Courtmacsherry

Courtmacsherry
Cúirt Mhic Seafraidh
Village
Courtmacsherry

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 51°38′05″N 08°42′33″W / 51.63472°N 8.70917°W / 51.63472; -8.70917Coordinates: 51°38′05″N 08°42′33″W / 51.63472°N 8.70917°W / 51.63472; -8.70917
Country Ireland
Province Munster
County County Cork
Population (2006)
 • Total 259
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)

Courtmacsherry (Irish: Cúirt Mhic Seafraidh, meaning "MacSherry's Court") often referred to by locals as Courtmac, is a picturesque seaside village in County Cork, Ireland, on the southwest coast. It is about 30 miles southwest of Cork, and 15–20 minutes drive east from the town of Clonakilty. The village consists of a single long street on the south shore of Courtmacsherry Bay, with thick woods on rising ground behind. The woods (planted by the Earl of Shannon in the late 18th century) continue beyond the village eastwards to the open sea, ending abruptly at Wood Point. Between the village and "The Point" the trees run right to the water's edge and there are several natural bathing coves along the way.

History

Around the time of the Norman invasion of Ireland the major townships in the area were those now known as Timoleague, Lislee, Barryroe and Dunworly. Among the Norman settlers were the De Barrys and the Hodnetts; the former built a castle at Timoleague, and the latter settled in Lislee. The Barrys flourished and gave their name to Barryroe, Rathbarry, etc., whereas the Hodnetts “degenerated into mere Irish”, one branch changing their name to MacSeafraidh (son of Geoffrey), subsequently anglicised to MacSherry or McSharry. Although Barrys and Hodnetts still live in the district, there are no MacSherrys.

One, Patrick MacSeafraidh from Co. Antrim, a descendant of a Courtmacsherry Hodnett, emigrated to America in 1745 and founded McSherrystown in Adams County, Pennsylvania.[1]

Economy

The village's main industry consists of commercial and Charter Angling. A moderately sized tourist industry thrives during the summer months. There are several beaches nearby, namely Dunworley Strand, Moloney Strand, Broadstrand and Blind Strand. The village has a hotel and a caravan park, catering mainly for visitors from Cork. There is also a small sailing school at the end of the village, known as the Courtmacsherry Water Sports Centre. Two construction projects, the largest in several decades, were recently added at each end of the village. About half of this new housing is owner-occupied, the remainder being rented to visitors.

Today

Entertainment can be found in the several bars and pubs in and around the village. Activities include sailing at the Courtmacsherry Water Sports Center and horse-riding.Courtmacsherry is one of the premier angling centers in the country and is famous for its many record catches. There is also a festival at the end of July - the beginning of August. It also hosts a horse race meeting on the strand each year. The Courtmacsherry Bay Area web site (www.courtmacsherrybayarea.ie) lists many activities and places of interest in the local area.

Beached whale

On 15 January 2009 an 18-meter (59 ft) fin whale stranded and subsequently died on a beach in Kilbrittain, opposite the fishing village of Courtmacsherry, after becoming disorientated and lured by unusually high tides. Frantic efforts were made by Courtmacsherry Lifeboat to get the whale back into the sea but a combination of its size, weight and location meant that attempts to save the whale's life were unsuccessful. Its remains were saved and preserved by the people of Kilbrittain and are displayed for public viewing in the village.

The whale was featured in a Channel 4 documentary "Inside Nature's Giants" which showed autopsies of large mammals.

Lifeboat

For over seventy years Courtmacsherry has harboured a lifeboat station (formerly based at nearby Barry's Point) and its volunteer crews have performed many rescues. The most famous was in May 1915 when the lifeboat of the day (the Ketzia Gwilt) rescued survivors of the RMS Lusitania sinking. Several famous lifeboatmen were involved on that fateful day. They were Tim Keohane (father of Antarctic explorer Patsy Keohane), John Murphy, and his son Jerry. The current Courtmacsherry lifeboat is the Frederick Storey Coburn.[2]

Transport and communications

See also

References

  1. ↑ Courtmacsherry Hotel history
  2. ↑ Courtmacsherry lifeboat
  3. ↑ "Courtmacsherry station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
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