The name Allihies is thought to come from the Irish "na hAillithe" meaning; "the cliffs". A walk along the stunning shoreline with its sheer crags and steeple, like pinnacles of stone, shows the name to be truly fitting. Being the most westerly parish of County Cork, its remoteness has ensured that its unique qualities were not eroded by the changes of time.

Plan a visit to the ruined village, which belonged to the Allihies Copper mines, near North Engine. Opened in 1810, yielding up to four thousand tons of ore per year and employing 1,300 men, women and children. Workers conditions were deplorable; a miner's life expectancy was 32 years.

Horse riding lessons, jaunting car rides and pony trekking is on offer at Allihies riding centre near Ballydonegan strand. There are tennis courts, basketball courts and an enclosed playground in the clean village. Beautiful white sandy beaches at Ballydonegan and Garnish provide ample scope for sand castling, rock pooling, sunbathing and swimming. Allihies is host to a great range of cosy guesthouses, self-catering cottages, hostels and caravan and campsites catering for all tastes and pockets. There is also many internationally renowned artists living all around Allihies, for those with an appreciation of art, there are plenty of paintings, sculptures, pottery to be found in shops and studios in the area.

Clan Name

Allihies is part of the ancestral home of the O'Sullivans in Ireland and forms a stage of the Beara-Breifne Greenway which is based on the historic march of O'Sullivan Beara in 1603.

Greenways Festival 2003

Allihies is talking part in the Greenways Festival in summer 2003 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the legendary 1603 march of O’Sullivan Beara from the Beara Peninsula to the Breifne area. Click here for info on the events.