Irelandscape: Pictures of Ireland - The Ruins and The Lake

Location:

Three Castle Head, County Cork

Nearby Location:

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OSI Map Nbr:

Getting There:

29/08/2003, Olivier Deme wrote: The easiest way to go to Three Castle Head is to come from Schull on the R591 and follow the direction of Mizen Head.
Go along the shore of Barley Cove and up the hill. Once at the top of the hill, go straight, instead of turning left to go to Mizen Head. At the next T junction, turn right and follow the small road that will become quickly very narrow. Mind the thousands of rabbits running everywhere!
You should arrive at the end of a cul the sack where you can par you car beside the sea.
Leave your car and open the gate to enter the private property on your right. You have the authorization to go on this property to visit Three Castle Head, as long as you respect the site of the owners.
You will have climb over gates, so don't go with your granny unless she is really fit! ;-)
The path almost disappears at some places and it is easy to loose it. Nevertheless, keep an eye on the small hills in front of you because Three Castle Head lies behind them.
And, once more, please respect this very fragile site!

Location Description:

06/09/2003, Olivier Deme wrote: About 5 miles from the very popular Mizen Head, lies a site fortunately ignored by most tourists, called Three Castle Head.
Saying that this place is beautiful is diminishing its incredible beauty. Words cannot express how peaceful and incredible this location truely is, and photographs can only give pale representations of Three Castle Head magnificence.
The site consists of the ruins of towers linked by a wall dating from the 15th century. These ruins stand on the shore of an incredibly still lake, disturbed solely by flocks of birds that find refuge in this little paradise.
The ruins are surrounded by huge cliffs on its western side, and small deserted hills on the north side, inhabited solely by birds, insects and sheep.
Three Castle Head is not just another nice place in Ireland. It is a gem that uncovers the true spirit of the Island. A must see.
But Three Castle Head is also a very fragile site and needs to be cared for and treated with all the respect it deserves. It needs to be protected from the tourism industry that ravaged so much its dramatic neighbour, Mizen Head.
Fortunately, the site is reasonably preserved from tourism because there is no road leading to it. Rather, visitors must go across fields and above gates and leave their car behind.
Once again, you *must* see Three Castle Head and enjoy the feeling of awe and peace that will not miss to invade your mind...

Location Resources:

Author's Comments:

This picture was taken at 5 in the morning during June 2003.

I think that low-light conditions really compliment the place and it's worth the effort of getting up early to enjoy the beauty of this site.

One of my favourite places in Ireland.