Ellen Kate O’Sullivan
An account of the voyage of Mercy Order nun Sr M. Thaddeus, Ellen Kate O’Sullivan, from Bantry to Brisbane between 22nd September 1902 and 10th November 1902.
Bantry Culture & Creativity 2020 supported by Creative Ireland/Cork County Council. Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
Words from the Past
This is a random collection of poetry/song written by the people of Bantry, young and old or written about Bantry.
Bantry Culture & Creativity 2020 supported by Creative Ireland/Cork County Council. Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
Bantry’s Portrait Artist, and Cork’s Stone Sculptor
Profiles of artist Sir William Orpen and sculptor Seamus Murphy.
Bantry Culture & Creativity 2020 supported by Creative Ireland/Cork County Council. Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
Recordings of Local Songs, Poems Stories and our Natural Heritage
Eight recordings (videos) relating to the culture and creativity of Bantry – local songs, stories, poems and our natural heritage, plus a new melody composed for Whiddy Island – Caoineadh Oileán Faoide.
Bantry Historical & Archaeological Society is deeply grateful to all the participants. Project led by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach BH&AS.
Rocky Mountain O’Brien
Patrick (Rocky Mountain) O’Brien with a passion for his native sod claims he was forced to emigrate because of the political situation in Ireland at the time. We’ve taken a few extracts from his book Birth and Adoption published in 1904.
Bantry Culture & Creativity 2020 supported by Creative Ireland/Cork County Council. Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
Art and Creativity in Bantry Area
We dipped into the Creative side of our Bantry people over the years and peep at creative and famous people who selected Bantry Bay area as their destination, and were most likely influenced by their surrounds. Open the pdf and see for yourself!
Bantry Culture & Creativity 2020 supported by Creative Ireland/Cork County Council. Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
She Painted Seaweeds from the Seashore
Ellen Hutchins (1785-1815) was an accomplished artist as well as a renowned botanist. Most of her life was lived near the shores of inner Bantry Bay.
Written by Madeline Hutchins, researcher on Ellen. Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
Máire Bhuí Ní Laoghaire
Máire Bhuí Ní Laoghaire (1774-1840) was an illiterate poet whose poems and songs were orally transmitted. She lived through the same period as Ellen Hutchins. Two creative women, they lived within ten miles of each other, but their works tell of two very different worlds!
Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
The Amazing Story of The Priest’s Leap
The story of the Priest’s Leap deserves greater publicity. It’s a reminder of a very different culture in Bantry area and elsewhere. Read Bantry-born T.D. Sullivan’s (1824-1914) verses recounting the story.
Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
The Bantry Man who Saved the Irish Music
Francis O’Neill should be remembered in every parish in Ireland for his amazing work and dedication in collecting and preserving our Irish culture of song and dance music. He grew up in Tralibawn, just outside the town of Bantry and his memory is commemorated locally with events.
Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
More Words From The Past
We got such a huge response to our call for poetry of Bantry, that we built two collections of verses, randomly assembled. We hope you enjoy.
Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS
Cnuasach Chríostóir Uí Raigheallaigh
This collection of words/phrases were in everyday use, especially in the greater Kealkill (Caorcuill) area, when Christy O’Reilly was a young man. Many of these words are remembered to this day. Do look in and see how much you can recall?
We are grateful to Eoin Warner for pointing us in this direction. Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
O’Donovans’ Cove
This rather lengthy collection of seven verses was written by, John J McCarthy, a young man of Muintervara (Sheep’s Head) who emigrated and fared well in America. Yet, he never forgot his homeland.
We are grateful to our dedicated member, Charlie McCarthy of Muintervara, for providing the material for this project. Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
The Schools’ Collection
This small selection of stories etc. are selected from three schools that existed in Bantry town in 1937-39, plus works from Glengarriff School. Also included are the current names of those schools. Note the huge change of culture since then.
Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
A Decade of Celebrating Heritage in Bantry
Bantry Historical & Archaeological Society was delighted to be included in Heritage Week 2020. We took that as a chance to look back at all the events we organised over the previous eleven years for Heritage Week. We are happy to showcase our work in bringing the rich heritage of the Bantry area to new audiences. We have summarised our previous events in this pdf.
Celebrating Culture & Creativity of Bantry’s 4 valleys – Part 5
This is just one section of our 2019 project, funded by Cork Co Council Creative Ireland Funding Scheme 2019. Included is (a) Old Irish Sayings, (b) Seanfhocail and (c) Irish Words in common use in Bantry’s Four Valleys until recent times.
Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
Note: Four more sections of this project follow on on this webpage.
Celebrating Culture & Creativity of Bantry’s 4 valleys – Part 4
Heritage Week 2019 at Bantry Library – Seven short videos of the night when natives of Bantry’s Four Valleys came together to tell stories, sing songs, recite their own poetry, recall the life of the local GAA Club and hear some stories written by schoolchildren who walked barefoot to school in 1937-39.
Organised and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
Note: Three more sections of this project follow on this webpage.
Celebrating Culture & Creativity of Bantry’s 4 valleys – Part 3
Here you can enjoy thirteen pages of Irish Poems written by Kealkil man Conchubhar Ó Ruairc, with English translations included. We are grateful to Dan Sullivan for his work in this section.
Compiled and edited by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach, BH&AS.
Note: Two more sections of this project follow below on this webpage.
Celebrating Culture & Creativity of Bantry’s 4 valleys – Part 2
A selection stories from the collection of folklore compiled by school children in the 1930s in the schools of the Bantry Four Valleys.
Material selected by Mary Doyle BH&AS. Project led by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach BH&AS.
Note: One more section of this project follow below on this webpage.
Celebrating Culture & Creativity of Bantry’s 4 valleys – Part 1
Poems from the 4 Valleys. In this section of our project we have included a small selection of poems, some of which have been recited for generations in these rural areas. These poems give a flavour of what life was like in the Valleys of Bantry up to mid/late 20th century, and they highlight the wonderful creativity that abounded!
Compiled by Angela O’Donovan, Cathaoirleach BH&AS.
Bantry Town Council honours Historical Society Members
Bantry Town Council honours Bantry Historical & Archaeological Society members in 2013.
Cath Chéim an Fhia – Battle of Keimaneigh
From the Schools’ Folklore Collection: This is a collection of folklore compiled by schoolchildren in Ireland in the 1930s.