West Cork > Towns > Dunmanway

Dunmanway can be described as the geographic center of West Cork.  As you approach the town form the east, along R586, you get your first view of the hills of West Cork, which form a rocky back-drop to the town.

Followers of Gaelic Football will be very familiar with the name of Sam Maguire.  The coveted prize for the winners of the All Ireland Inter-county Senior Football Competition is the Sam Maguire Cup.  He was born a few kilometers from Dunmanway.  There is a statue to his memory in the Town Square.

From the 14th to the end of the 16th century this was territory of the McCarthy clan.  Control then passed to Sir Richard Cox, who, in May 1693, received Letters Patent to establish the town of Dunmanway "with two fairs yearly....... and a weekly market every Tuesday".  The fairs and the weekly market are no longer a feature of the town, which is the commercial and business centre for a wide area.

The various roads radiating westwards and northwards from Dunmanway lead to the scenic rugged heartland of West Cork which is in marked contrast to the coves and inlets of the coastal area.