west cork

On today’s podcast I chat with the retired owner of O’Sullivans Bar in Crookhaven in West Cork, where you can enjoy the most southernly pint in Ireland.

Billy O’Sullivan, 86 years young, ably assisted by his granddaughter, Alex, chats about his life and career and the story of the pub which has been in the family name for nearly 91 years.

He chats about Crookhaven with a population of  just 37 people and how it has changed from being a sleepy rural village to the popular holiday spot enjoyed by so many each summer.

The cameras were in Crookhaven in 1961 for the movie, ‘I Think a Fool’ and they were back again many years later because Billy was the last person to have spoken to Sophie Toscan du Plantier the night before she was murdered.  

Enjoy the show…

This show has been produced by Fuzion Communications, a Marketing, PR, Graphic Design and Digital Marketing Agency in Ireland with offices in Dublin and Cork.

Podcast Production by Greg Canty

Greg’s blog

Greg on Twitter 

Greg on LinkedIn

Email Greg with feedback or suggested guests: greg@fuzion.ie

“In 1996 French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier is found dead near her holiday home. There are no witnesses and no known motive. The police suspect one man in this community but they can’t make a charge stick and he refuses to leave, living under the glare of suspicion ever since.”

In West Cork, Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde bring one of Ireland’s most widely known tragedies to international listeners. The podcast explores the murder case of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, a woman found bludgeoned to death outside of her vacation cottage in a remote area of West Cork just before Christmas in 1996.

Sam and Jennifer attempt to pick up the pieces of an investigation mired with problems for decades. They immerse themselves in the small community, talking to those disturbed by the horror and its legacy. Surprisingly, this includes the main suspect, who remains rather unusually involved with the case.

Intimate and measured, West Cork keeps listeners on the edge of doubt and certainty. Listeners will experience the emotional “push and pull” that Sam and Jennifer experienced themselves during their investigation.

In this episode of MetaPod, Jennifer and Sam explain how they tackled the storytelling challenges that a complex, unsolved, international murder case presents.

They reflect on their own thinking and creative processes for the podcast, describing the unique context and characters involved. Also, Sam and Jennifer reveal the story behind the photograph on the podcast artwork.

Show notes:

• The couple behind the West Cork podcast, Irish Examiner
• Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s son makes fresh appeal: ‘You have a murderer in Ireland’, The Irish Times
• Ian Bailey is offered lie detector test over murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, The Irish Independent
• Explore West Cork

About Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde

Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde have worked together in podcasting for six years. They produced and hosted West Cork for Audible, and an 8-part Spotify/BBC Studios series on the punk band the Clash, hosted by Chuck D.

As an award-winning documentary television producer, Jennifer has worked with the BBC and Britain’s leading independent production companies. She believes that the most important part of telling any story is letting the people who have lived it tell it for you.

As a journalist, Sam has contributed to This American Life, the Guardian, the Daily Beast and elsewhere. He started his career in Dublin with a national monthly magazine, Mongrel.

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West Cork in Ireland sits on the edge of Europe. 

It’s rugged and windy, cold in the winter, and beautiful in the summer. 

Since the 1960s, the district has been developed by what the people call ‘blow-ins’. People from around the world who somehow end up in West Cork, hoping to start their lives again. 

Often these people are artists or runaways, living in little cottages, desperate for a reset. Sometimes, they’re people running from something. A life they wanted to escape. 

Until 1996, nothing much happened in West Cork. It was quiet and peaceful, full of farmers and fishermen. 

And then, one night just before Christmas, it became the backdrop to one of Ireland’s most notorious murder cases. 

Locals were adamant they knew who did it. 

A man who had a “badness in him”. Who never quite fit in. Who rubbed people the wrong way. 

But was he responsible? 

Or was he just another blow-in?

CREDITS

Guest: Jennifer Forde, co-host of the West Cork podcast.

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au  

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group 

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ask an Irish person about West Cork and they'll look at you with a dreamy look in their eyes.

West Cork has that affect on you.

This part of County Cork, Ireland is truly special.

Small harbor towns such as Baltimore and Schull dot the jagged coastline.

Sandy beaches like Inchy Doney and Barleycove pop up here and there.

Places like Mizen Head and Sheep's Head — 2 of the southwest peninsulas — provide stunning sea views.

Inland cows dot the green hills.

And stone circles remind us of the ancient people who once inhabited this area.

And did I mention that West Cork has some of the best food in Ireland?

If you only make it to Cork City or the popular harbor town of Kinsale then you are missing out on all that West Cork has to offer.

Because while County Cork is wonderful, West Cork is absolutely amazing!

Want to talk more about County Cork, Ireland?

Just send an email to lynne@wanderyourway.com to chat more about this amazing destination.


In this episode:

1:47 County Cork general highlights

2:55 Placing West Cork on the map

5:38 Clonakilty and Inchy Doney

8:05 R routes taking you to the coast

10:27 Drombeg Stone Circle

11:44 Glandore

12:56 Leap

13:50 Skibbereen

15:43 Lough Hyne

17:00 Roaring Water Bay

18:50 Ballydehob

20:29 Schull

24:22 Mizen Head

30:47 Sheep's Head

33:55 Bantry

35:33 Glengarriff

40:30 Beara Peninsula

45:13 Summing up West Cork

46:51 And oops I forgot Baltimore & Cape Clear


Important links:

The Best Things to Do in Schull and West Cork

Is Mizen Head the Best of Southwest Ireland's Peninsulas?

5 Reasons Why You Need to Visit Sheep's Head Ireland

The 18 Best Drives in Ireland

An Amazing Kayak Trip on Glengarriff Bay Ireland

Beara: The Stunning, Peaceful and Mystical Peninsula of Ireland

Why You Need to Visit the Beautiful Cape Clear Ireland

Discovering Something Inspiring & New at at Historical Eccles Hotel

Sea View B&B Schull

West Cork Tourism

West Cork Distillers

Bantry House

Outdoors Ireland

Garinish Island


Note: I just found out that Grove House in Sc

Thanks to Callisa Mickle who edits the audio.

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The Ludgate Podcast Season 1 is a 6-part miniseries facilitated by Pat Culhane for The Ludgate Hub. Ludgate is a digitally enabled co working hub based in Skibbereen West Cork.

Grainne Dwyer is the co-founder and CEO of Stori Creative, which offers full scale video production and content creation. Grainne was the first CEO of The Ludgate Hub and has played a vital factor in the Ludgate movement and promoting West Cork as a place of business excellence. She is also an advisor for Scale Ireland & the European Innovation Council.

This podcast gives an insight into Grainne's career, achievements and involvement in the Ludgate movement.

The Ludgate Podcast Season 1 is a 6-part miniseries facilitated by Pat Culhane for The Ludgate Hub. Ludgate is a digital hub based in West Cork. 

David Puttnam is a British film producer, educator, environmentalist and member of the House of Lords. During episode 1 Pat Culhane speaks to David Puttnam about education, The Ludgate Hub and West Cork.