landmark
Gougane Barra
A tranquil mountain lake with a tiny island chapel, source of the River Lee in the heart of West Cork.
25 km · about 30 min drive
EuropeIrelandMunster
Macroom
Munster, Ireland · Europe
About Macroom
Macroom is worth a stop: 20 minutes from Millstreet, 42km from Killarney National Park.
Macroom is in Munster, Ireland, with about 3,800 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Millstreet, about 18 km away.
Macroom (; Irish: Maigh Chromtha) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of war, famine and workhouses, forced emigration and intermittentRead more
prosperity. The 2011 census gave an urban population of 3,879 people, while the 2016 census recorded 3,765 people. The town is in a civil parish of the same name.
Macroom began as a meeting place for the druids of Munster. It is first mentioned is in 6th-century records, and the immediate area hosted a major battle c. 987 involving the Irish king Brian Boru. During the Middle Ages, the town was invaded by a succession of warring clans, including the Murcheatach Uí Briain and Richard de Cogan families. In the early modern period the MacCarthys took control and later the area found prosperity via milling. The MacCarthys built a series of tower houses, some of which survive. The family lost influence during the Williamite wars of the 1690s, after which authority over the town castle waxed and waned between the MacCarthys and a number of Anglo-Irish families.
The population fell in the 1840s during the Great Famine. Evidence can be found in the former workhouse, now the district hospital at the north side of New Street, and the mass graveyard to the west, near Clondrohid. During the late 18th and early 19th century, a number of Anglo-Irish families, and a branch of the Massey family, settled in the area. Many of their estate houses were burned in the period around the Irish War of Independence as the town was caught up in the turmoil of IRA activity.
Today the town is an economic hub for the mid-Cork region, and the location of a Danone milk processing factory, which dries and cans infant formula from milk supplied by local dairy farmers. Until the 1950s, New Street was the town's economic hub, and contained many small retail outlets.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Macroom?
Within an hour or so of Macroom: Gougane Barra (25 km), Blarney Castle (27 km), Torc Waterfall (38 km), Kinsale (38 km).
Are there any good drives near Macroom?
The nearest famous roads are Moll's Gap, Ballaghbeama Gap and Healy Pass.
Where is Macroom?
Macroom is in Munster, Ireland, about 18 km from Millstreet.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 3,765
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Ireland
- Region
- Munster
- Timezone
- Europe/Dublin
- Coordinates
- 51.9066, -8.9697
Tags
Worth the detour from Macroom
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
castle
Blarney Castle
Medieval stronghold famous for the Blarney Stone, which legend says grants the gift of eloquence to all who kiss it while leaning backwards.
27 km · about 30 min drive
waterfall
Torc Waterfall
Beautiful 20-metre cascade in Killarney National Park, set in ancient oak woodland at the base of Torc Mountain near Muckross House.
38 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Kinsale
A colourful harbour town of gourmet restaurants and yachts, gateway to the start of the Wild Atlantic Way.
38 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Muckross House
An elegant Victorian mansion and gardens beside Muckross Lake in Killarney National Park.
39 km · about 45 min drive
castle
Ross Castle
A 15th-century tower house on the shore of Lough Leane, gateway to boat trips across Killarney's lakes.
41 km · about 50 min drive
national park
Killarney National Park
Ireland's first national park encompassing three famous lakes, ancient oak woodlands, the 15th-century Ross Castle and Ireland's only wild red deer herd.
42 km · about 50 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Ladies View
A celebrated panorama over the Lakes of Killarney named for Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting who admired it.
43 km · about 50 min drive
Driving roads near Macroom
- 43 kmLadies ViewA celebrated panorama over the Lakes of Killarney named for Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting who admired it.
- 45 kmOld Head of KinsaleA slender headland with a lighthouse and clifftop views where the Lusitania sank offshore in 1915.
- 47 kmGap of DunloeNarrow mountain pass carved by glaciers through the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, best experienced by pony trap or on foot along its 11-kilometre length.
- 47 kmMoll's GapRocky mountain pass on the N71 between Kenmare and Killarney, a highlight of the Ring of Kerry with sweeping views towards the MacGillycuddy's Reeks and a famous Avoca cafe at the summit.
- 58 kmHealy PassA serpentine mountain road zigzagging over the Caha Mountains between Cork and Kerry on the Beara Peninsula.
- 58 kmBallaghbeama GapA narrow rock-walled pass cutting through the middle of the Iveragh peninsula, a single-track escape from the Ring of Kerry traffic.
Driving in Ireland
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.78/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€2.10/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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