Casey's Hotel

Glengarriff

by songlines

"GLENGARRIFF, COUNTY CORK"

This is a view in Glengarriff, taken from in front of the famous Eccles Hotel. It is looking towards Garnish Island where the beautiful Italian gardens are. It can be visited by ferry and is only five minutes away from the land. . If you do visit then on the way over you will be taken around to where the seals are to be found in the bay, they don't seem to mind the visitors!

Glengarriff, or its Irish name "Gleann Garbh" which means "The Rugged Glen" is about 55 miles from Cork city. It is a valley nestled at the foot of the Caha mountains and bordering on the Bantry Bay. Glengarriff has a Sub-Tropical climate due to the Gulf-stream from Mexico which gives this place mild winters and not so hot summers.
Because of this climate you see all sorts of Sub-Tropical trees and plants like the Arbutus tree and palmtrees, and the whole place is a delight to visit. The village itself is small and there is plenty of opportunity to sit outside and have a great Irish guiness or other drink and music.
The Eccles Hotel is a wonderful place and it is there that George Bernard Shaw wrote his play St.Joan.

"View from the Blue Pool"

Looking towards the Caha Mountains which surround this "Rugged Glen" this is a typical view. Little boats leave the shore here on the way to the beautiful flower island off the coast, only 10 minutes away. The seals swim in the water a little further away, you can see them.
Dolphins have also been seen around the bay just recently.
This place is peaceful and beautiful especially for nature lovers. It is no wonder that the Irish playrite, George Bernard Shaw used to visit here often, he also wrote his play "Saint Joan", about Joan of Arc, here.
There is a lot more of interest in and around this village, my pages are still continuously under construction, so visit again please.

"The bay view"

During the summer months there is a lot of activity here, some cruise ships will stay overnight and the people will visit Glengarriff.
Generally there is a lot of movement on the water with small sailing boats coming and going.
This view, incidently is what you see from the Eccles Hotel windows, so you can sit and eat watching this.
The Bamboo Park, which is from which I took this photo has great walking for the whole family or even elderly people can do so and see the magnificent views. There is a car park. There is more parking as you drive further towards the Eccles Hotel and just recently a petrol station with shop was opened there too, with picknick tables. From here it is only a strole towards the village of Glengarriff and it is nice to walk this, though you are walking on the N71 between Bantry and Kenmare in Kerry, the road is wide, there is a footpath and the speed limit is 50km.

My Glengarriff Forest and National Park Page is still under construction, this will show you a whole different, more away from the tourists Glengarriff! A place where you can walk in peace and discover nooks and cranny's which no one might have noticed before. The ferns and other plants and trees are fantastic and the river ever changing.*

Garinish Island - Ilnacullin

by AR76

Garinish Island (or Oileán an Chuilinn, 'Ilnacullin', in Irish) is an uninhabited island in Bantry Bay, close to the coastal village of Glengarriff.
The island was initially just a huge piece of rock, but in 1910, the owner of the island decided to turn it into paradise. He shipped tons of topsoil from the mainland to the island and imported flowers, plants, shrubs and trees from all over the world. The result: an exotic and impressive paradise full of colour throughout the year.

"Seals in Bantry Bay"

The boat ride to Garinish Island takes about 10 minutes and the ticket does not include admission to the island (see below). The view over this part of Bantry Bay is beautiful, and you may even see some seals sunbathing on the rocks.

"Opening times & admission"

Open:
Daily from March - October between 10am-6pm
Admission:
Adults: EUR3.50
Senior Citizens: EUR2.50
Children/Students: EUR1.25

Magical views from the Valley of the Rocks -

by songlines

"Overlooking Garnish Island and Sugarloaf mountain"

This view can be seen from the main road between Bantry and Glengarriff on the N71.
It is an ever changing view, some days it is very clear, other days it is like this, cloudy but it never ceases to be interesting and lovely.

I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU THAT MY GLENGARRIFF PAGES ARE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION

"On the road to Castletownbere"

Just outside Glengarriff on the road to Castletownbere, you pass along the Bantry Bay with magnificent views, on the other side of the road you will get a closer look at Sugarloaf mountain. It is from here that a lot of the climbs of this mountain start as well. In this photo you can see the yellow Gorse in flower.