Skibbereen Heritage Centre (Ionad Oidhreachta an Sciobairín) — Attraction in West Cork

Make sure you visit the Heritage Centre if you are in West Cork. It is a fabulous museum that explains why the failure of the potato harvest and human failure lead to a devastating famine that has had consiquenses for Ireland to the present day. All the staff are helpful, friendly and enormously knowledgeable about the history, and the area as a whole. A special mention for Margaret, the inhouse genealogist. If you want to find out about your Irish ancestors, spend an hour (or two) with Margaret and you will not be disappointed. She is a genius, hugely knowledgeable and was so very willing to go the extra mile to find ancestors that we thought would be impossible to find. We came away with so much more than names on a piece of paper. Meeting second cousins who happened to also be visiting Skibbereen on the same day was an added bonus, and apparently happens more often than you might think. Thanks Margaret for making...

A most impressive exhibition, very well made and with plenty of well-founded information to see, read and listen to. Although I had known a lot about that catastrophe in Irish history before, the exhibition has left me very moved and - yes, sad and full of compassion for the people who had to suffer such unspeakable misery. I would just add one aspect to the exhibition: the fact that there was an abundance of food in the country - grains, meat, milk etc. - only this was exported by the landowners under guard of British soldiers. A lot of modern historians therefore don't speak of a famine (a state where no food is available in a certain area), but of an attempt at genocide. Apart from that, I would recommend everyone to visit the exhibition that is also run by very...

It's been a while since I've been so impressed by a museum of any kind. The exposition is presented in a great, detailed, yet easy to understand way. There's a lot of interactive screens and audiovisuals which is entertaining for both adults and kids. The section about loch Hyne is just as great. There's even a small café area where my son didn't miss the opportunity to enjoy a hot chocolate with a view towards the nearby river. The ladies at the entrance are also just splendid - extremely helpful, knowledgeable, patient and polite. The shop seems small but actually has a lot to offer - we ended up buying two books. This visit was a pleasure for our whole family and once again we would like to thank the amazing staff at the...