History of the West Cork Hotel

Thank you Skibbereen Heritage Centre for sharing with us the history of Ilen Street & our own West Cork Hotel!

In the article written by the Skibbereen Heritage Centre runs through in detail the fascinating history of Ilen Street Skibbereen. It includes the story of the West Cork Hotel, the present-day Southern Star newspaper site, the old Steam Mill building as well as its two bridges.

The article reiterates how since the West Cork Hotel opened for business in 1902 the hotel has been a landmark in Skibbereen town, contributing enormously to business and social life in the area. Additionally included is background history on the famous Railway Bridge adjacent to the hotel which was built to enable the extension of the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway onwards to Baltimore. The first train ran from Skibbereen to Baltimore on May 2nd 1893.

See here for more information https://skibbheritage.com/ilen-street-skibbereen/