The Causeway Rosscarbery :The attractive causeway in Rosscarbery was built in response to the attempted French landing in Bantry Bay in 1796 and was originally part of a ‘military road’

Known at the time as Post Office Causeway, construction started in 1814 and it was built across Rosscarbery estuary as part of the new Post Office Road between Cork and Skibbereen.
- Mick O’Mahony of the Rosscarbery Historical Society says that the Causeway was built in response to the near fiasco of the attempted French landing in Bantry Bay in 1796.
- The present-day causeway was described as a military road. The English authorities in
Cork were frustrated at how long it took to bring reinforcements to Bantry through a rough country with inferior roads,’ says Mick.
- They immediately set about building a proper military road from Cork city westwards, and part of that included the causeway in Rosscarbery. In addition to the road, a jetty for the mooring of fishing boats was provided on the south side of the road, and later a dwelling house was built centre ways, a family named McCarthy lived here,’ adds
Mick.
- The house is no longer on the causeway and there is actually some evidence to suggest that there was a road in the area much earlier than 1820. An English visitor, writing in 1814, described driving over a causeway traversing the inner harbour connected to the mainland at the western end by a bridge.
- Now, over 200 years later, the structure of the causeway remains in good condition, illustrating the impressive design, engineering and construction process of the time.
- It forms a very important part of the N71 and carries a huge number of trucks, cars, cyclists and walkers. It forms part of a very popular walking route in Rosscarbery.
- Cork County Council dammed the bridge at the causeway in the 1970s to permanently flood the inland side of the bay, which prevented the water level from dropping too low. The resulting lagoon is now in full use with the Lagoon Activity Centre and Rosscarbery Rowing Club being avid users of the waterway.
- A mini ecosystem also evolved from the damming and as a result, sea snails and worms, krill, shrimp, crab, pollock, mullet, silver eel, sand fish, rock fish and bass are all found there.
- These attract bigger predators such as sea otters and an extensive array of bird life and species of duck.