Barleycove
{{Short description|Beach and conservation area in Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Barley Cove
| native_name = {{native name|ga|Bá na hEornan}}
| other_name = Barleycove
| image = Barley Cove - geograph.org.uk - 4756769.jpg
| caption = The beach at Barley Cove, within the Barley Cove to Ballyrisode Point SAC, lies between two hills and has extensive sand dunes
| location = County Cork, Ireland
| group =
| coordinates = {{coord|51.47 |N|9.77 |W|display=inline,title}}
| type = Bay
| part_of = Barley Cove to Ballyrisode Point SAC
| inflow =
| rivers =
| outflow =
| oceans = Atlantic Ocean
| agency = National Parks and Wildlife Service
| pushpin_map = Island of Ireland
| pushpin_label_position = none
| embedded = {{Designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = SAC
| designation1_offname = Barley Cove to Ballyrisode Point SAC
| designation1_date = 2018
| designation1_number = 001040 }}
}}
Barleycove or Barley Cove ({{irish place name|Bá na hEornan|bay of the barley}}){{cite web|url = https://www.logainm.ie/1165491.aspx | website = logainm.ie | publisher = Placenames Database of Ireland | title = Bá na hEornan / Barley Cove | accessdate = 11 December 2021 }} is a bay and beach in County Cork, on the south coast of Ireland. It is situated close to Mizen Head on the Mizen Peninsula, with Crookhaven or Goleen being the nearest villages. The beach is part of an area designated as one of several Special Areas of Conservation in Ireland (or SACs) under the European Union's Habitats Directive, due to the variety of wildlife and habitats in the sand dunes.{{cite web|url = http://www.westcorkweb.ie/barleycove/ | website = westcorkweb.ie | title = Barley Cove | accessdate = 11 December 2021 }}
History
Barley Cove beach lies within Mallavoge townland. Evidence of ancient settlement in Mallavoge townland includes a number of ringfort and promontory fort sites at Brow Head.{{cite book | title = Record of Monuments and Places - County Cork - Volume 2 (Ordnance Survey Sheets 79-end) | publisher = National Monuments and Historic Properties Service | date = 1998 }}
The dunes at Barley Cove originate from large waves, triggered on 1 November 1755, by an earthquake and tsunami in Lisbon, Portugal. It was reported in the Cork Journal of 2 November 1755 that 15 ft waves were experienced as a result of this event. A side-effect of the tsunami is Barley Cove's dune system, as much of the beach's sand was deposited by these large waves.{{cite web |url = https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20227067.html | title = Earth-shattering experience in Burren | publisher = Irish Examiner | date = 2 April 2013 | accessdate = 11 December 2021 }}{{Cite journal |last1=Beese|first1=Anthony |title=Tsunamigenic sand interpreted at Barley Cove, County Cork, Ireland |date=August 2021 |journal=IQUA |issue=66 |pages=5–7|url= http://iqua.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IQUA-Newsletter-No.-66.pdf |access-date=21 February 2025 |issn= 0790-4096 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250221231917/http://iqua.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IQUA-Newsletter-No.-66.pdf |archive-date=21 February 2025 |url-status=live}}
Conservation area
{{see also|List of Special Areas of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland}}
The area between Barley Cove and Ballyrisode Point (the Barley Cove to Ballyrisode Point SAC) has been designated as a legally protected Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under a number of qualifying Natura 2000 criteria.{{Cite web |title= Barley Cove to Ballyrisode Point SAC |publisher=National Parks & Wildlife Service |url= https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac/001040 |access-date=13 February 2025 |website=npws.ie |archive-date=13 February 2025 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250213110513/https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac/001040 |url-status=live}}
The conservation area, which extends significantly beyond Barley Cove bay and covers a 10 km stretch of coastline eastwards to Toormore Bay,{{cite web|url = https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/protected-sites/synopsis/SY001040.pdf |website=npws.ie | title = Site Synopsis - Barley Cove to Ballyrisode Point SAC | date = 26 November 2015 | accessdate = 21 February 2025 }} was proposed as a Site of Community Importance (SCI) in 2002.{{Cite web |title=EUNIS- Barley Cove to Ballyrisode Point SAC |url= https://eunis.eea.europa.eu/sites/IE0001040 |access-date=13 February 2025 |website=eunis.eea.europa.eu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250213112354/https://eunis.eea.europa.eu/sites/IE0001040 |archive-date=13 February 2025 |url-status=live}} It was designated as a Special Area of Conservation in 2018.{{Cite web |title=S.I. No. 489/2018 - European Union Habitats (Barley Cove to Ballyrisode Point Special Area of Conservation 0010 40) Regulations 2018 |url= https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2018/si/489/made/en/print |access-date=13 February 2025 |website=irishstatutebook.ie/ |archive-date=13 February 2025 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250213112544/https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2018/si/489/made/en/print |url-status=live}}