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Baltimore is a beautiful harbour
village, with a long tradition of both boatbuilding and fishing. It is
surrounded by some of Ireland's most spectacular scenery and serves as
the ferryport for the daily sailings to Cape Clear and Sherkin Island.
For centuries, this was the territory of the O'Driscoll Clan - a clan
noted for its seafaring tradition. In the latter half of the sixteenth
century, the clan produced a rather notorious rogue, Fineen O'Driscoll,
nicknamed, "Fineen the Rover". To augment his income, Fineen indulged
in a very lucrative hobby, namely, piracy. Sallying forth from Roaring
Water Bay, he waylaid merchant ships as they sailed along our southern
coast, confiscating his favourite items from their cargo and levying
his own excise duty on the rest. Shipments of wine from France, Spain
and Portugal were his favourite booty. The wine-merchants of Waterford
were among his more aggrieved victims, to such an extent that in 1573
they mounted a retaliatory raid on the O'Driscolls and ravaged Sherkin
Island.
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O'Driscoll's downfall came when he gave support to the Spaniards in
the Battle of Kinsale and in the aftermath of that debacle, his lands
were declared forfeit to the Crown. Fineen and his extended family
went into exile in Spain and the O'Driscoll lands were given to
settlers from England ("planters", as they were known).
Fineen's departure, however, was not the end of Baltimore's link with
piracy. On the night of June 30th 1631, two Algerian pirate ships
entered Baltimore Harbour, having been guided in by a Waterford
fisherman, named Hackett, whom they had earlier taken from a fishing
boat at sea. The village was sacked and some one hundred and twenty
men, women and children were taken captive to be sold into slavery.
Intriguingly, all those who were abducted were English planters, which
has caused historians to wonder if the exiled O'Driscolls were
somewhat involved in planning the raid. It is less likely that the
part played in the raid by the Waterofrd fisherman, Hackett was in any
way linked to the old Waterford/O'Driscoll feud. Only two of these
abducted, a man and a woman, were eventually ransomed and that only
happened fifteen years later.
As for Hackett, he declined an invitation to continue sailing with the
Algerians. He stayed in Ireland, but within two years he was captured
and hanged - the only tourist guide in history who was hanged for
guiding people to Baltimore! I imagine that, as he was being
frog-marched to the gallows, he must have had some regret that he had
no opted for the Algerian Cruise.
In recent post-pirate times, Baltimore has become a very popular
tourist centre, due to its idyllic setting and to magnificent scenery
of the surrounding area. The availability of daily ferry services to
Cape Clear and Sherkin Island is an added attraction. Yachting, dinghy
sailing and deep-sea fishing are among the popular activities of
holiday-makers here. The area also boasts of some spectular cliff
walks.
Sometimes visitors from U.S.A. ask what connection there is between
Baltimore village in West Cork and the august city of Baltimore in
Maryland, U.S.A. There appears to be none. John Calvert, Baron of
Baltimore, after whom the American city is named, took his title from
another Baltimore, located in County Longford, some two hundred miles
to the north-west of our village.
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