Rosscarbery

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Rosscarbery (Ros Ó gCairbre in Irish) is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is the birthplace of one of the greatest leaders of the Irish War of Independence, Tom Barry, and one of the leaders of the Irish Fenian movement, Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa . There is a house which was putatively his. There is some dispute as to whether 'General' Barry was born in the town. Meda Ryan's biography - the standard reference text on him - states that he was born in Kerry to Cork parents. What is not in dispute is that he spent his formative years in Rosscarbery.

The village is located along the N71 road through West Cork. Clonakilty is nearby, further along the road to Cork city, a distance of 40 miles. The village is situated on a shallow estuary, which opens onto Rosscarbery Bay, and is a popular tourist destination in the summertime, being in proximity to at least three fine beaches. The nearest of these, the "Warren Beach", is about a mile from the village, and is designated a blue flag beach, along with the nearby Owenahincha beach. A Briton got into difficulties whilst swimming off the beach in early September 2006. Two local youths swam out to rescue him. But the Briton managed to get back to shore and the two Rosscarbery men drowned. One of the victims had been due to receive his degree from UCC the next week. It was awarded posthumously. The Briton became a target of great resenment when it emerged that he had an extensive criminal record and was wanted by police in the UK. The Warren Beach has experienced extensive coastal erosion in recent times, but remedial works have been undertaken throughout 2004/2005.

The village itself has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent times, despite the lack of any major industry in the area, and being just outside the commuter belt for the city of Cork. The majority of new housing is holiday accommodation, which results in an annual swell in population during summer months.

The longest-serving General Practitioner in the town is Dr. Daniel Patrick Burke, son of the esteemed psychiatrist, the late Dr. Denis Burke of Cork City. Dr. June Anderson and others are part of Dr. Burke's practise.

Historically, Rosscarbery was a major centre of learning, at one time being a university town, and one of the major cities in Europe, around the 6th century A.D. Today, there is still a cathedral in the town, an unusual feature for what now would be considered a sleepy country village. It is a Church of Ireland cathedral - St. Fachtna's Cathedral. The Church of Ireland's diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross were effectively merged during rationalisation in the 1860s. The bishop of this tridiocese, Paul Colton, spends almost all his time in Cork. St Fachtna's is the smallest cathedral in Ireland. It is the size of a typical parish church.

According to the 2006 census, the population of the village is 936.