West Cork Travel

    Glandore and Union Hall - Part 2 Today

 

 

 

   
 
Related Links
 Tours
 The Beara Peninsula
 Gougane Barra
 Lough Hyne
 Mizen Head
 

 Towns of West Cork

 West Cork
 Clonakilty
 Dunmanway
 Skibbereen
 Rosscarbery
 Bandon
 Glengariff
 Bantry

 

 
   

 West Cork > Features > Glandore Today

Glandore
and
Union Hall
Part 2
Today

Nearer to our day, in the early part of the eighteenth century, the Glandore area was privileged to have two unlikely social reformers in its midst, one was a landlord and the other was a pre-Marxist communist.
James Barry was not your typical money-grabbing landlord. He had a deep concern for the welfare of the people and worked successfully to develop fishing in Glandore and boatbuilding in Union Hall. He also improved the living conditions of the
tenants on his land and built a school in Glandore. However the Great Famine in latter half of the 1840's wrecked all this good work. In the decade from 1841 to 1851 the population of Glandore dropped from 402 to 131 - a staggering decrease on 71%.
 

 

The other social reformer, William Thompson had land to the north of Glandore and attempted to put into practice communist principles such as communal ownership, collective farming etc., etc. But his efforts produced no lasting results partly because he was a theorist who had no idea how to put his theories into practice and secondly because he was most eccentric. The influence of Thompson's ideas on Karl Marx and on the development of Marxism was recognized when a bust of him was given a prominent position in the International Communist Museum in Prague.

To-day, Glandore and Union Hall are flourishing villages in their distinctive ways. Glandore, in summer is a mecca for yachts and pleasure craft. Union Hall, in contrast is the home port of a thriving fishing fleet that joins in the harvesting of our fishing grounds from Kilmore Quay in Wexford to Killybegs in Donegal. A gem in Glandore's beautiful landscape is the picturesque little Church of Ireland (Anglican) Church, Christ Church (Kilfachtnabeg). It is built on a rock-ledge overlooking the bay. Access to the Church-grounds and the Church is through an arch-way, a kind of mini-tunnel, hewn through the solid rock that is part of the ledge.

If you want fresh fish, straight from the ocean - John Dory, Sea Trout, Monkfish, Sole, Squid Lobster you name it, Union Hall has it in abundance. On the other hand, if you prefer to do your own fishing for pollack, mackerel or cod you can hire a boat with rods and tackle to take you to the fishing grounds less than half-an-hour away. The trip also gives you another perspective
on West Cork beautiful coastline.

The area around Glandore and Union Hall is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful, most scenic areas in all of West Cork. When you come here you may even be lucky enough to hear Tonn Cliodhna, maybe even see her ghost.!

 

 
Copyright © A MC. All rights reserved Terms Of Use