The Bere Island Experience

"The Bere Island Experience booklet is a handy pocket sized walking and touring guide. The booklet guides the visitor through the rich, natural and cultural heritage of the West Cork treasure that is Bere Island.  

The fascinating history of Bere Island spans from the more recent mega military fortifications back to early pre-Christian structures. The story of these is encaptured in this booklet. 

Loop walks guide the visitor through modern day Bere Island, its panoramic views, unique history and the services it now offers"

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McCarthy's Bar
Pete McCarthy's tale of his hilarious trip around Ireland has gained thousands of fans all over the world. Pete was born in Warrington to an Irish mother and an English father and spent happy summer holidays in Cork. Years later, reflecting on the many places he has visited as a travel broadcaster, Pete admits that he feels more at home in Ireland than anywhere.

To find out whether this is due to rose-coloured spectacles or to a deeper tie with the country of his ancestors, Pete sets off on a trip around Ireland and discovers that it has changed in surprising ways. Firstly obeying the rule 'never pass a pub with your name on it', he encounters McCarthy's bars up and down the land, and meets English hippies, German musicians, married priests and many others.

A funny, affectionate look at one of the most popular countries in the world.

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The Gaelic Lordship of the O'Sullivan Beare
This Hardback book examines the history and archaeology of the O'Sullivan Beare lordship in West Cork. The sept dominated this area for much of the late medieval period following the displacement of an Anglo-Norman presence in the upper end of Bantry Bay in the thirteenth century. This was a Gaelic maritime lordship with an economic focus on fishery resources and trade and communications with continental fishing fleets. The settlement pattern and lifeways of the Gaelic-Irish reflected this dual interest in the sea and the limited availability of terrestrial resources and land usage. Towards the end of the 16th century, British plantations herald the end of Gaelic dominance in the area.

New settlements, industry and forms of land management radically alter the cultural character of the landscape and mark the advent of early capitalism and formalized globalization in this area. The response of the Gaelic-Irish to this change was varied. Some branches engaged in resistance while others interacted with the colonizers in socio-economic and political terms. The varying reactions to this transformation can be seen through architectural and landscape change.

Colin Breen is a lecturer in maritime and historical archaeology at UU, Coleraine.

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