What's on in Cork
Bounce in a club with Pure Cork pizzazz, revel in a festival or kick back to some jazz. Catch an intimate gig in a pub with a fire or watch a horse race with locals that comes down to the wire…
View allThings to do in Cork
Kayak around the city or head north for a hike, see Dursey by cable car and explore Beara by bike!
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Find a charming old cottage or quiet hotel, in our old merchant city or near the sound of sea swell…
View allFood & Drink in Cork
Sink a cool pint of stout as the fireside roars, there’s a plate of fresh seafood and the name on it is yours…
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From public transport to fish and chips. Read our list of handy Pure Cork tips.
View allLong Island
A near-shore getaway
Just ten minutes by boat from the west Cork shore, Long Island is the perfect tonic after the buzz of cosmopolitan Schull. Pleasant walks, shingle beaches and abundant wildlife combine with beautiful south-western scenery here to create a real offshore treat.
Inis Fada, as it is known in Irish, gets its name from its dimensions. This is a low-lying island stretching almost 5km in length, but barely a kilometre wide. A surfaced road makes some headway into the interior, with a rough, unkempt route extending to the Beacon lighthouse and an old copper mine in the east and to the cliffs at the west. Both seem to draw the visitor further away form modern life.
Ruined houses, stores and sheds dating from the early 1900s add to the isolation, and a maze of closely-knit fields, gradually being reclaimed by opportunistic fauna and flora, completes the impression. Walkers, bird-watchers and boaters will be in their element here – whiling away an afternoon whilst keeping an eye out for otter, seals, dolphin, whales and even the occasional basking shark.
Location: Roaringwater Bay, Co. Cork. The ferry pier at Schull is roughly 108km (1hr 50mins) by road from Cork, and 25km (30 mins) from Bantry.
Size: 4.8km x 0.8km. Long Island is easily visited in a day.
Population: 15
Facilities: Café, internet access, wild camping
Top 3 Activities: Walking, sea safari, swimming
Festival highlights: Ferries sail from Colla Pier daily, year-round. Sailings take about ten minutes.
Getting there: Contact MV Nordic (353 86 888 7799; www.heirislandferries.com).
Getting around: It’s best to walk around Long Island, though bikes can be hired and brought along from Baltimore.
Did you know? Roaringwater Bay is disconcertingly named. In fact, the sheer volume of islands here act together to guarantee sheltered water in almost all weather conditions.
