Durrus () is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

West Cork West Cork ( ga, Iarthar Chorcaí) is a tourist region and municipal district in County Cork, Ireland. As a municipal district, West Cork falls within the administrative area of Cork County Council, and includes the towns of Bantry, Castletownber ...

in Ireland. It is situated from Bantry in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

, at the head of the

Sheep's Head 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 in County Cork, Ireland. The peninsula is popular with walkers, and ...

and the

Mizen Head Mizen Head ( ga, Carn Uí Néid) is traditionally regarded as the most southerly point of mainland Ireland. It is at the end of the Mizen Peninsula in the district of Carbery in County Cork. Geography Mizen Head is one of the extreme points ...

peninsulas. Durrus is on the

Wild Atlantic Way The Wild Atlantic Way ( ga, Slí an Atlantaigh Fhiáin) is a tourism trail on the west coast, and on parts of the north and south coasts, of Ireland. The 2,500 km (1,553 mile) driving route passes through nine counties and three provinces, s ...

driving route which spans the Irish coastline from the Inishowen peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork. A number of public gardens have been established in the area, including 'Kilvarock' and 'Cois Abhann'.

Name

Durrus was known in mid-19th century as both Four Mile Water (after the nearby river) and Carrigboi (from ''Carraig Bhuí'', the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

for ''Yellow Rock''). There are a number of variations and derivations given in the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

for the village's name, including ''Dubh Ros'' (black or dark headland) and ''Dúras'' (as used on local road signs).

History

Prehistory

Evidence of prehistoric settlement in the area include a stone row at Moulinward and a stone circle at Dunbeacon (both dated to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

c.2200 BC-600 BC). There are also standing stones (gallauns) at Ballycomane, Kealties, and Parkana. The

Coolcoulaghta Standing Stones The Coolcoulaghta Standing Stones are a pair of standing stones forming a stone row and National Monument located in County Cork, Ireland. Location Coolcoulaghta Standing Stones stand in a field southwest of Durrus. History The stones ...

stand in a field approximately southwest of Durrus. There are a number of Iron Age ringforts in the townlands of Ballycomane, Brahalish, Clonee, Drumtahaneen, Dunbeacon, Gortyalassa, Kealties, and Rushineska.

Built heritage

The village is the location of ''Cool na Long'' castle, a

fortified house A fortified house or fortified mansion is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, generally with significant fortifications added. United States In the United States, historically a fortified house was often calle ...

built by the McCarthy (Muclagh) family in the 17th century. The present layout of the village is based on works undertaken by the owners of the Bandon estate when the lease of Rev. Evanson's interest expired in 1854. Around this time a manor court for debt recovery was held once a month, with petty sessions once a fortnight. The former courthouse is still standing. The

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

church was built in 1792, with a number of later 18th-century additions. The local

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church was built in 1900.

Geography

The

of Durrus has an area of approximately and contains 28

townlands A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

. The Durrus River flows through the village and into Dunmanus Bay. The bay, and village lie at the head of the

and

peninsulas.

Sport and community

Local sports clubs include Muintir Bháire GAA, a

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...

club which competes in the Carbery division. Durrus FC fields teams in the West Cork Soccer League. The Durrus Festival involves sports, family and entertainment events, and typically takes place during July.

Notable people

* Sean Hurley (1887–1961), Sinologist born in Durrus. * J. G. Farrell (1935–1979), English novelist who is buried in the cemetery of St. James's Church of Ireland, Durrus

Bibliography

* ''Lewis Cork'', introduced by Tim Cadogan, The Collins Press (Original 1837), 1998 . * '' The Cole Family of West Carbery ''(ref: Coles Blaires Cove), Rev. Richard Lee Cole, M.A. B.D. Published privately Belfast 1943 and on Cole family genealogy site internet. * Francis Humphries: ''History Of St. James Church and Parish'', Forum Publications 1992 *''BHAS Journal'' vol 2 p. 106–119, townlands Donal Fitzgerald ISSN 0791-6612 * ''Archaeological Inventory of

, Vol 1

, Office of Public Works, 1992 * ''Níl aon leabhairín mar do Mheabhar-chinn fhéin''. Eilís Uí Bhriain (Native of Durrus), A Collection of Old Irish Truisms and seasonal seanfhocail, ,

References

External links

Welcome to Durrus
(archived)
Durrus Farmhouse Cheese

Kilravock Gardens

Carraig Abhainn Gardens
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Cork