Kilbrittain

Kilbrittain is a village and townland in Cork. It lies about 8km southwest of Bandon and is near to both Clonakilty and Kinsale. The coastal route around the edge of the parish is the R600 road. The village itself is around 1.6 km inland from the coast. Kilbrittain Castle is the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland. The Castle is thought to date from 1035 where the original fortress may have been built by the O'Mahony clan. Known to have been in the hands of the Norman family of de Courcey and possibly extended in the 13th Century, Kilbrittain Castle was the principal seat of MacCarthy Reagh family, Princes of Carbery, from the early 15th century. The castle was extensively restored and enlarged by the Stawell family in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was partially burned in 1920 and restored in 1969 by inventor Russell Winn. Kilbrittain Castle is now the home of the Cahill-O'Brien family. Howes Strand is a beach in Kilbrittain with the ruin of a Coast Guard station that overlooks the beach, built in 1910 and burnt down in 1920. Coolmain Castle is also nearby. Local amenities include shops and pubs and a GAA club. There are also several popular beaches and one of them, Coolmain, is designated the West Cork Windsurfing Centre. It is popular with windsurfers and kitesurfers. Harbourview, which is on the opposite side of the bay from Coolmain, is popular with walkers and also for Kitebuggies. There is also two primary schools in Kilbrittain.