An Sciobairín

An Sciobairín—Skibbereen—derives from the small boats and skiffs that were common on the River Ilen, whose waters gave the settlement its name and character. The town's origins trace to the aftermath of the 1631 pirate raid on Baltimore, when survivors rowed upstream to resettle safely in the Ilen Valley. By the medieval period, the area was associated with the O'Donovan clan, whose territorial...