Coolim Books

06/07/2024

Congratulations to Skibbereen Historical on the launch of Volume 20 of their Journal. This in now on sale at via Coolim Books at https://tinyurl.com/5db9yenp. With all proceeds going back to the society.

11/04/2024

Back issues of the Clonakilty Historical & Archaeological Journal are available online through Coolim Books at https://coolim-books.sumupstore.com/search?search=DCHJ

Pictured is the southern arch of a double-arched culvert uncovered in the 1980s at the bottom of McCurtain Hill.

This, along with two further arched subterranean features, clustered around the town’s main thoroughfare, may be evidence of a substantial historic water management system, centred on controlling a stream which flowed down McCurtain Hill and likely joined the millstream which ran along Pearse Street.

Want to learn more? The topic is covered in Volume 3 of the Clonakilty Historical & Archaeological Journal which is available at €10 in Kerr's Bookshop Clonakilty , Coughlan's Bookshop or online through Coolim Books : https://coolim-books.sumupstore.com/search?search=DCHJ

Source: Article by Con O'Neill - 'Sanitation and Infrastructural Developments under the Corporation of the Borough of Cloughnakilty, 1613-1840'

Photo: courtesy of Tomás Tuipéar.

03/04/2024

Published in thirteen volumes between 1993 and 2007, the Mizen Journal was rightly known for the high standard of the articles they contained. A selection of these Journals are now available via Coolim Books. See https://tinyurl.com/4h2mf27m

17/03/2024

☘️☘️ Wishing everyone a Happy St Patrick’s Day - Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig. ☘️☘️

13/03/2024

To celebrate the national holiday, until 19 March we are offering 20% off all sales on our online store https://coolim-books.sumupstore.com. To avail of this offer enter the discount code StPatrick2024 at checkout.

29/12/2023

23/12/2023

The Nativity by Harry Clarke in St Barrahane’s Church, Castletownshend, West Cork.
🎄Nollaig shona dhaoibh go léir. 🎄
🎄Happy Christmas to everyone.🎄

14/12/2023

'Walking with Stones' - €20 🎄🎁 🎅 🌟 is now available at local West Cork bookshops.
-Bantry Bookshop, William St., Bantry.
-O Keefe's Supervalu, Bantry.
-Bandon Books Plus, Riverview Shopping Centre, Bandon.
-Skibbereen Bookshop, Cathal O Donovan.
-Field's Supervalu, Skibbereen
-Worm Books, Main St., Schull
THANKS to these shops for stocking the book 😊 SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHOPS 🎁 PLEASE SHARE - Thank you

07/12/2023

Coolim Books continues to work closely with local History Societies to offer them the opportunity to sell their Journals online, which is important for customers who do not live in West Cork. For recent Journals visit https://tinyurl.com/42y8vnch
In further news, we have developed a new online store on the Sumup platform. Sales on this site are to Ireland only, with P+P charges of only €7 for orders under €50 and free for orders above that amount. Check it out at https://coolim-books.sumupstore.com

11/11/2023

In the 1970s, a number of Macra na Feirme branches in West Cork produced short local parish histories. I know of ones for Aughadown, Caheragh and Rosscarbery/Kilkerranmore. Were there others in West Cork?

06/11/2023

New Book - Hardcover - 309 Pages. 'The Ebb & Flow of Ilen: 50 Years of Ilen Rovers GAA Club' shares the history of the Ilen Rovers GAA club over the past 50 years. Similar to the ebb and flow of the River Ilen which meanders its way to the sea, this book aims to chart the efforts, successes and volu...

17/08/2023

Thank you to everyone who visited our stall at last weekend’s West Cork History Festival, especially those who purchased books from us. Our limited online book sale associated with the stall will end this Sunday. Some items half price! Check out https://coolim-books.sumupstore.com/products

11/08/2023

Looking forward to being part of this weekend’s West Cork History Festival at the Inish Beg Estate. We will be there showcasing local journals and self-published books of West Cork interest.
The local journals on sale will include volumes from Ardfield/Rathbarry, Bandon, Bantry, Castlehaven/Myross, Cork Historical, Coppeen, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Kilbrittain, Rosscarbery and Skibbereen.
Books by local authors will include works by Amanda Clarke, Terri Kearney, Kevin O’Farrell, Kieran Doyle and William Casey.
To celebrate, a small selection of the books available at the Festival are On Sale online at https://coolim-books.sumupstore.com/products

04/08/2023

Coolim Books is delighted to be part of this year's West Cork History Festival, which is on from 11-13 August. We will be there showcasing local journals and self-published books of West Cork interest. To celebrate, our own publications are On Sale at https://coolim-books.sumupstore.com/products

08/07/2023

Congratulations to Skibbereen & District Historical Society on the launch of the Skibbereen Historical Journal Vol.19. This is now available in shops throughout West Cork or online via Coolim Books at https://biblio.ie/bookstore/coolim-books-skibbereen/shj/39607814.

This year’s journal has sixteen articles including: The creamery industry in West Carbery, Ilen Rovers GAA Club 1973-2023, St Matthew's Aughadown - 150 Years of Service, The History and Heritage of Mass Rocks, Sweet Ilen: Part 2 - The Tidal Waterway, Skibbereen Soldiers in Eritrea, 1923 - The Irish Free State in financial peril, A tale of two Baltimores, Judicial Fixed Rents, Ballydehob’s Three-Arched Bridge, and Crossroads Dancing in Lisheen.

21/06/2023

Yesterday, I made my first ever visit to An Blascaod Mór (Great Blasket Island). The highlight for me was to see the house of Tomás Ó Criomhthain and to stand in his living room. Afterwards, to finish off the day I paid a visit to his grave in Dún Chaoin.

05/05/2023

An old postcard, circa 1900, that lampooned the service provided by the Skibbereen to Schull Tramway. The journey from Skibbereen to Schull, of just over 15 miles, with stops at Ballydehob and other stations along the way, took in the region of 80 minutes. The tramway operated between 1886 and 1947.

25/03/2023

Conor O’Brien is well known for his voyage around the world on his yacht the Saoirse – the first vessel flying the Irish tricolour to complete the voyage. He also wrote fiction, including the 1936 novel Two Boys go Sailing. Set in the fictional Ballyashode Bay, which was a thinly disguised Roaringwater Bay, it was illustrated by B. Ganly. An illustration in the book resembles the workshop of Hegarty’s Boatyard in Oldcourt, between Skibbereen and Baltimore, where the Saoirse was recently reconstructed. Kevin O’Farrell’s book on the rebuilding of Saoirse will be available shortly. One that I am looking forward to.

15/03/2023

“Watching these boatbuilders at work today offers an insight into previous generations of such craftsmen, as their tools and skills remain unchanged. Unfortunately, however, these traditions are in danger of being lost now as very few young people take up careers in wooden boatbuilding. This would...

13/03/2023

Just a reminder that Coolim Books works closely with local historical societies in West Cork to give them a place to sell their journals online. For more see https://coolimbooks.com/local-journal-

12/03/2023

The famous twelve arch viaduct at Ballydehob was constructed in the 1880s as part of the Skibbereen to Schull tramway. This rare image of it in use was taken by W.A. Camwell and appeared in the Railway Magazine of May 1940. The tramway closed in 1947.

05/03/2023

5th March is the feast of Naomh Ciarán of Cape Clear (Oileán Chléire). He is also known as St Ciarán of Saigir, St Piran in Cornwall and he is considered by some as the first native born Irish saint. There is a church and other sites associated with him on Cape Clear, and there is also a rich folklore surrounding the life of the saint. To find out more visit https://coolimbooks.com/naomh-ciaran-of-cape-clear/

31/12/2022

The final sunset of 2022 on Roaringwater Bay, bathes Cape Clear Island (Oileán Chléire) in red light. Best wishes to all for 2023.

24/12/2022

The Flight into Egypt, one part of the rose window in the Church of the Most Holy Rosary, Kilcoe, between Skibbereen and Ballydehob. Commissioned in 1943, it was designed by Terence Clarke of Harry Clarke Stained Glass Ltd.

Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir.

19/12/2022

Coolim Books is delighted to extend our partnership with local historical societies to the Dunmanway Historical Association. We now have four volumes of the Dunmanway Doings journal for sale online and we hope to extend this range later. See https://biblio.ie/bookstore/coolim-books-skibbereen/dunmanway-doings/42594859

15/12/2022

Happily local history journals are thriving in West Cork and beyond. The Cork list for 2022 includes journals from Skibbereen, Bandon, Kinsale, Bantry, Castlehaven and the oldest of them all, the Journal of the Cork Historical & Archaeological Society. These journals are packed full of articles of local and national significance, and they make a great read over the Christmas break.
The Skibbereen and Castlehaven journals are available to purchase online on the Coolim Books Biblio Store, see https://biblio.ie/bookstore/coolim-books-skibbereen.

12/12/2022

Congratulations to the Castlehaven & Myross History Society on the publication of Volume 3 of their journal. This year’s volume has twenty-eight articles uncovering mostly untold stories about the parish’s rich history. It is now on sale in local shops in Castlehaven and Skibbereen. It can also be purchased online from Coolim Books at https://biblio.ie/book/castlehaven-myross-history-society-journal-vol/d/1508376844, with all proceeds of those online sales going to the Castlehaven History Society.

08/12/2022

First printed in 1913, 'A List of Ancient and National Monuments in the County of Cork' by Robert Cochrane had descriptions and drawings of six historic Cork sites – St. Kieran’s Church (Cape Clear), Sherkin Island Friary, Timoleague Friary, Kilcrea Friary, Buttevant Friary and St. Molaga’s Church. It was also the first attempt to publish a county wide list of archaeological sites in Ireland and included a list of ogham stones, cromlechs, round towers, and castles in Cork. A reprint of this work is now available to buy in bookshops throughout Cork and is also for sale online. For more details see https://coolimbooks.com/books/cochranes-cork/

01/12/2022