Leap (; or ''An Léim'') is a village in

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, situated at the north end of

Glandore Glandore (, meaning ''harbour of the oak trees'') is the name of a village and harbour in County Cork, Ireland. It is off the N71 road, about 10 km east of Skibbereen. The village has several pubs, with traditional music performances. It ...

harbour, several miles inland from the seacoast. It is on the N71 road which runs through

West Cork West Cork () 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, Castletownbere, Clonakilty, Du ...

from

Cork city Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

. The village is in the parish of Kilmacabea which also includes

village.

Name and history

The Irish name of the village, ''Léim Uí Dhonnabháin'', means "O'Donovan's Leap" and is reputedly derived from the story of a chieftain called

O'Donovan The O'Donovan family is an ancient Irish nobility, Irish noble family. Their patronymic surname derives from Irish ''Ó Donnabháin'', meaning the grandsons or descendants of Donnubán, referring to the 10th century ruler of the Uí Fidgenti, ...

, who was pursued by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

soldiers, but escaped them by jumping across a ravine on the western side of the village. In 1684, Jeremiah O'Donovan (MP Baltimore), Lord of Clan Loughlin, obtained

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

from

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

. His extensive landholdings in the surrounding countryside were erected into the Manor of O'Donovan's Leap, or the Manor of the Leap.

Amenities

The village has four bars (of which two serve food and one which is a music venue) and a fast food diner. Connolly's of Leap has been a bar since 1810. The local Anglican community is serviced by Leap Church. The village also has a furniture and hardware store, a petrol station/shop and a hairdresser and a beauty salon. An amenity park was opened in 2021. There are bus services to Skibbereen and Cork city.

References

Towns and villages in County Cork O'Donovan family {{cork-geo-stub

Name and history

Amenities

See also

References