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About Us:
Cape Clear Holiday Hostel is based in a historic building known as 'The Old Coastguard Station,' which is stunningly situated in the South Harbour of Cape Clear Island, within a few steps of the pebble beach. The view from all of the rooms is stunning and truly so as many guests are delighted when they first espy the vista through the window of their bedroom. Awaken in the morning, after a great night’s sleep, to the sound of the lapping waves shifting the pebbles on the beach, with the freshest of air to breathe and, if you choose the right dates, your stay just might coincide with the annual arrival of the gentle Basking Sharks to the waters directly outside the bedroom windows.
Cape Clear is Ireland's southernmost inhabited island. It is three miles long by a mile wide, and lies an eight mile ferry ride off the coast of Southwest Cork. The ferry trip to Cape Clear from Baltimore throughout the year, and Schull during the summer, is as good as a mini cruise with a good chance of seeing Seals and sometimes Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises.
`- The South Harbour is the tranquil heart of Cape Clear and is an ideal base for those who hanker after peace & quiet and nature in the raw but, if you prefer a bit of hustle & bustle, then the first of three pubs is just a five minute walk away. A few minutes further on and you arrive in the North Harbour with its grocery shop, café & restaurant, tourist information centre, sandy beach and swimming for younger children and two more pubs. If you are looking for a wonderful and truly unique Irish experience, make sure to visit our beautiful island.
 
 
Every year, at varying times, the seas around Cape are visited in large numbers by Minke Whales, Finback Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises, Sun Fish, Seals, Basking Sharks & even the occasional Humback Whale too. Scheduled & chartered whale & dolphin watching trips are available and pre-booking is recommended.
Whale & Dolphin Trips: Sea watching trips happen daily during the summer and can be pre-arranged for the autumn and winter. Nic Slocom (the whale-watching man) calls in to Cape daily on his whale-watching boat Voyager: click here to read more.......
Four photos above: Seal, and basking shark viewed from the hostel (the young French man on the boat jumped in and swam with the shark - gentle creatures that eat only plankton; Fin whale seen on whale watching trip; Urchins photographed while I was sitting on the pier a few minutes walk from the hostel.)
We reckon that the island has its own temperate climate; when the weather is not so good on the mainland, it is often lovely on Cape. So if it is raining in Ireland make a dash for Cape Clear and you might just find the weather a little better here. Check out my daily weather report: click here to read the Cape Ferry and Weather Report........
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Our guests are welcome to use the hostel throughout their stay and if the weather is not the best can relax with a game of Chess or get the heart racing with a game of table-tennis or simply sit and read by the fire.
Cape is a truly 'Irish' island where the majority of the islanders speak Irish, making it a great place to come to practice the Irish language. All of the natives speak English as well as Irish; and wasn't it G.B.S. who said that the best English is spoken in Ireland.
The recent revival of the ‘Wren Boys’ at Christmas time in Cape is a magical experience, and the Storytelling Festival in September each year is eagerly attended by guests from around the world. Richie and Sinead are proud sponsors and supporters of the Festival, often hosting sessions in the hostel.
October sees the annual Chuck & Nell Kruger's Storytelling Workshop where you can learn the ancient art of Storytelling - many guests return year after year for the various annual events.
 
History: There is a lot of history attached to the 'Old Coastguard Station' parts of which are thought to date from around 17th century. In the past it was a parsonage, a school, the first bird observatory in Ireland, a summer residence, and more besides. One of our many projects is to gather as much information about this wonderful old place as we can. Remember to view the 'History & Archaeology' page, which will be updated as we discover more.
Two photos above: The Old Coastguard station early 20th century; Cape Clear Hostel after knocking the old barn and building extensions.
Opening Schedule: We aim to remain open throughout most of the year but because we are on an island we do recommend pre-booking. Please note that we tend to use the quieter months of October, November, December, January, February, March, April & May for light maintenance works and visits to the mainland, so please phone first and pre-book before travelling: click here to read more......
Natural History: Cape Clear Island is a magical and tranquil place & you need time to explore. Please consider this when booking - usually one night is simply not enough. Every year in season we see gannets diving, trout jumping, and basking sharks & seals staring at us from the sea directly in front of the hostel.
The orange-tip butterfly visits our meadows in the spring and summer, and there are too many gorgeous birds to list - the beautiful little songbirds are a real treat and the wren is a joy to behold. We watched the adult robins as they gathered to build their nests, and we continued to watch while the male collected food for the female to feed the chicks, and then we had the pleasure to see the fledglings emerge from the nest, guided by the adults - a real delight.
Oystercatchers and herons are regular visitors and can be seen feeding on the rocks beyond the hostel. Special courses covering various subjects are available: click here to read more.........
Pubs & Music: If you prefer the pub - well that's pretty good too. In fact Cape has three pubs: Club Chléire; Ciaran Danny Mike's Pub and Restaurant; and Cotter's. Opening hours are subject to the time of year; in the winter and early spring the pubs are sometimes closed, but if we have three or more people then we can often arrange for the Club to be open, even when it is closed - if you see what I mean. During the summer traditional music sessions are usually held on Friday, often on Saturday but also, sometimes, during the week. See the menu list to the left for up-to-date information - or email us.
Adventure & Watersports: The South Harbour is a great place for swimming and the island is also a centre for watersports including Snorkeling, Kayaking, and Fishing. If you are into boats the annuaL Cape Clear Regatta, held the first Wednesday after the bank holiday in August, is designed just for you, with often more a hundred yachts of varying types and sizes filling the two harbours, but if you wish to escape the madness of the regatta then simply walk to the south harbour and tranquility returns.
Fishing from the pier or rocks: within sight and sound of the hostel, for mackerel in season, and for pollock anytime, is a great way to spend a few hours. Fishing rods are available for guests to use. Adults & children alike are welcome to go fishing with Richie who is happy to show novice anglers how to fish and how to fillet the fish they catch. A photograph of the novice angler with their first fish is a great memento.
Guests are often treated to a fresh mackerel, in season, caught by the devilishly handsome host and, if you are lucky and arrive at the right time, you might see the amazing phenomenon of the 'run' of the mackerel, when large parts of the harbour appear to be boiling with feeding fish! This is when sand-eels arrive in the harbour, being frantically chased by shoals of mackerel from below, with flocks of Gulls swooping from above and Gannets diving from enormous heights. A sight you will not forget in a hurry!
Learning Irish: For those interested in our beautiful Irish language then Cape is the place to visit. You can converse with passing islander or, perhaps, even sign-up to an Irish language course.
Cape Clear has two Irish colleges running during the summer months. They cater for upwards of 200 school children who come to Cape for three weeks at a time to become imersed in the Irish language & culture.
Personal note by Richie: If you've read my history then you will know that I spent a large part of my formative years in England, which is probably the reason I am finding it so difficult to learn the language, especially as many of my guests are foregin tourists, but I do have a burning desire to be able to converse 'as Gaeilge,' so I will persevere.
I believe that the key here is not to be too precious about it all. If you buy a pint in the local pub or groceries in the shop during the summer months, then there is a chance that you will be served by a non-Irish speaker, but you can only employ people who actually want to work in these environments and they will sometime be Spanish or French, or whatever - and it should be like this. However, if you go to the same places in the winter or quieter months then, in all likelihood, you will be served 'as Gaeilge.'
Archaeological sites: Do make sure you take the time to meet with some stunning stone walls; the amazing ancient Mariage Stones, which were once part of a stone cirlcle; the darkly dangerous Dún an Óir (the castle of gold); the historic Cape Clear Lighthouse; and the Napoleonic signal tower. Scheduled tours of part of the island are available each afternoon during the summer.
Cape Clear Museum & Heritage Centre: Not to be missed. It is free to enter for children under 15 years of age. You will be very surprised at how much interesting stuff can be squeezed in to such a small building - including a deck chair from the famous Lusitania. The museum is based in the old school and house and has interpretative exhibition panels covering island settlement patterns, folk and farm, genealogy, folklore, place names, education, famine, telegraphy, and maritime history. Events of note in the history of the island are also remembered with special anniversary commemorations, exhibitions and lectures. The Museum and Heritage Centre is open daily, June to September and thereafter by arrangement locally with Richie at the hostel: click here to visit the heritage centre website......
Read a review of Cape Clear Island from the YHA Backpacker Essentials Ezine. "Cape Clear is the best kept secret in all of Eire".
"Cape Clear has two harbours, a lake, pubs, craft shop, Museum and above all breathtaking scenery. It hosts a Story Telling Festival, Summer Language and Writing schools, Regattas. It’s a tiny paradise!" click here to see the reviews at TripAdvisor..
Many of our guests return time and again often captured by the magic of Cape Clear island and its glorious setting. This is truly a friendly island with friendly people.
Be Cool - Slow Down - Take Time Out.
 
Richie & Sinead your hosts:
Richie was born in Wexford in 1950. He has three sisters and two brothers. His family moved from Wexford to Bristol, England in the mid 1950's. His interests include Islands; bookbinding; ships-in-bottles; bodging; calendar time; chess collecting; early photography & old cameras; stereo cards & viewers; antiquarian books; playing on-line chess; moths; birdwatching; & Thomas Chatterton the boy poet. He also likes watching football & rugby, and going fishing.
Sinead was born in Bristol, England, at a date yet to be determined; suffice it to say that she is good for her age (or she was once). Her interests include cross stitch/tapestry; gardening; baking. She is a member of the Cape Clear Red Cross and is an all round good egg (as they say in England). She is also one of the finest cookers of food - so says Richie.
Richie & Sinead rarely leave the island during the high-season but on a ferry trip from Cape to Baltimore were rewarded by the spectacle of six or more Porpoises. The crew of the Main Island ferry always keep a sharp lookout and will sometimes make a detour when whales or doplphins are spotted.
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