Pulleen Harbour, A Hidden Jewel at the end of the Road

It’s so great to be back to the Ring of Beara Blog again. So many delays but I’m back on track. We’ve just moved house from beautiful Beal Na Lappa and its splendid vistas to a lovely, bigger home in equally beautiful Cahergarriff.  If truth be told, I don’t think that there is any place on the Beara Peninsula that isn’t beautiful.

Cahergarriff ( Caher: means stone fort or ring fort, Garriff: means rough) is but a stone’s throw from Dunboy Castle. The road to Pulleen Harbour is narrow but car worthy. It’s also a great place for an ambling stroll to take in the sights and the peace of the countryside.

Although the area looks untouched and barely populated, it’s amazing to think about the many lives that once graced the area. A quick visit to Archaeology.ie unveiled the remains of a stone fort, standing stones, beehive huts, and an ancient bridge leading to a long, disused road. At one time this little corner of the world was a hub of activity.

 I’m so tempted to peek into that window, aren’t you?

After passing some small farmsteads the land opens up into a boggy lake area embraced by the surrounding hills. I’m tempted to slip down to the lake later to see if I can photograph some of the bird life that visits the area. There’s a grouchy old heron that often scolds me as I go by. If  I capture him on film I will share the photos with you here.

Ah! Beautiful Pulleen Harbour. Isn’t it a jewel? No wonder so many scenes from the movie Ondine were filmed here. You can watch the trailer for the movie below to catch glimpses of Castletownbere and Pulleen. The movie was filmed entirely here, on the Beara Peninsula.

Isn’t the scenery so rugged and gorgeous? (and the landscape isn’t so bad either 😉 ) After checking the archaeology maps more thoroughly I will go on a walkabout to see if I can find the standing stones, the huts or (fingers crossed) the stone fort itself. Stay tuned for more!

(…home again, home again, jiggity jig…..)