Remember and honor important moments in Irish history by visiting the Skibbereen Heritage Centre in West Cork.
The Skibbereen Heritage Centre opened in 2000 and has two primary exhibitions – one on the Great Famine, the second on Lough Hyne. You can also trace your West Cork roots with the help of the center's genealogy service.
The Famine story exhibition explores the tragic 1840s events of Ireland's Great Hunger. Over a million people died during the Famine years, with Skibbereen being one of the worst affected areas in all of Ireland.
The town played a very important role as reports from Skibbereen helped focus worldwide attention on the disaster.
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Learn all about Lough Hyne, first ‘discovered’ by scientists in 1886 and now one of the most studied marine sites of its size in the world.
Find out about the history, folklore and formation of this renowned natural phenomenon before you make an informed visit to the Lough itself, only 5km from the center.
Here you can explore Lough Hyne’s rich history and folklore – the O’Driscoll castle on the island, its holy wells and the fable of the king with donkey’s ears!