Union Hall, County Cork

Union Hall
Bréantrá
Town
Union Hall

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 51°33′29″N 9°08′19″W / 51.55801°N 9.13850°W / 51.55801; -9.13850Coordinates: 51°33′29″N 9°08′19″W / 51.55801°N 9.13850°W / 51.55801; -9.13850
Country Ireland
Province Munster
County Cork
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2006)
  Urban 192
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
  Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference W206345
Union Hall as seen from the neighbouring settlement of Glandore

Union Hall (Irish: Bréantrá) is a small fishing village located in County Cork, Ireland, located on the west side of Glandore Harbour. Its nearest neighbour to the west is Castletownshend; to the east, Glandore Village. It is approximately 10 kilometers east of Skibbereen. The main source of employment is fishing and the pier has its own ice plant and fish processing factory run by Glenmar Shellfish Ltd.

Among its many tourist attractions are boat trips to view whales, dolphins and seals. Seals can be seen all year round, with dolphins and Fin Whales, Minke Whales and Humpback Whales present in summer months.

Population

According to the last census (2006), 192 people live in Unionhall. However, during the summer months, and at weekends throughout the year, the population swells with "second homers", mainly from Cork city. With the improvement in the roads, Union Hall is becoming a commuter village.

Location

The village lies on the coast and has a small harbour for small fishing boats and other small craft. The village also lies on a hill - this shows itself through the narrow alleys in the east of the village.

Accommodation

There are several good B&B's around the area.

History

During the Irish Civil War, Free State government troops landed from a ship, Helga, at the quay in Union Hall in order to out-flank the local Republican forces.

Tit Bonhomme

When the Tit Bonhomme Fishing Vessel sank near Glandore Harbour, the people of Union Hall spent weeks searching for the Irish and Egyptian sailors who died. For their efforts they were presented a People of the Year Award in September 2012.[1]

Sightseeing

The area around Union Hall is well known for its hills, woodlands, rivers and islands. There are many small inlets and bays and secluded sandy beaches.

There is a Catholic church in the south of the village as well as a notable Church of Ireland church situated in mature grounds.

Shopping

There is a supermarket and a fish shop in the village. There is also a post office.

Transport

Poulgorm Bridge

Over the narrow Poulgorm Bridge one finds the R597 regional road to Glandore, Rosscarbery and Leap on the N71 road. The bridge is only one lane wide, so traffic must wait for the bridge to be clear before crossing. The bridge featured in Sir David Puttnam's 1994 film "War of the Buttons" directed by John Roberts.[2]

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.