Crookhaven

---

title: "Crookhaven" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["towns-and-villages-in-county-cork", "tourist-attractions-in-county-cork", "pirate-dens-and-locations"] description: "Seaside village in County Cork, Ireland" topic_path: "general/towns-and-villages-in-county-cork" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crookhaven" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Seaside village in County Cork, Ireland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Crookhaven
native_name	ga
settlement_type	Town
image_skyline	O'Sullivan's Bar, Crookhaven - geograph.org.uk - 243220.jpg
image_caption	Waterfront in Crookhaven
pushpin_map	Ireland
pushpin_label_position	right
pushpin_map_caption	Location in Ireland
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Ireland
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	Munster
subdivision_type3	County
subdivision_name3	County Cork
unit_pref	Metric
area_total_km2	2.57
population_as_of	2011
population_footnotes
population_total	59
population_density_km2	auto
timezone1	WET
utc_offset1	+0
timezone1_DST	IST (WEST)
utc_offset1_DST	+1
coordinates
elevation_m	11
blank_name	Irish Grid Reference
blank_info
website
module	{{Infobox lighthouse
qid	Q28333621
embed	yes
image	Le beau petit phare de Crookhaven.jpg
caption	Crookhaven Lighthouse
coordinates
yearbuilt	1843
construction	masonry tower
shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
marking	white tower and lantern
height	14 m
focalheight	20 m
lens	3rd order dioptric lens
range	White: 13 nmi
Red: 11 nmi
characteristic	LFl WR 8s.
country	Ireland
countrynumber	CIL-2570
managingagent	Crookhaven Lighthouse
::

|name = Crookhaven |native_name = ga |settlement_type = Town |image_skyline = O'Sullivan's Bar, Crookhaven - geograph.org.uk - 243220.jpg |image_caption = Waterfront in Crookhaven |pushpin_map = Ireland |pushpin_label_position = right |pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Ireland |subdivision_type1 = Province |subdivision_name1 = Munster |subdivision_type3 = County |subdivision_name3 = County Cork |established_title = |established_date = |unit_pref = Metric |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = 2.57 |population_as_of = 2011 |population_footnotes = |population_total = 59 |population_density_km2 = auto |timezone1 = WET |utc_offset1 = +0 |timezone1_DST = IST (WEST) |utc_offset1_DST = +1 |coordinates = |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m = 11 |blank_name = Irish Grid Reference |blank_info = |website = |footnotes = |module = {{Infobox lighthouse | qid = Q28333621 | embed = yes | image = Le beau petit phare de Crookhaven.jpg | caption = Crookhaven Lighthouse | location = | coordinates = | yearbuilt = 1843 | automated = | yeardeactivated = | foundation = | construction = masonry tower | shape = cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern | marking = white tower and lantern | height = 14 m | focalheight = 20 m | lens = 3rd order dioptric lens | intensity = | range = White: 13 nmi Red: 11 nmi | characteristic = LFl WR 8s. | fogsignal = | racon = | country = Ireland | countrynumber = CIL-2570 | countrylink = | managingagent = Crookhaven Lighthouse

Crookhaven () is a village in County Cork, Ireland, on the most southwestern tip of the island of Ireland. With an out-of-season population of about sixty, it swells in the summer season to about four hundred, when the occupants of the seasonal holiday homes arrive.

History

The village name is attributed to an association with the Crooke family, and initially with Sir Thomas Crooke, 1st Baronet who also founded Baltimore, County Cork about 1610. The Crooke family were granted large estates in west Cork in the early 17th century, but their association with the area ended around 1665, on the death of Sir Thomas's son and heir Sir Samuel. In the late 1500s and early 1600s the village was used as a base for piracy - where not only the local justices (including the vice-admiral of Munster) but the broader population were involved. These activities were unaffected by official discouragement under King James VI and I, but the Dutch attack on Crookhaven in 1614 did significant damage and piracy in the region declined thereafter.

The village was an important port of call for merchant shipping between Europe and the United States, and many inhabitants were in the business of supplying the ships as they sheltered in Crookhaven after or before a long voyage. In 1959 Crookhaven was the subject of a film by the English filmmaker James Clarke in his film Irish Village. At that time the film records the population of the town and local farms as being 69.

Crookhaven was also used by Guglielmo Marconi as a location for experiments in wireless communication and ship-to-shore communication. Some of these tests and experiments took place between the Fastnet lighthouse, Crookhaven, and Cape Clear Island - since they were so closely connected. The area was useful for these purposes as a fixed telegraph line also connected Crookhaven and Cape Clear Island - located eight miles away. Marconi worked here from 1901 until 1914 when he sold the rights. The station was ultimately destroyed in 1922.

Amenities

The village has three pubs and also has a shop and post office.

As with certain other amenities, the Crookhaven Harbour Sailing Club also only opens in the summer.

Places of interest

The road to the village comes from Goleen and curves around the harbour. As one drives from Goleen, one passes a road to the left leading onto Rock Island. Originally this was the site of a coast guard station - which replaced an earlier station to its south. The "new" station was occupied from 1907 until 1921. During the Irish War of Independence, British forces were stationed there to protect the station and nearby signal station at Brow Head. In August 1920, the IRA raided the Brow Head station and it was subsequently destroyed. Also on Rock Island was a fishery plant. From here most of the shellfish of Ireland was exported to Europe. The ponds were open until the late 1970s, then it became a food processing plant packaging garlic butter and mussels - but since fell derelict.

Transport & communications

The village is located in south-western Ireland, 132 km from Cork and 383 km from Dublin. The nearest airport to Crookhaven is Cork Airport, and the regional road R591 ends in the village. Crookhaven has no scheduled public transport.

Notable people

Jeremiah Coghlan, naval captain in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, "an officer almost unrivaled in heroic exploits".

|image = File:Crookhaven, Ireland.jpg |height = 250 |width = |alt = Panorama of Crookhaven and the peninsula it is located on, taken from the heights west of it. |caption = Panorama of Crookhaven and the peninsula it is located on, taken from the heights west of it. |dir = |align =

References

References

1. "CSO table CD153".
2. (2011). "CD153: Cork Population by Private Households, Occupied and Vacancy Rate by Townlands, CensusYear and Statistic (2011)". Central Statistics Office.
3. {{Cite rowlett. irlsw
4. "Crookhaven Lighthouse". Commissioners of Irish Lights.
5. "History". Crookhaven.ie.
6. "An Cruachán / Crookhaven". Logainm.ie.
7. Burke, John. (1841). "Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Scotland and Ireland".
8. (12 April 2012). "South-West was haven for piracy and prostitution". Irish Examiner.
9. Senior C.N.. (2004). "A Nation of Pirates: English Piracy in its Heyday". Penguin Books.
10. "Adventures of 17th-Century Pirate Alliance Uncovered". Discovery Communications (News).
11. "Mizen Head Signal Station". MixenHead.net.
12. "Irish Village Film details". Trinity College Dublin.
13. Sexton, Michael. (2005). "Marconi The Irish Connection". Four Courts Press.
14. "Crookhaven Harbour Sailing Club". Croomhavenhsc.com.
15. (24 August 1920). "Cork". Cork Examiner.
16. (28 August 1920). "Irish Disorder". [[The Observer (Adelaide).
17. (1924). "Lloyd's Calendar". Lloyd's of London Press.
18. (1837). "Ward's miscellany (and family magazine)".

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