Baltimore

The exact connection between Baltimore, West Cork, and Baltimore, Maryland, is a matter of some conjecture. The family estates of the second Lord Baltimore, who founded the American city in 1729, were in County Meath. However, there is no record of a place called Baltimore in that part of Ireland and the first Lord Baltimore may well have chosen the name merely because he liked the sound of it. And that is probably how the capital of Maryland comes to bear the name of a West Cork fishing village!

What is undeniable is that in recent times a firm link has been forged between the two Baltimores on opposite sides of the Atlantic by the regular visits of the schooner Pride of Baltimore.

In the summer of 1631 Baltimore fell victim to a sensational attack by pirates. At that time the population consisted chiefly of settlers from England who had arrived some years earlier to work in the lucrative pilchard fishery under lease from the O’Driscoll chieftain, Sir Fineen O’Driscoll. Piracy was rife along the shores of West Cork, much of it of a home-grown variety; indeed the settlement’s founder, Thomas Crooke, stood accused of involvement himself. However, the danger in this case was from much farther afield.

On board two ships that left Algiers was a combined force of Dutch, Algerians and Turks under the command of one of the most successful leaders of Barbary pirates, a renegade Dutchman called Murat Reis the Younger. By the time they reached the coast of West Cork, more than 1,000 miles away, they had already seized a number of smaller vessels, imprisoning their crews. The captain of one was a Dungarvan man by the name of John Hackett. Reis’ original target was probably Kinsale, but Hackett declared the harbour there ‘too hot’ to enter and in return for his freedom he offered to pilot Reis to the defenceless village of Baltimore.

Undetected, the pirates anchored outside the harbour ‘about a musket shot from the shore’ late in the evening of 19th June. From here they launched an attack on the sleeping village before dawn the next day.

The inhabitants were taken completely by surprise. More than 200 armed corsairs landed in the Cove, torching the thatched roofs of the houses and carrying off with them ‘young and old out of their beds’. Moving on to the main village, the pirates took more captives before musket fire and the beating of a drum alerted the remaining villagers and persuaded Reis to end the raid. By that time more than 100 men, women and children had been taken. They were herded back to the ships, which bore them away from the coves of West Cork to the slave markets of North Africa.

The raid on Baltimore was the worst-ever attack by Barbary corsairs on the mainland of Ireland or Britain. Most of the names in the official report sound English, but it is likely that there were also a few native Irish among the prisoners. What is certain is that very few of the 107 were ever heard of again (three women at most, who were ransomed up to 14 years after their abduction). The fate of the rest is unknown, but for many it would have been to end their days as galley slaves or concubines in the harems of Algiers. For his part Hackett was arrested and hanged on a clifftop outside the village.

The Sack of Baltimore is fertile ground for conspiracy theories. They generally point the finger at the rapacious Sir Walter Coppinger who had been seeking to prise the village away from the O’Driscolls, oust the settlers and secure it for himself. Whether by accident or design, the pirates carried out part of this plan for him. In the aftermath of the raid the surviving villagers moved inland to Skibbereen and elsewhere in search of greater security and Coppinger’s designs on the village were realised. The Sack marked the end of the 400-year reign of the O’Driscolls as overlords of Baltimore.

There are a several fully equipped and licensed sea angling charter boats operating from the harbour, while the shelter of the islands makes Baltimore a great venue, too, for small boat fishing. Small craft can be launched easily from the public slipways and can also be hired locally. For shore angling there are a number of local rock marks, and the famous bass beaches of West Cork are only a short distance away. Freshwater fishermen will find sea trout and salmon in the Ilen river above Skibbereen. Shepperton (Shreelane) Lake, a picturesque stocked fishery by the Cork road, holds a good head of rainbow trout and some serious pike, with boats available for hire at the lakeside.

Across a superb natural harbour lie Carbery’s Hundred Isles, including the enchanting islands of Cape Clear, Sherkin and Heir, just a short ferry ride away from Baltimore pier. See the Islands section for full details.

The present lighthouse, the second on the site, is the tallest and widest anywhere in Ireland or Britain and recognised as one of the most elegant in the world. The loom of the light can be seen in the night sky over much of West Cork. Several operators from Baltimore and Cape Clear offer boat trips around the Fastnet. Without actually landing on the rock, you can pass close by the foot of the 54 m (177 ft) high tower of Cornish granite, gaze up at the revolving lantern and gain a sense of the colossal feat of engineering needed to place it there. There is also a good chance of seeing whales, dolphins or other marine life en route. The waters around the rock are exceptionally rich in life, too, and a paradise for sea anglers and divers.

Lough Hyne owes its tranquility to being protected from the worst of the winds by steep hills on three sides. If you feel like a challenge, climb the wooded Knockamagh hill behind the lake to get an unsurpassed view of Baltimore, Roaringwater Bay and Carbery’s Hundred isles. A more relaxing hour can be spent wandering along the western shore towards Barloge Creek and the Rapids. The small island in the centre of the lake with a crumbling ruin is where the disgraced Sir Fineen O’Driscoll ended his days in 1629, alone and in poverty, having given away his clansmen’s lands to the English in return for a title. A pot of gold is said to be buried there still!

The local dive centres provide a full range of services including diving trips by hard boat or RIB, equipment sale and hire, training courses and technical support. Non-divers can also experience the beauty of the underwater world through snorkelling. This is an activity that can be enjoyed by almost anyone, from the age of six upwards, and a guided snorkelling tour makes an ideal family outing.

Holidaymakers and permanent residents can all keep in trim at the Baltimore Community Leisure Centre. The centre has a 16.5 metre swimming pool with bubble pool, children’s pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steamroom. There is also a well-equipped gymnasium with treadmills, exercise bikes, ski machine, rowing machine, Stairmasters and a wide range of machine weights. Temporary membership and other deals are available for summer visitors and special events are run during the course of the season for children and adults.

At the other extreme, the sheltered waters of Carbery’s Isles and Roaringwater Bay represent a unique inshore cruising ground with a variety of harbours and quiet anchorages, where you can sail for miles without venturing into the open sea if you don’t want to.

And the pleasures of sailing at Baltimore are not just for boat-owners or hardened sailors. If you are a novice but fancy exploring the local area under sail or discovering the magic of the southwest coast from the sea, there are charter yachts with experienced skippers ready to make it a reality. If learning to sail is your ambition Baltimore has sailing schools catering for all age groups and levels of sailing skill under the watchful eye of expert instructors.

Baltimore has the same advantages for powerboating as it does for sailing – sheltered waters, islands to visit, creeks to explore, safe berths and good shore facilities. These attractions make it popular for all kinds of power craft, from large motor cruisers to outboard dinghies. The public slipways permit easy launching and retrieval of smaller craft. Boat rental, sales and training are also available.

Whales and dolphins are not the only marine wildlife on offer. Seals venture right up to the piers and there is often no need to venture farther than the harbour’s mouth for the chance of seeing a giant basking shark swimming lazily under the cliffs. Slightly farther from shore it might be the fin of a sunfish or blue shark cutting the surface, or even the carapace of a leatherback turtle. Baltimore and the islands – in particular, Cape Clear with its famous bird observatory – are also a paradise for birdwatching. Rare bird sightings are possible at any time of year, but spring and autumn migrations are especially rewarding. Sea watching reaches a climax in late summer when species like the larger shearwaters appear inshore, sometimes in considerable numbers.