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West Cork () is a tourist region and municipal district in County Cork, Ireland. As a municipal district, West Cork falls within the administrative area of Cork County Council, and includes the towns of Bantry, Castletownbere, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Schull and Skibbereen, and the 'key villages' of Baltimore, Ballydehob, Courtmacsherry, Drimoleague, Durrus, Glengarriff, Leap, Rosscarbery, Timoleague and Union Hall.
The westernmost part of the region consists of three main peninsulas: Beara Peninsula, Sheep's Head and Mizen Head. Islands which lie off West Cork include Bere Island, Sherkin Island and Cape Clear.
West Cork has had a distinct identity from at least the ancient Dáirine kingdom of Corcu Loígde which once covered much of the area. The historic baronies of Carbery, the largest barony in Ireland down to the nineteenth-century, Bantry, and Bear, or Bere, on Beara Peninsula, existed down from the Middle Ages. A series of coastal islands, on the coast of the baronies of Carbery West and Carbery East, are known as Carbery's Hundred Isles.
A Spanish expedition made landfall on the coast in October 1601 attempting to link up with Irish rebels. This ended with the Battle of Kinsale - described as "one of the decisive battles of the world's history. If the Irish had won that battle—and they could have won it—...England's power was shattered". In the early 17th century, the townland of Leamcon (near Schull was a pirate haven, and Pirate traded easily in Baltimore and Whiddy Island.
During the mid-19th century, parts of West Cork were severely impacted by the Great Famine.
Within the Catholic Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland (Anglican) traditions, the coastal area from Ballydehob to Timoleague was formerly contained within the Dioceses of Ross. These dioceses no longer exist separately, and now form part of the larger Roman Catholic Diocese of Cork and Ross and the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross respectively.
As of the 21st century, West Cork is a municipal district within the administrative area of Cork County Council. The district is represented by 9 councillors, and the West Cork Municipal District Office is in Clonakilty.
Towns in West Cork include Ballydehob, Bandon, Bantry, Castletownbere, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Rosscarbery, Schull, and Skibbereen.
The main infrastructural backbone is provided by the N71 and R586 routes.
The Wild Atlantic Way tourist route spans much of the West Cork coast, including the Old Head of Kinsale, Dursey Island and Mizen Head.
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