Schull

Town in County Cork, Ireland

For other uses, see Schull (disambiguation).

Town in Munster, Ireland

Skull

Irish: Scoil Mhuire / an Scoil

Schull

Town

Schull's main street

Skull

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 51°31′36″N 9°32′53″W﻿ / ﻿51.5266°N 9.5481°W﻿ / 51.5266; -9.5481
Country| Ireland
Province| Munster
County| County Cork
Population

(2022)[1]

| 669
Time zone| UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference| V924317
Website| www.schull.ie
Historic barometer on display next to the post office Ruins of the medieval parish church Mount Gabriel, which overlooks the town, as seen behind houses at the north end of the Colla Road

Schull or Skull[2] (/ˈskʌl/ SKUL; Irish: An Scoil or Scoil Mhuire, meaning "Mary's School")[2] is a town on the south-west coast of County Cork in Ireland.

Located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the municipal district of West Cork,[3] the town is dominated by Mount Gabriel (407 m). It has a sheltered harbour, used for recreational boating. The area, on the peninsula leading to Mizen Head, is a tourist destination, and there are numerous holiday homes along the adjoining coast. Schull had a population of 669 in 2022.[1] The town's secondary school, Schull Community College, houses one of the only planetariums in Ireland,[4] along with a sailing school. Each year Schull harbour hosts the Fastnet International Schools Regatta.

## Name

[edit]

The first recorded place name for this area is "scol", from a Decretal Letter of Pope Innocent III in 1199 to the bishop of Cork confirming the rights of the bishop of Cork.[citation needed] Both Skull and Skul are used in the Down Survey of 1656–58.[5] Skull is also used in the Grand Jury Map surveyed in the 1790s and published 1811.[citation needed]

The Placenames (County Cork) Order of 2012 lists "An Scoil" as the Irish name for the village, in which "Scoil" is translated from "school".[2] This is attributed by some to a school which was ostensibly located in the area.[6][7][8]

However, others question this derivation, and Gary Dempsey's thesis ("Whispered in the Landscape/Written on the Street, A Study of Placename Policy and Conflict in Ireland from 1946 to 2010") suggests that the "Scoil Mhuire" form dates to 1893 when the parish priest of Schull at the time, Very Rev. John O'Connor (P.P. Schull 1888–1911), who "fancied himself as a historian, misread a Latin sentence as referring to a 'College of St. Mary' in Skull; in fact, the text referred to a collegiate church in Waterford but the PP had set the ball rolling".[citation needed]

## History

[edit]

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ringfort, rock art and fulacht fiadh sites in the townlands of Skull, Caherlusky, Cooradarrigan and Gubbeen.[9] The megalithic Altar Wedge Tomb lies to the west of the town. The tomb, which is estimated to have been built between 3000 and 2000 BC, was used as a Mass rock in the 18th century.[10] Settlement in Schull itself dates to at least the 12th century,[11]

In the early 17th century, the townland of Leamcon was a pirate stronghold, at a time when pirates traded in nearby Baltimore and Whiddy Island.[12] Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the center of the town may have shifted somewhat, from the now ruined medieval church, towards the modern main road. The now ruined church that stands in the graveyard in Schull was first referenced, alongside the town, in a letter to the Bishop of Cork from Pope Innocent III in 1199.[13] The medieval church itself was largely rebuilt in 18th century, but later fell into ruin when the Holy Trinity church, closer to today's town centre, was built.[11]

The workhouse, which still stands in Schull, was home to around 600 inmates during the Great Famine. During this period, in the mid-19th century, the graveyard near the workhouse doubled in size.[14]

By the late 19th century, businesses in Schull (including banks, pubs and an inn) served the surrounding area.[11] In 1889, a stick barometer was gifted to the people of Schull by representatives of the London Meteorological Office who gave a series of lectures on barometers to fishermen and sailors.[11] The barometer is now on display next to the local An Post office.

## Demographics

[edit]

As of the 2022 census, the town of Schull had a usual resident population of 627. Of these, 75.2% were White Irish, 0.5% were White Irish Travellers, 17.1% were Other White ethnicities, 0.5% were Black or Black Irish, 1.8% were Asian or Asian Irish, 1.9% were of other ethnicities, and 3.2% did not state their ethnicity. 75.4% of the usual residents were born in the Republic of Ireland, 12.6% in the United Kingdom, 5.9% in the rest of the world, 5.1% in other EU countries excluding Ireland and Poland, 0.6% in Poland and 0.3% in India.[15]

## Transport

[edit]

Schull once had its own railway station, which was the western terminus of the Schull and Skibbereen Railway, a steam-operated narrow gauge railway. Schull railway station opened on 6 September 1886, closed for passenger and goods traffic on 27 January 1947, and finally closed altogether on 1 June 1953.[citation needed]

The main bus route is Bus Éireann's number 237 to/from Cork City, though only some services reach Schull.[16][17] Also, on occasional days there are buses to/from other towns/villages in the local area.[18]

There is a ferry service between Schull and Cape Clear Island.[17][19]

## Amenities

[edit]

Schull's Garda station is located on the main road into the town (R592).[20] Schull's fire station[21] was inaugurated on 1 March 1984.[citation needed]

There is also a Coast Guard station,[22] which was established in the 19th century, and has since been replaced by holiday homes called the Coast Guard Cottages.[citation needed] Schull's second Coast Guard station was renovated into a Garda station in the early 2000s. Since then, a new Coast Guard station has been built by the Garda station.[citation needed]

There is also a tourist office,[23] medical centre and community hospital.[24][25]

A planetarium, which is one of the only planetariums in Ireland, is located and operated from Schull Community College.[4][26]

## In literature

[edit]

The book Silver River (2007)[27][28] by Daisy Goodwin includes a section on the efforts of her 3x great-grandfather, the Rector of Skull, to help the populace during the Great Famine.

## Events

[edit]

The Schull Show, an agriculture show, takes place in late July in Schull Town Park.[29] The Schull Regatta, which started in 1884, was "re-vamped" in 2014.  Taking place over a weekend, usually in early August, markets stalls are typically set-up around Schull Harbour Pier. The weekend is centered around the rowing and sailing races, but also has food and shop stalls, carnival games, bouncy castles, music events and other activities.[30]

## Notable people

[edit]

See also: Category:People from Schull

* Fionn Ferreira, scientist and winner of the 2019 Google Science Fair, attended Schull Community College.[31]
* Timothy O'Hea, recipient of the Victoria Cross was born in the area[32][33]
* Ralph Allan Sampson, astronomer, born here[34]
* John Sampson, linguist and Romani scholar, born here[citation needed]
* Sophie Toscan du Plantier, French television producer murdered at Dreenane, Toormore, near Schull, on the night of 23 December 1996
* Robert Traill (1793–1847), the local rector, who was notable for his efforts to alleviate suffering during the Great Irish Famine.[35]
* Colin Vearncombe, English singer-songwriter, known professionally as Black, lived in Schull[36]

## See also

[edit]

* List of towns and villages in Ireland

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Census 2016 Sapmap Area - Settlements - Schull". CSO. 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
2. ^ a b c "An Scoil / Skull". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
3. ^ "Cork Local Area Plans - West Cork Municipal District". corklocalareaplans.com. Cork County Council. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
4. ^ a b "Welcome To Schull Planetarium". westcorkweb.ie. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
5. ^ William Petty, ed. (1656). Down Survey Maps - Barony of Carbury. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2017 - via Library of Trinity College, Dublin.
6. ^ Kieran McCarthy; Daniel Breen (2013). West Cork Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4456-2079-4. "The name is derived from Scoil Mhuire, or Our Lady's School"
7. ^ Con O'Leary (1936). Con O'Leary. p. 173\. "Schull, named from Scoil Mhuire, the School of Mary, in the sixth century"
8. ^ Joseph A. King (1994). Ireland to North America: Emigrants from West Cork. K&K Publications. ISBN 978-0-88835-044-2. "[..] a local school from which some think the village of Schull derived its name."
9. ^ Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5. Dublin: Government Stationery Office. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4064-2449-2.
10. ^ "Altar Wedge Tomb". Wild Atlantic Way. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
11. ^ a b c d Heritage Towns And Villages of County Cork. Cork County Council, The Heritage Council. 2022. p. 351\. ISBN 978-1-911677-09-3.
12. ^ Senior, Clive M. (1976). A Nation of Pirates. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 41, 54–57, 68. ISBN 0 7153 7264 5.
13. ^ "Schull – Delving into History". Roaringwater Journal. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
14. ^ "The Workhouse in Schull (Skull), Co. Cork". workhouses.org.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
15. ^ "Census Mapping - Towns: Schull - Population Snapshot". Census 2022. CSO. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
16. ^ "Bus Éireann - Timetable search - Route 237". Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
17. ^ a b "Birdwatch Ireland - Cape Clear Bird Observatory - Other information". birdwatchireland.ie. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
18. ^ "Schull - Locallink Cork". Retrieved 12 May 2022.
19. ^ "Cape Clear Ferries - Schull Ferry". Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
20. ^ "Schull". Garda. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
21. ^ "Fire Brigade – Schull & District Community Council". Retrieved 3 May 2024.
22. ^ "The Irish Coast Guard". www.gov.ie. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
23. ^ "Schull Tourist Office – Schull & District Community Council". Retrieved 9 May 2024.
24. ^ "Practice – Mizen Medical Practice". Retrieved 3 May 2024.
25. ^ "Older People Services in West Cork". hse.ie. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
26. ^ "Schull Community College - Home". schullcommunitycollege.com. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
27. ^ Goodwin, Daisy (2007). Silver River. Fourth Estate. ISBN 978-0-00-655153-9.
28. ^ "Review: 'Silver River' by Daisy Goodwin". theguardian.com. The Guardian. 17 November 2007. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
29. ^ Show, Schull Agri. "Schull Agri Show - Schull Agricultural Show". www.schullagrishow.ie. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
30. ^ "Schull, West Cork | Accommodation | Places to Stay & Visit | Wild Atlantic Way". www.schull.ie. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
31. ^ "Irish teenager wins Google science award for microplastics project". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
32. ^ "Timothy O'Hea VC". vconline.org.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
33. ^ Best, Brian (2021). The Victoria Cross in 100 Objects. p. 63\. ISBN 978-1-5267-3079-4. "O'Hea was born at Schull, County Cork on 11 June 1843. Like many of his countrymen, poverty forced him to join the British Army"
34. ^ Whittaker, E. T. (1940). "Ralph Allen Sampson. 1866-1939". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 3 (8): 221–226\. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1940.0019. JSTOR 768885. S2CID 162264769.
35. ^ Saunders, Tristram Fane. "Victoria: what is the truth about the Irish Famine, and who was Robert Traill?". telegraph.co.uk. Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
36. ^ "Singer-songwriter 'Black' dies following car crash in Cork". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Schull.

* Schull travel guide from Wikivoyage
* Schull.ie Website

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