D Irl 25578 g: Castletownbere, boats with dark clouds behind

Castletownbere (Irish: Baile Chaisleáin Bhéarra) is located on the Beara Peninsula by Berehaven Harbour. It is also known as Castletown Berehaven.

A regionally important fishing port, the town also serves as a commercial and retail hub for the local hinterland. Located on the Wild Atlantic Way, tourism is also important to the local economy.

The area is the setting for Daphne du Maurier's 1943 novel Hungry Hill named after the nearby mountain of the same name.

The Irish name of the town originally referred to a MacCarthy dynasty castle which once stood in the area. This should not be confused with Dunboy Castle – two miles west of the town – which was the seat of the O'Sullivan Beare family. Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, together with other Gaelic lords and with Spanish aid, rebelled against the English Crown. During the Siege of Dunboy the castle was reduced by the forces of Elizabeth I in 1602. He then retreated with his followers to Leitrim.

In 1796 Theobald Wolfe Tone and his confederates sailed into Berehaven Harbour in French men o' war. They anchored off Ahabeg – a townland five miles east of Castletownbere – but the gales were so violent that they could not land. Wolfe Tone fulminated that he was so close to Ireland that he could almost have spat onto the shore – he reflected, "England has not had such an escape since the Armada" – perhaps an allusion to the fact that adverse winds frustrated England's enemies on both occasions. For his efforts in preparing the local defences against the French, Richard White, a local landlord, was created Earl of Bantry and Viscount Berehaven in 1816.

The deep-water harbour was, up to the 19th century, much used by smugglers. It is one of the safest natural habours in the world.

In the 19th and early 20th century, Castletownbere and the Berehaven Harbour were important anchorages and naval ports for the Royal Navy. (Source; Wikipedia)

Some of these colourful trawlers venture out hundreds of kilometres into the wild Atlantic. A tough life for the crew. But this morning the boats looked serene as they lined up at the quayside. Mother Nature, however, does not rest like that for vey long – some very unsettled weather is just about to disturb the peace.