Rathmore House
+2 photosAbout Rathmore House
Rathmore House is a Fáilte Ireland approved 3-star b&b in Baltimore, on the Cork coast, listed on Fáilte Ireland’s official register of quality-assured accommodation. It is a smaller, owner-run house of 5 rooms, the kind of place where you deal with the people who actually run it.
Traditional guesthouse offering unassuming rooms with free WiFi, plus breakfast and a cosy lounge.
Is this your B&B?
Claim this listingStaying in Baltimore
A small fishing harbour at the tip of West Cork, with the Baltimore Beacon over the bay and ferries out to Sherkin and Cape Clear islands.
Baltimore is little more than a harbour, a short main street and a scatter of pubs and sailing clubs, but it punches well above its size as a base for the islands of Roaringwater Bay. Ferries run several times a day out to Sherkin Island, a fifteen-minute crossing, and further out to Cape Clear, Ireland’s most southerly inhabited island and an Irish-speaking Gaeltacht. A B&B here means you can be out on an island by mid-morning and back for dinner in the village.
The village has its own harder history too. Baltimore was the site of the "Sack of Baltimore" in 1631, when Barbary corsairs raided the settlement and carried off much of its population, and the ruins of Baltimore Castle, the old O’Driscoll stronghold, still look out over the harbour where it happened. The white Baltimore Beacon on the headland above the village, built in 1849 as a navigation marker, is the walk most visitors do first, for the view back over the bay.
Given how small Baltimore is, it suits travellers who want a quiet coastal base for walking, sailing and island-hopping rather than a town full of things to do in the evenings, though Skibbereen, a few minutes away by car, has more choice for that.
Things to do near Rathmore House
Sherkin Island
A fifteen-minute ferry ride from Baltimore harbour, Sherkin has quiet beaches, the ruins of a fifteenth-century Franciscan friary, and enough single-track road to make a half-day loop on foot or by bike an easy, unhurried outing.
Cape Clear Island
Further out and reached by a longer ferry crossing, Cape Clear is Ireland’s southernmost inhabited island and an Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, with dramatic cliffs, a working harbour and a slower pace again than Sherkin.
Baltimore Beacon
This striking white cone-shaped tower on the headland above the village was built in 1849 as a coastal marker and is reached by an easy walk around the edge of the cove, with views back over Baltimore harbour and out to the islands.
Baltimore Castle
The ruined O’Driscoll castle above the harbour is tied to the "Sack of Baltimore" of 1631, when Barbary pirates raided the village, and it remains the most visible reminder of the settlement’s long and sometimes turbulent relationship with the sea.
Getting to Baltimore
Baltimore is reached via the N71 to Skibbereen and then the R595, about eight miles or fifteen minutes further on. There is no rail service, but Bus Éireann and Local Link buses connect Skibbereen to Baltimore several times a day, and Skibbereen itself is linked to Cork city, around an hour and a half away, by regular Bus Éireann services. The harbour is also the departure point for the island ferries, so getting to Baltimore is really the last, short leg of the journey rather than the whole of it.
Booking Rathmore House direct, and what the rating means
A real, assessed b&b
Rathmore House holds a 3-star b&b rating under Fáilte Ireland's National Quality Assurance Framework, assessed against the bedrooms, bathrooms, breakfast and welcome rather than self-declared. It's an independent signal you can trust before you book, separate from any platform's own review score.
No fees, no middleman
Ring the owner, or use the contact details on this page, and arrange the stay with the house rather than through an app. No booking fee added to your bill and no commission taken from the owner, so the room rate you agree is the room rate you pay.
A better stay, direct
Owners answer the questions a booking platform never will: whether the room at the front is quieter, how early breakfast can be served, or where to park for a few days. Speaking to the house directly is how B&Bs in Ireland were booked for decades.
Still deciding where to base yourself? Browse more B&Bs in Cork.
Check availability at Rathmore House
Send the owner the details of your stay and they will come back to you directly. No booking fee, no platform in between, just Baltimore on the other end.
Rathmore House, common questions
Where is Rathmore House?
Rathmore House is at Rathmore, Baltimore, Co. Cork (Eircode P81 TD34). Give the Eircode to your sat-nav to find the door.
How do I book Rathmore House?
You contact the owner directly, by phone or the enquiry form on this page. DirectBnB adds no booking fee and takes no commission, so you arrange the stay with the house itself and pay the room rate with nothing on top.
What star rating does Rathmore House have?
Rathmore House is a Fáilte Ireland approved 3-star b&b under Fáilte Ireland's National Quality Assurance Framework, and guests rate it 4.6 out of 5 across 123 Google reviews.
How many rooms does Rathmore House have?
Rathmore House has 5 rooms. As a smaller, owner-run house it is worth booking ahead, particularly in summer and over weekends.
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