Skibbereen

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For the song, see Skibbereen (song).
Skibbereen
An Sciobairín
Town
New Bridge over the River Ilen
New Bridge over the River Ilen
Skibbereen is located in Ireland
Skibbereen
Skibbereen
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country Ireland
Province Munster
County County Cork
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference W119334

Skibbereen (/ˌskɪ.bəˈriːn/; Irish: An Sciobairín), is a town in County Cork, Ireland.[1] It is located on the N71 national secondary road. The name "Skibbereen" (often shortened to "Skibb") means "little boat harbour." The River Ilen runs through the town; it reaches the sea about 12 kilometers away, at the seaside village of Baltimore.

History

Prior to 1600 most of the land belonged to the native McCarthy tribe - today McCarthy remains the town's most common surname. The town charter dates back to 1657 and a copy can be seen in the town council Chambers. Skibbereen was established near the 14th-century ruins of the medieval hamlet of 'Spá Elaíne', long after the scourge of the black death (circa 1350) decimated the region. In 1631 it received an influx of refugees fleeing from the Sack of Baltimore. The Phoenix Society was founded in Skibbereen in 1856 a precursor to the Fenian movement.

Famine

500 years after the Black Death, once again the region was plagued with terrible famine in the years 1845-52, a time referred to as 'an Gorta Mór' (The Great Hunger). It is probable that some 8,000-10,000 victims of 'The Great Famine' are buried in the Famine Burial Pits of Abbeystrewery Cemetery.

Skibbereen is also the name of a song about the Famine, and the impact it and the British Government had on the people of Ireland. The song, known as Dear Old Skibbereen, takes the form of a conversation between a father and a son, in which the son asks his father why he fled the land he loved so well. The father relates to his son how the famine ruined his farm in Skibbereen, and killed his wife. As the man was unable to pay taxes,

...the landlord and the bailiff came to drive us all away.
They set the roof on fire with their cursed English flame,
And that's another reason why I left old Skibbereen.
File:Site of Famine Burial Pits at Abbeystrowery - geograph.org.uk - 498383.jpg
Site of Famine Burial Pits at Abbeystrowery

In the final verse the son swears he will return to Skibbereen to take vengeance on the government that he holds accountable. A version can be found on the soundtrack to the PBS mini-series, "The Long Journey Home," performed by Sinéad O'Connor. In the film Michael Collins, Michael Collins, played by Liam Neeson, sings the song. There are also versions by The Dubliners and the Wolfe Tones.

Skibbereen has not forgotten the victims of the Great Famine. A permanent exhibition at the Skibbereen Heritage Centre commemorates that tragic period in Irish history. Skibbereen was the focal point of Ireland's first National Famine Memorial Day on 17 May 2009. The town was selected as it was in one of the areas worst affected by the Great Famine, with a mass grave at Abbeystrewery containing the remains of between 8,000 and 10,000 people.[2]

The National Famine Commemoration Committee has agreed that the centerpiece of the new memorial day should rotate between the Four Provinces on an annual basis. [3]

Media

The Skibbereen Eagle, a newspaper founded in 1857, was famous for its international perspective, publishing an editorial that "told Lord Palmerston that it had “got its eye both upon him and on the Emperor of Russia."",[4] and in August 1914 having a leading article that said “We give this solemn warning to Kaiser Wilhelm: The Skibbereen Eagle has its eye on you.”[5] This newspaper was superseded by the Southern Star[1], founded in 1889, its first editor D.D. Sheehan, and included amongst its shareholders one Michael Collins.

Sport

The local secondary school St. Fachtna's was a finalist in 1982 and a winner in 1991 of the Hogan Cup (Gaelic football).

Education

There are three secondary schools located in the town:

  • Rossa College - Mixed school
  • St Fachtna's de la Salle - Boys school
  • Mercy Heights - Girls school

There are four primary schools:

  • Abbeystrewry National School - Mixed School
  • Gael Scoil Dr O'Suilleabhain - Mixed Irish-Speaking School
  • St. Patrick's Primary School - Boys school
  • Scoil Naomh Seosamh - Girls School

People

File:Skibbereen (8260018053).jpg
1798 memorial


Community Arts Festival

Skibbereen Arts Festival occurs annually; It takes place the end of July and is a festival that prides itself in showcasing community based projects as well as hosting a varied mix of nationally and internationally acclaimed films, theatre, visual art and music.

Music, local entertainment, and outdoor adventure

The town has strong musical traditions with many different music events held each year. A few bars in town also host various musical acts throughout the week. Baby Hannah's is a popular place for locals to see bands from as far as Poland come play on occasion.

Skibbereen is home to the annual Cork X Southwest Music & Arts Festival. In 2011, Cork X SW was held at Liss Ard Estate and featured Patti Smith, Echo & the Bunnymen, Balkan Beat Box, Fred and Yuck among its two-day lineup. The festival had a camp ground where attendees were able to either pitch a tent or park a camper for both Saturday and Sunday night. Beyond food and merchandise vendors, there was also a section of the festival called Vibrations where there were drum circles and free expression platforms. Besides being home to the festival, the Liss Ard Estate offers several options for walking, swimming, exploring, and discovering the magic of the sky garden crater.

Skibbereen's location near the coast of Ireland makes it a perfect place to pursue sea fishing, scuba diving, sailing, and kayaking.

Also, just outside town is Tragumna Beach where many people go to swim during the warmer months and also on 25 December for the traditional Christmas Day swim.

Sewerage scheme

A new sewerage scheme costing €13,100,000.[8] was completed in 2008. The new system stops raw sewage discharging to the river Ilen and greatly improves water quality and appearance. The stream and river has made a full recovery.

See also

References

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External links

www.skibbereenartsfestival.com

  1. ↑ http://www.myguideireland.com/skibbereen
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ http://www.breakingnews.ie/archives/2009/0108/ireland/mhsnmhojsnmh/
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ http://www.i-c-r.org.uk/publications/monographarchive/Monograph40.pdf
  6. ↑ http://www.skibbgolf.com
  7. ↑ http://www.skibbac.com/
  8. ↑ http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/web/Cork%20County%20Council/Departments/Divisional%20Services/Water%20Services/New%20Schemes
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