Skibbereen Heritage Centre
Heritage centre in the restored Old Gasworks with exhibitions on the Great Famine in Skibbereen and on Lough Hyne, plus a genealogy service.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Skibbereen Heritage Centre opened in 2000 in the restored Old Gasworks building on Upper Bridge Street, as a joint project of Cork County Council, Skibbereen Urban District Council, the Office of Public Works and Dúchas. Funding came from a European regional development grant, OPW architects designed the restoration, and Cork County Council provided the site and still owns the building.
The centre has two main exhibitions. The Great Irish Famine exhibition tells how the Skibbereen area lost more than a third of its people in the 1840s and became a byword for famine around the world. Through personal accounts, dramatisations, interactive stations and audio-visual films with subtitles in French, German and Irish, it explains the government’s response, relief works, the soup kitchen, the workhouse, evictions and emigration. A virtual tour introduces Famine sites in the town, and visitors are pointed to the burial pits at Abbeystrowry, where between 8,000 and 10,000 victims are buried. The second exhibition is devoted to Lough Hyne.
The centre also runs a genealogy service for the greater West Cork area, by appointment, and has published books and films, a Famine walking-trail app and a large database of genealogical records.
Highlights
- Great Irish Famine exhibition with personal accounts and audio-visual stations
- Exhibition on Lough Hyne
- Virtual tour of Famine sites in Skibbereen
- Genealogy service for West Cork (by appointment)
- Restored Old Gasworks building with a car park beside it
Permanent exhibitions
- Great Irish Famine exhibition – Exhibits, dramatisations and interactive stations on the Famine in Skibbereen, with first-hand accounts and a virtual tour of Famine sites.
- Lough Hyne exhibition – An exhibition on Lough Hyne.
- Founded
- 2000
- Operated by
- Cork County Council
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
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| Reduced | €4.50Senior citizens and students |
| Seniors | €4.50 |
| Students & apprentices | €4.50 |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Special group rates are available for parties of more than 10 people; ask when booking. |
| Families | €14Two adults and up to four children under 14. |
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The centre states that it is wheelchair accessible, with a car park adjacent.
Kids & families
| Family ticket | €14 · Two adults and up to four children under 14. |
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A family ticket is available for two adults and up to four children under 14. The Famine exhibition deals with distressing events.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
A car park is next to the centre. Coaches park about 1.5 km along Upper Bridge Street, outside the stone wall of the car park, 30 m from the front door.
The centre is on the western side of Skibbereen town, 80 km from Cork or Killarney; from the N71 follow the signs for the town centre to Upper Bridge Street.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | The audio-visual films in the Famine exhibition have subtitles in French, German and Irish. A Famine Story app guides visitors around the town’s Famine sites. Group visits can be booked. |
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