Baltimore and Sherkin: The Sack of 1631 and the Island Friary
Cork, Ireland
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Baltimore Beacon
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250
XP
1 day
Baltimore and Sherkin: The Sack of 1631 and the Island Friary
250 XP
On 20 June 1631 pirates from Algiers, led by the Dutch renegade Murad Reis the Younger, landed at Baltimore and carried off at least 107 people into slavery — the largest Barbary raid on Ireland. The village's Irish name, Dún na Séad, the fort of the jewels, is the name of the O'Driscoll castle above the harbour, which has been restored and is open. At the harbour entrance stands the Baltimore Beacon, known as Lot's Wife. The ferry crosses year-round to Sherkin Island, where a Franciscan friary of 1460 stands above the pier; the island is home to artists and writers and to mussel and oyster farmers.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Find out what happened in Baltimore on 20 June 1631
2
of 5
Go into Dún na Séad, the O'Driscoll castle over the harbour
3
of 5
Walk out to the Baltimore Beacon, Lot's Wife, on the headland
4
of 5
Take the ferry to Sherkin and find the Franciscan friary of 1460
5
of 5
Eat oysters or mussels from Roaringwater Bay
Find out what happened in Baltimore on 20 June 1631
Go into Dún na Séad, the O'Driscoll castle over the harbour
Walk out to the Baltimore Beacon, Lot's Wife, on the headland
Take the ferry to Sherkin and find the Franciscan friary of 1460
Eat oysters or mussels from Roaringwater Bay
Before you go
The Beacon stands on an unfenced cliff top.
Dún na Séad opens daily in season only, roughly late March to late October, and closes now and then for private events — check before you go.
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XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
Potential total
250 XP
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