Clonakilty and Nearby

Clonakilty is a small market town and famous for being the hometown of statesman and revolutionary Michael Collins. His significance still resonates throughout the town, with a bronze statue statue located in the square and two museums dedicated to his legacy. The town is west of Kinsale on a scenic, largely coastal road that passes through the village of Timoleague. Many of the storefronts in Clonakilty have charmingly traditional hand-painted signs and wooden facades. Clonakilty marks the western edge of the Seven Heads Peninsula, which stretches back eastward to Timoleague, whose ruined abbey dominates the view. Timoleague sits on the Argideen River estuary, renowned for its birdlife, especially great flocks of wintering migrants. From the abbey, you can see the road to Courtmacsherry, across the water. The sandy beach of this postcard-pretty village attracts many vacationers.