Baltimore (Ireland) Voyage Tips and guide

Baltimore is a village in County Cork near the southwest tip of Ireland. The harbour is large, and sheltered by islands - several are inhabited and are also described on this page. The main reason to visit is for activities such as sailing, scuba-diving and sea-angling.

In the early 1600s the village thrived on pilchard fishing and piracy. Everyone was in on the piracy: the sailors, the law and customs officers, the landowners, probably even the pilchards were in on it. But in 1631 Baltimore was attacked by a rival band of pirates from North Africa: the village was destroyed, over 100 were carried off into slavery, and the survivors fled inland to Skibbereen. The place was abandoned until the 19th century, and its regeneration was hampered by famine and remoteness. It's nowadays a resort village with a population in 2022 of 400, but many more visitors in summer.

By road leave N71 at Skibbereen and follow R595.

Local Link Bus 266 runs every couple of hours from Skibbereen, taking 20 min; it may start from Castletownshend or Union Hall. Skibbereen has buses every couple of hours from Cork via Bandon and Clonakilty.

51°29′6″N 9°22′12″W

Map of Baltimore (Ireland)

Get around the village on foot, and also the islands in the bay: they're too small to merit a bike. You need wheels to reach Skibbereen as the road is narrow and busy with no sidewalk.

Baltimore Skibbereen Taxi is on +353 87 151 7901.

51.483-9.3741 Baltimore Harbour has foot-passenger ferries to Sherkin and Cape Clear islands. These sail daily year-round, as islanders depend on them for daily business and to get to school; additional routes are summer only. There are no connecting ferries between the islands, you have to back-track via the mainland. No bicycles, but small cargo is carried: a sack of potatoes or a lobster pot would be €0.70.

- Sherkin Island ferry sails hourly, 10 min. Adult return is €15, child €4.

- Cape Clear ferry sails 2-4 times a day, 40 min. Adult return is €20, child €9. They also sail to Cape Clear from Schull, and operate trips to Fastnet.

Sherkin and Cape Clear both have a minibus, which you don't need unless arriving with luggage and small children. The few cars on the islands are decrepit and wouldn't be legal on mainland roads.

51.504-9.4252 Cunnamore is the pier for Heir Island ferry, sailing 2-3 times a day and taking 5 min. In 2025 an adult return is €6, student €3, child €2. They no longer sail from Baltimore.

• The harbour is the lively focus of the village.
• 51.4836-9.37311 Dún na Séad Castle, Village Moorings P81 X968. Apr-Oct daily 10AM-5PM. This castle overlooking the harbour has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. The name means "fort of the jewels", presumably because it collected taxes from visiting vessels. The present building is a tower house from 1620: it fell derelict in the 20th century then was restored as a private residence. It's partly open for visits, and the Great Hall has an exhibition on local piracy, but you mainly come for the views from the battlements. Adult €6, child free. (updated Aug 2025)
• 51.4738-9.38812 Baltimore Beacon or "Lot's Wife" stands at the harbour entrance. Installed in 1849, it's simply a day-mark and never had a light.
• 51.4747-9.35383 Spain Tower is a 19th-century lookout, though it was Napoleon rather than Spain they were anxious about. It's private property but the landowner doesn't mind you walking around it.
• 29 EIRE is a marker 200 m south of the tower. These were placed around the coast during World War II, from #1 at Dundalk clockwise to #82 at Malin Head, to show aircraft that they were flying over neutral Ireland.
• 51.5-9.34 Lough Hyne 5 km east of the village is a lake almost completely closed off from the sea, so the tides rush in and out through rapids. It's a nature reserve.
• Carbery's Hundred Isles is the flowery name for the archipelago in Roaringwater Bay off Baltimore, though the number is more like 50 if you discount tide-washed rocks. Several are inhabited and can be reached by a short ferry ride. You can stay over, but they have limited accommodation or other facilities, so most visitors just day trip.
  • 51.47-9.425 Sherkin Island has a ruined abbey and sandy beaches.
  • 51.43-9.56 Cape Clear Island, 2 km further west, can also be reached from Schull. It has several standing stones, a passage tomb, a Napoleonic-era signal tower, and a museum and heritage centre.
  • 51.5-9.437 Heir Island (or Hare) is reached from Cunnamore. It has beaches and a nature reserve.
  • Ringarogy Island 1 km north of Baltimore is nowadays linked by road. It's just farmland.
  • Inish Beg is a smaller island (that name's a clue) just north of Ringarogy. It's likewise farmland and linked to the mainland by road.
  • Long Island or Inishfada is reached from Schull.

• 51.389-9.6038 Fastnet is a wave-lashed islet with a lighthouse 13 km beyond the Cork mainland that gives its name to a sea area on shipping forecasts. It's the most southerly point of Ireland and for many transatlantic emigrants it was their last glimpse of the old country. It's often used as the turnaround point in yacht races: best known is the Fastnet Race from Cowes (Isle of Wight) to Fastnet and back to Plymouth, 1126 km. The main rock has been unpopulated since the lighthouse was automated in 1989, so you can probably guess the population of Little Fastnet 10 m south. Boat trips visit in summer from Baltimore and Schull; they are highly dependent on the weather, as Atlantic conditions can turn foul so quickly. A wind gust of 191 km/h was recorded here in 2017, and in 1985 the lighthouse was hit by a 48-m wave. A storm during the 1979 Fastnet Race cost the lives of 15 competitors and 4 rescuers, sank five boats outright and overturned 75 more.

• Whale Watch West Cork have regular trips.
• Scuba diving operators are Baltimore Diving and Aquaventures, both near the harbour. All levels from recreational to technical, but this is dry-suit territory.
• Fastnet boat trips are run by Cape Clear Ferries. They sail from Baltimore via Cape Clear Island Apr-Sep, and from Schull Jul-Aug: all trips are highly dependent on the weather. The trip from Baltimore sails 2 or 3 days a week and takes 3 hours, €45 per person.
• Baltimore Pool also has a fitness centre.
• Golf: Skibbereen has the nearest course.
• Baltimore Fiddle Fair is early May.
• Wooden Boat Festival is end of May.
• O'Driscoll Clan Gathering is end of June.
• Baltimore Regatta is the first weekend in August.

• Gala Convenience Store (aka Camier's) by the harbour has groceries, newspapers and a cashpoint. It's open daily 8AM-9PM.

• La Jolie Brise, The Square, ☏ +353 28 20441. Daily 12:30-9:30PM. Pizzeria, eat outside for sea views. Run by Waterfront Hotel next door. (updated Aug 2025)
• Casey's of Baltimore does good seafood, see Sleep.
• Customs House, Baltimore P81 K291, ☏ +353 28 48248. Th-F 5:30-8:30PM, Sa 12:30-8:30PM, Su 12:30-2:30PM. Turkish-meets-Irish cuisine, gets great reviews. (updated Aug 2025)
• Baba'de is a Turkish restaurant round the corner at The Mews, open Th F 5-11:30PM, Sa noon-11:30PM, Su 10AM-7:30PM.
• Rolf's (see Sleep) serves non-residents daily 10:30AM-12:30PM, 6-9PM, and in summer 12:30–2:30PM.
• 51.5029-9.35031 An Síbín, Rath P81 C670, ☏ +353 28 20383. Th-Tu 5PM-midnight. Trad Irish restaurant. (updated Aug 2025)

• Bushe's Bar, The Square P81 F623, ☏ +353 28 20125. M-Th 9:30AM-11:30PM, F Sa 9:30-12:30AM, Su 12:30-11:30PM. Cracking little pub with great bar food and harbour view. They also have rooms. (updated Aug 2025)
• Other pubs are Algiers Inn, Jacob's Bar within Waterfront Hotel, and West Cork microbrewery part of Casey's Hotel.
• Cape Clear Distillery on that island produces gin. No tours.

• The nearest campsite and caravan park is in Skibbereen.
• Waterfront Hotel, The Square P81 WR15, ☏ +353 28 20600. Small hotel by the harbour, with bar, pizzeria and restaurant. (updated Aug 2025)
• The Stone House is a B&B on Lifeboat Rd P81 VP77.
• Casey's of Baltimore, Baltimore P81 YW66, ☏ +353 28 20197. Smart mid-range hotel with good restaurant, Casey's Cabin pub and micro-brewery. They also run the Townhouse B&B plus self-catering. B&B double €150. (updated Aug 2025)
• 51.4797-9.36861 Rolf's Country House, The Hill P81 NW27, ☏ +353 28 20289. Clean welcoming hotel in an old farmhouse at edge of town, with great restaurant. B&B double €180. (updated Aug 2025)
• 51.4947-9.35072 Rathmore House, Rath South P81 TD34, ☏ +353 28 20362. Welcoming B&B 2 km north of town. B&B double €120. (updated Aug 2025)

As of August 2025, Baltimore has 4G from all Irish carriers, but the signal is poor along the approach roads. 5G has not reached this area.

• All roads out lead through Skibbereen. East from there brings you into softer coastal country towards Clonakilty and eventually Cork.
• Turn west for Schull and Mizen Head.
• Bantry a few km north is a good base for all three western peninsulas: Mizen Head, Sheep's Head and Beara.
• Wild Atlantic Way is a motoring itinerary round the coast from Donegal to Kinsale.