Ahakista

Ahakista Irish: Átha an Chiste
County Cork
Countryside near Ahakista
Location
Grid reference:	V869399
Location:	51°36’2"N, 9°37’60"W
Data
Local Government

Ahakista is a small village on the coast of County Cork, sitting about halfway along the Sheep's Head Peninsula between Durrus and Kilcrohane in County Cork. It is a wooded coastal village with a deep and sheltered harbour.

History

There is a stone circle in the area at Gorteanish that dates to the Bronze Age (2200 – 600 B.C.).

Air India Crash Memorial

On Sunday 23 June 1985 just after 08:00 in the morning, an Air India Boeing 747, flying from Canada to India with 329 people on board, was approaching the south-west coast of Ireland when it was blown apart by a bomb, killing everyone on board; over 300 people. After an extensive search at sea, only about half the bodies were ever recovered. Many relatives of the dead flew from India and Canada and travelled by bus to be near to the place where their loved ones died, stopping at Ahakista to throw wreaths into the sea. A Memorial Garden has been laid out at Ahakista, and a memorial event is held here each June. A sundial, designed by Cork sculptor, Ken Thompson, is the focal point of the garden and the sun hits the dial at the time of the explosion.

Amenities

The Tin Pub

Ahakista has a church and two pubs – both with beer gardens and sea views. One pub is known as the 'tin pub'. Other amenities include a wine shop, two Bed and Breakfasts, several self-catering accommodations (two of which are known as "Ahakista Escape") and a garden centre. There is a small sandy beach, and the 56-mile Sheep's Head Way marked trail crosses through the village. In August 2008 this Walkway became one of the first four publicly funded walkways in Ireland.

A marker of the Sheep's Head Way

Regatta

The sheltered, deep-water harbour is home to both fishing boats and pleasure craft and the annual Ahakista Regatta is held each August bank holiday weekend.

See also

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ahakista)