Castletownbere
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Castletownbere Baile Chaisleáin Bhéarra
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The junction of Main Street, North Road and the pier in Castletownbere
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 Castletownbere
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| Coordinates: 51°39′07″N 9°54′32″W / 51.652°N 9.909°WCoordinates: 51°39′07″N 9°54′32″W / 51.652°N 9.909°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Cork |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Urban | 868 |
| Irish Grid Reference | V674458 |
Castletownbere (Irish: Baile Chaisleáin Bhéarra) is a small town in County Cork in Ireland. It is located on the Beara Peninsula by Berehaven Harbour. It is also known as Castletown Berehaven. The name of the town comes from the no longer extant MacCarty Castle, and not Dunboy Castle which was home to the O'Sullivan clan. The area is the setting for Daphne du Maurier's 1943 novel Hungry Hill named for the mountain of the same name which is the highest peak in the Caha Mountains.
The town has a population of around 950 in the 2002 census with a further 4,000 in the catchment area. Tourists swell this number during the summer season to a small degree. Since the 1960s a small number of immigrants to the area from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and England has increased the mix, and more recently some economic migrants from eastern Europe have arrived. As in any fishing port there is a mix of incoming and outgoing transients and a local Spanish influence is well established. Overall the exodus from local families to North America and the UK is marked and until recently the population has declined.
In Castletownbere itself many recent businesses and professionals in the area have been women. A new doctor, dentist and solicitor, several new shops and a ships' chandler have been established by women who join more established women publicans and restaurateurs.
The area has several established artists who sell internationally and a few galleries and craft outlets have opened in recent years.
Dunboy Castle - two miles west of the town - was the seat of the O'Sullivan Beare who, together with other Gaelic lords and with Spanish aid, had gone into rebellion against the English Crown. During the Siege of Dunboy the castle was reduced by the forces of Elizabeth I in 1602. He then retreated with his followers to Leitrim. O'Sullivan Beare's stance was commemorated in 2002. A plaque in Irish and English exists on the ruins of his fortress saying it honoured those who had most nobly lain down their lives for their faith at that hallowed place.
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Wikipedia