200 AD), Rossmore (O'Mahony/McCarthy?)

Kilcrohane

* Ardahill, Ardintenant, Caher, Caheragh, Derrycluvane, Drumnea, Faunmore, Gortalassa, Gortaneish, Killoveenogue, Knockroe, Raferigeen, Letter East, Rossnacaheragh, Tullig Ringfort (Celtic Iron Age, 600 BC - 400 AD) * Aughaleigue, Gouladoo, Laherandota, Letter East, Holy Well * Ballytransna, Kilcrohane, Cashel * Ardaneig, Caher, Farranamanagh, Gortnakilla, Killonoveenogue, Letter West, Kilcrohane, Burial Ground * Caherurlagh, Holed Stone for healing * Dooneen, Galladoo, Keelovenogue, Promontory Fort (Celtic Iron Age, 600 BC - 400 AD) * Dromnea, Bardic School Medieval post 1200 AD, Ornamental Tower erected Lord Bandon, Holy Well (tober na nduanairidhe well of the poets), possible fulach fiadh * Farranmanagh, Stone Row Bronze Age, Children's Burial Ground, Souterrain, Tower house (O'Daly), Gallaun (standing stone * Gouladoo, Holy Well * Letter West, Children's Burial Ground * Kilcrohane, Souterrain * Signal Towers, Tooreen

Natural history

* Owen's Island c. 1 hectare * Sheep's Head, Coastal heathland includes rare plants ''

Viola lactea ''Viola lactea'', also known by its common name pale dog violet, is a species of flowering planet of the family ''Violaceae''. Description ''Viola lactea'' has sparsely hairy creeping stems and a rosette of lanceolate leaves which are cuneate ...

'' (pale dog violet), ''

Tuberaria guttata ''Tuberaria guttata'', the spotted rock-rose or annual rock-rose, is an annual plant of the Mediterranean region which also occurs very locally in Wales and Ireland. The flowers are very variable with the characteristic spot at the base of the pe ...

'' (spotted rock-rose) and also has

choughs There are two species of passerine birds commonly called chough ( ) that constitute the genus ''Pyrrhocorax'' of the Corvidae (crow) family of birds. These are the red-billed chough (''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), and the Alpine chough (or yellow- ...

and fulmars. * The Sheep's Head peninsula contains Special Areas of Conservation for peregrine falcons and choughs.

In literature

* Sheep's Head features as a central location in David Mitchell's 2014 novel '' The Bone Clocks'', being referenced throughout and providing the setting for the book's final section. A character in that section, Mo Muntervary (also a main character in Mitchell's debut novel '' Ghostwritten''), takes her surname from the headland. * Following his retirement from active writing, novelist of Irish descent JG Farrell moved to Sheep's Head, where he was later swept away to his death in a storm at the age of 44.

Bibliography

* Amanda Clarke, Walking the Sheep's Head Way, 2014. * Donald Grant (lived in Dooneen), White Goats and Black Bees. (Editions: New York: Doubleday, 1974 ; London: Joseph, 1975 ; Schull: Mizen Books, 1990 ) * Barry Keane: The Beara, Sheep's Head, and Mizen Peninsulas: 40 walks and scrambles. Cork: Collins Press, 1997. 87 p. * Wolfgang Keller: Off the beaten track: the Sheep's Head Way as an example of rural tourism in the South West of Ireland. University of Goettingen (Germany), 2003. 128 p. (Dipoloma thesis) * Ann McCarthy: Under the Shadow of Seefin. 2001 * Frank O'Mahony: Kilcrohane. (Book 1: Kilcrohane - the Holy Ground—Book 2: O'Mahony - the diary of Frank). Dromkeal: Frank O'Mahony, 1990. 148 p. * Westropp, Thomas Johnson: Fortified headlands and castles in western County Cork. Vol. 1: From Cape Clear to Dunmanus Bay. Dublin, 1915. (Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy / C. Vol. 32, no. 17)

References

External links

Walk Ireland
- official site of the Waymarked Ways of Ireland with map of Sheep's Head Way
WhiteHouse Café
- a bar-themed artisan coffee shop
Visiting the wild west of Cork
around the Sheep's Head
Living the Sheep's Head Way
- area website listing trails, activities and accommodation
Guided hill walks
on the Sheep's Head

{{Irish long-distance trails Headlands of County Cork Tourist attractions in County Cork Long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland Wild Atlantic Way