Clonakilty sometimes shortened to Clon, is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The town is located at the head of the tidal Clonakilty Bay. The rural hinterland is used mainly for dairy farming. The town’s population as of 2016 was 4,592. The town is a tourism hub in West Cork, and was recognised as the “Best Town in Europe” in 2017, and “Best Place of the Year” in 2017 by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. Clonakilty is in the Cork South-West (Dáil Éireann) constituency, which has three seats.
Churches
Kilgariffe Church (Church of Ireland) is a building of 1818 replacing an older church going back to 1613.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic) is a large building in Early French Gothic style, designed by George Ashlin and completed in 1880. The old Presbyterian Church was built in 1861 and taken over and used since 1924 as a local Post Office. The local Methodist church is located in the town and became the first church in Ireland to win two Eco Congregation Ireland awards.
Transport
The nearest airport to the town is Cork Airport, and Bus Éireann provides coach links from Clonakilty to Cork and Skibbereen. During the summer months, there is a bus link to Killarney via the N71 road through Skibbereen, Bantry, Glengarriff and Kenmare.
Clonakilty was one of the destinations on the West Cork Railway, an Irish mainline railway from Cork City to various parts of West Cork, which shut down in 1961. Clonakilty railway station opened on 28 August 1886, but finally closed on 1 April 1961.
Clonakility is home to ClonBike, the only Bicycle-sharing system in Ireland in a town of Clonakilty’s size.
Culture and music
Clonakilty’s bars host live music nights throughout the year, and a number of notable musicians have found a welcome and a home in the area. For example, Noel Redding made Clonakilty his home, as has singer-songwriter Roy Harper. English novelist David Mitchell also calls Clonakilty home. Monday Night Trad Sessions, O’Donovans Tuesday Trad and Shanley’s Famous Music Bar are among the main music venues. Summer afternoon sessions in Scannells beer garden has attracted acts like Christy Moore, Sharon Shannon, and Frances Black.
The town hosts several festivals every year, among these are The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival in mid-September, The Motion festival and The Waterfront Festival in August. The 2010 Waterfront Festival featured Irish acts, The Dublin Gospel Choir, Mundy, Aslan, The Heathers, Setmaker and Spanish Singer Paula Gómez and her band.
Awards
The town won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1999 and every year since has gained awards for its environmental efforts, including being named ‘Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town’ in 2017. In 2003, Clonakilty became Ireland’s first ever official Fair trade Town. In 2007 it was awarded the status of European Destination of Excellence by the European Commission at a ceremony in Portugal and is Ireland’s first recipient of this title.
Demographics
As of the 2011 census, ethnically Clonakilty was 80% white Irish, 14% “other white”, 1.5% black, 1.5% Asian, and 2% other or not stated. In terms of religion, the 2011 census captured a population that was 80.5% Catholic, 10% other stated religions, 8.5% with no religion, and 0.5% not stated.
Food[edit]
Clonakilty is known for its black pudding. Clonakilty Blackpudding originated in Twomey’s butcher shop in Pearse Street. The secret spice recipe has been handed down through the generations since the 1880s, and is still only known to the Twomey family.
Tourism
The Model Village in Clonakilty is a tourist destination in the area, and includes fully scaled models of Clonakilty and nearby towns – built on a miniature of the area’s railway line.
Michael Collins House is a museum dedicated to Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins. The museum is set out in a restored Georgian townhouse on Emmet Square, where Collins lived from 1903 to 1905. The museum tells the story of Collins’ life and the history of Irish independence through tours, exhibits, interactive displays, and historical artifacts.
Clonakilty is the home of the world’s only “Random Acts of Kindness Festival” set up in 2012 by the local Clonakilty Macra na Feirme Club. The Festival is held each year on the third weekend in July, with the motto: “Cut the Misery and Spread the Positivity”.
Clonakilty Street Carnival takes place in June of each year, and involves live music, activities and other events.
Other historical attractions in the town include the Clonakilty Museum, the Georgian houses of Emmet Square and the Micheal Collins Centre which is located a few miles east of the town. A Farmers Market takes place at Emmet Square every Friday.
Education
There are two secondary schools located in the town. Clonakilty Community College is a mixed school and the Sacred Heart Secondary School which is an all girls school. There are 4 Primary Schools located in the town. Clonakilty Agricultural College is located 2 miles east of the town. It is known locally as Darrara College and mainly deals with Agricultural Education.
