Placenames & Their Amazing Stories: with a West Cork Picnic
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Experience the world’s only daily placenames walking tour, an intimate, luxury experience (max 8 guests) along the stunning Wild Atlantic Way. Regularly featured on TV and in the media, this unique tour unlocks the hidden history of Castlehaven through its placenames—revealing Viking traders, Gaelic chieftains, and long-lost ways of life.
Discover names like Carrig na Saighneoirí, a tiny headland named after the medieval pilchard fishermen who made the O’Driscolls and O’Donovans as wealthy as European royalty. Explore Beann tSídháin (peak of the faeries ) and An Glaisín Álainn (the beautiful little stream), where the landscape itself tells a story.
Your experience includes a gourmet picnic of West Cork cheese, smoked seafood from Union Hall, and Celine’s home baking, making this an unforgettable blend of culture, history, and artisan food.
12:00 Noon Daily | Max 8 Guests | Includes Artisan Picnic
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
We provide hiking poles for those that want to use them
We provide a picnic lunch featuring local artisan foodstuffs.
Coffee and/or Tea
Parking Fees
Hotel pick-up or drop-off
Gratuities
What To Expect
After introductions at our departure point, your guide will give a brief overview on the planned route and a few safety pointers for walking on the off-road sections.
Our first stop is at Jim Barry's Cross where we briefly discuss the science and study of placenames and some of the history behind Irish placenames.
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Placenames & Their Amazing Stories: with a West Cork Picnic
Reviews
61 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Stunning!
benjaminrU8398AF,
Sep 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is a stunning tour, offering beautiful views and fascinating insights into the origins of place names. Conor is a gifted storyteller and a very welcoming person. Don't miss the opportunity to take a dip in the sea at one of the wonderful bays!
Stories and picnic with Conor
632richieb,
Sep 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Gormú was highly recommended to me and I decided to try this experience because I had guests visiting from abroad. We were a group of four and walked a beautiful coastal region with Conor while he told us stories and educated us on Irish history. He was at all times fascinating and made the information accessible and relevant to all guests. At the end of the walk, he treated us to a five star picnic, with homemade goods and local produce. I simply cannot recommend this experience highly enough.
Wonderful afternoon
AdrienneR232,
Aug 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00As well as learning about the influences that changed the language, of family life locally we had a wonderful wander with beautiful scenery. Partook of a delicious afternoon tea of local cheeses and other delicacies on a beach overlooking the harbour. Was a special treat in a busy schedule and I would highly recommend booking
Excellent Experience
Rebecca D,
Aug 17, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Really a great experience - this is very much worth the trip from Cork. The area is outstandingly beautiful, and the tour combines Irish national history, local history, food and scenery into a tremendous experience. The picnic at the end is also a delight. Highly recommended.
The best walking tour in Cork!
Mobile56933239594,
Aug 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a wonderful afternoon with Conor as he took us to the most stunning locations! Conor has an amazing historical attention to detail and it was clear how he and like minded people had painstakingly researched the stories and their history. He kept us all engaged throughout and he is an utterly delightful man! The tour ended with a delicious picnic of locally sourced goodies which we ate by the beach. We could not recommend Conor and his wonderful Placnames and their amazing stories tour more highly!
Irish/US cousins with Castlehaven roots
Trek66770985801,
Jun 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had the most fabulous tour with Conor whose knowledge of the area is second to none. Conor engaged with every member of the group aged from 75 to 11. The picnic lunch is all locally sourced gourmet food and was eagerly devoured and thoroughly enjoyed by us all, especially the scones freshly made and baked by Conor’s wife and daughter. Cannot recommend the tour enough and would not hesitate to do another Gormu tour.
A Must Do ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
tinytripps,
May 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A must do when in West Cork. Had the best day. Great experience out with Connor. West Cork adventure with our gang
Extraordinary Experience!
John H,
May 8, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We embarked on the Place Names and Their Amazing Stories with a West Cork Picnic tour to truly experience Ireland's rich culture. Our engaging guide, Conor, shared insightful tales and information with warmth and respect, connecting history, mythology, and nature. We felt a deep connection to the land and its people. Our 3-hour journey ended with a magical gourmet picnic of locally-sourced treats. Conor and his wife, Celine, ensured we were welcomed and well-fed. For an unforgettable, enriching adventure, look no further. Highly recommended!
Perfect in every way.
TrailBlazer819496,
May 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was our first time in the west of Ireland. We were with my dog , Syd, and I have quite serious mobility issues . But I am not ready to stop learning about the environment in which I am so fortunate to find myself in. And I am so grateful to Conor to allow me the possibility to help understand and learn more about his passion for Placenames. Coming across Conor and listening to his story’s , combined with his extraordinary empathy and understanding of the challenges for me presented with walking with a stroller made this one of the best moments of our trip to Ireland. Knowledgeable, informative, fascinating are just a few superlatives. Others are a great orator , and if you have time to scratch below the surface of his life and childhood in the locale , then this can only be an additional bonus. The tour is billed as about a 5k walk. But Conor tailor made it for me to reduce the distance, to what was manageable for me. His flexibity made it perfect. The icing on the cake, was ending up in a very historic cove ( I won’t steal his thunder about the church and gravestones), with a beautiful picnic of local produce, much enhanced by the home baking of the boiled fruit cake and soda scones made by his wife Seline. The early May sunshine was unexpected, but great for Peter , my husband who lives in the South of France and is somewhat unused to my favourite weather from the Suffolk coast) which I usually describe as ‘ elemental’ ! Make sure you take some sunscreen. I cannot recommend this tour enough. Different, quirky, educational. Lots of humour and fun, all brought to life through the centuries by Conor. Thankyou Conor. ( The fact that he loved my dog helped a lot as well!). Is mise le meas Tricia, Peter and Syd
An excellent tour, good stories and a wonderful picnic
Z7715MRgeraldh,
Apr 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The personal passion that the guide, Conor, brings to this subject, how local place names have arisen and the interesting historical stories behind them, is obvious throughout the tour. The walking tour itself is not as long as one might think - telling the stories behind the places takes time. The weather smiled on us and we were able to enjoy the picnic in sunshine at the beach. The picnic was put together with gourmet elements of local origin. It was simple, beautifully presented and of outstanding quality. The scones were the best that we have experienced in Ireland. All together a very worthwhile experience that provides a more intimate view of Ireland.
From €125.00
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