Sheep's Head - St. Finbarr's Way (Drimoleague)
Walking Trail · Cork
Sheep's Head - St. Finbarr's Way (Drimoleague) is a 39.7 km strenuous waymarked linear route in Cork, starting near Drimoleague.
Grade
| Activity | Grade | Difficulty | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking | Strenuous | Challenging | 2 days |
Getting there
Starts at Top of the Rock Pod Páirc and Walking Centre, Drimoleague, near Drimoleague.
Finishes at St. Finbarr's Oratory, Gougane Barra.
- Trailhead coordinates
- 51.66831, -9.26113
- Irish Grid reference
- W 12809 46920
- Ordnance Survey sheets
- Discovery Series Sheets 85
The National Trails Register's own latitude and longitude fields are empty for all 1,186 trails on it. This trailhead comes from Sport Ireland's separate Trailheads dataset, matched to this trail on its register ID.
Public transport
Bus
About the trail
Highly regarded among the six main pilgrim paths in Ireland, St. Finbarr's Way provides two days of outstanding scenery, fascinating heritage and folklore, and a truly breath taking descent into the ancient hermitage of Cork's most famous Saint.
- Waymarking
- Brown St. Finbarr's Way markers
- Dogs
- No
Who manages it
Drimoleague Walkways Committee
David Ross Tel: 086 1735134
Conditions and closures change. The operator is the authority on both, not this page.
Trails nearby
Measured trailhead to trailhead, in a straight line.
- Sheep's Head - Top of the Rock Walk (Drimoleague) 0 m away · 2 km trail
- Sheep's Head - Drimoleague Heritage Trail 907 m away · 5.1 km trail
- Sheep's Head - Moyny Bridge Walk (Drimoleague) 947 m away · 3.4 km trail
- Sheep's Head - Shronacarton Walk (Drimoleague) 947 m away · 2.9 km trail
- Sheep's Head - Deelish Cascades Walk (Drimoleague) 2.8 km away · 3.1 km trail
- Sheep's Head - Glounaclohy Walk (Drimoleague) 2.8 km away · 5.4 km trail
Common questions
How long is the Sheep's Head - St. Finbarr's Way (Drimoleague)?
39.7 km, recorded as a linear route on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. It climbs 400 m in total. Sport Ireland estimates 2 days.
How hard is the Sheep's Head - St. Finbarr's Way (Drimoleague)?
Sport Ireland grades it Strenuous, with an overall difficulty of Challenging. Grades are set against national criteria, so they are comparable with other registered trails.
Where does the Sheep's Head - St. Finbarr's Way (Drimoleague) start?
Starts at Top of the Rock Pod Páirc and Walking Centre, Drimoleague, near Drimoleague. The trailhead is at 51.66831, -9.26113 (Irish Grid W 12809 46920).
Can you bring a dog on the Sheep's Head - St. Finbarr's Way (Drimoleague)?
No. The register records dogs as not allowed on this trail.
Can you get to the Sheep's Head - St. Finbarr's Way (Drimoleague) without a car?
Bus.
Who manages the Sheep's Head - St. Finbarr's Way (Drimoleague)?
Drimoleague Walkways Committee. They are the authority on current conditions and closures, not this page.
More in Cork
Trail data from the Sport Ireland National Trails Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Trailhead coordinates from the companion Trailheads dataset. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13.