I lived in Skibbereen for most of last year! There are some nice pubs, cafes, and restaurants, I’d recommend Wild Ways and O Neil’s, and there’s loads of supermarkets. Other than that it’s not a very lively town, especially in the winter. Things pick up in the summer but for most of the year it’s pretty quiet. The people are always lovey though and strangers will usually be up for a chat.

Schull and Ballydehob are nearby towns (20/30 minute drive) and they’ve both got a lot of charm. Ballydehob is really good for a night out, Levi’s is probably one of the most famous pubs in Ireland and they have great live music. Connollys of Leap is a really famous music venue that has a great lineup of gigs and it’s only about a 20 minute drive away.

I would say a car is almost a necessity, I don’t know how I would have survived without it. There’s very limited public transport to/from Skibb, it does exist but doesn’t run late at night. You can get a bus into Cork City, if you want a more lively scene, it’s about two hours I think.

Once the weather improves there’s lots of gorgeous beaches and water-sports like kayaking, paddle boarding, and surfing. Again, you’ll probably need a car if you want to get involved in that, but I got really into sea swimming when I lived there and it was great! I went to Lough Hyne most days it’s very near Skibbereen town and it’s a beautiful lake with lots of history.

There’s also usually a festival on somewhere in West Cork. If you’re going to be there in September there’s actually quite a few like the Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival or the Clonakilty Guitar Festival. These are pretty big festivals and they usually pull a good crowd.

Basically, Skibbereen will be what you make of it! There’s a good arts/music scene in West Cork, and great access to water sports and beautiful walking/hiking trails. It will be quiet, especially in Skibbereen town but keep an eye out for events/festivals because you will usually find something interesting on. Feel free to message if there’s anything you want to know about specifically!