And Hollywood legend Maureen O\u2019Hara loved what she called the \u201clovely village filled with wonderful people\u201d so much that she had a holiday home there for 45 years.<\/p>\n
As Discover Ireland puts it, with its sweeping views of West Cork coastline nestled in ancient woodlands on beautiful Bantry Bay, it is hard to doubt its charm or claim to be a \u201cunique and sheltered haven\u201d on Ireland\u2019s Wild Atlantic Way.<\/p>\n
Whether it should be considered a destination for every random visitor, however, is now up for debate after a local Cork County Council councillor claimed that \u201cevery Tom, Dick, and Harry\u201d is being sent to Glengarriff<\/a>.<\/p>\n Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins said the village was too small \u201cfor that\u201d and warned that \u201csomething will have to be done\u201d about, presumably, the influx of \u201cevery Tom, Dick, and Harry\u201d.<\/p>\n What he was referring to is a small complex in the village where Cork County Council houses people in need of accommodation.<\/p>\n They could be homeless<\/a> or people released from hospital or other institutions.<\/p>\n Mr Collins has for some time raised concerns about alleged anti-social behaviour by people staying in a group of former holiday cottages to the rear of the Perrin Inn in the village, which is run by the Somers family.<\/p>\n Since the pandemic<\/a>, the cottages have increasingly been used to house people on a temporary basis by the council as they await more permanent accommodation.<\/p>\n Asked for a comment by the Irish Examiner, Mr Collins declined to give one.<\/p>\n His council colleague, Independent Finbarr Harrington, said: \u201cPeople are entitled to complain and raise issues.<\/p>\n \u201cI have raised anti-social behaviour on a number of occasions myself, as have many other councillors, because there has been anti-social behaviour.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a very touristy village that’s very busy in the summertime and maybe it’s not as noticeable in the summertime, when it’s very, very busy.<\/p>\n \u201cBut when it’s winter time, it’s a darker evening and people feel more vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n For their part, the Somers family are both \u201cbaffled\u201d and hurt by the attention.<\/p>\n Unlike all of their detractors, they agreed to be quoted on the record.<\/p>\n Pat Somers invited the Irish Examiner into the dining room behind the bar he built back in 1984 to meet his daughter, Caroline.<\/p>\n Despite her ongoing battle with an aggressive strand of breast cancer, she wanted to discuss the issues raised as a result of Mr Collins\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n Caroline started by addressing the case of one of her guests who was spotted \u201cacting strangely\u201d near the local national school.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was just off his meds, he needed to be on his meds, so we called him when it was brought to our attention and we dealt with it straight away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI called an ambulance to him, but he wouldn’t get in \u2014 so I had him arrested for his own safety.<\/p>\n “He ended up in the psychiatric ward in Bantry General Hospital, and he was there for a week or so. <\/p>\n \u201cWe had to get everything for him, his toothbrush, everything he needed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s now out, and is even studying in college.\u201d<\/p>\n Pat said anti-social behaviour has been an issue on and off in the village for decades.<\/p>\n He said the people staying in his accommodation are \u201cno different to when we were doing this business years ago\u201d. <\/p>\n The complex of cottages at the back of the inn is one of a number properties the council uses for emergency accommodation.<\/p>\n Placements are done almost entirely through the county council\u2019s housing department western division offices on Kent St, Clonakilty. A small number are also booked through Cork City Council.<\/p>\n The homeless who stay there \u2014 for anything from a few nights to three years \u2014 are among the 787 or so adults in emergency accommodation across Cork city and county, according to Cork Simon Community\u2019s Homeless Watch. That number is a 22.8% increase on March 2025.<\/p>\n Caroline said it began around the start of the covid pandemic, when a man who had been in hospital needed somewhere to stay and was placed in the cottages.<\/p>\n She said he had initially been bedridden and required care, which they provided, and that over time others were accommodated there as well, with the arrangement gradually expanding.<\/p>\n Asked about the claims around anti-social behaviour linked to guests, she said: \u201cIn all the years, if there’s any anti-social behavior, it is dealt with. <\/p>\n \u201cYou can ask any of the people here what will happen if they step out of line, and it’s not that it’s a threat. <\/p>\n \u201cThey’ve seen it happen, they see if somebody’s acting up, if somebody is anti-social, it’s dealt with.\u201d<\/p>\n Caroline referenced a number of incidents over the years where both herself and her father have told people to leave, but it\u2019s not always due to anti-social behavior.<\/p>\n She said that due to issues around privacy, it is not always possible to give precise details, but she did reference a woman whose board was no longer covered by the council.<\/p>\n \u201cShe had to leave us as we’d no choice as we can’t keep people who will never pay,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s not going to work, so me and dad had to bring her into Bantry and put her on a bus.<\/p>\n \u201cWe gave her enough money for a few nights in Cork City.\u201d<\/p>\n Pat said he has yet to be approached directly by someone in the village about any issues.<\/p>\n Despite this, there are people who claim there have been a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour.<\/p>\n Those claims include reports of groups of men gathering at various locations in the village to drink, as well as allegations that women have been subjected to staring.<\/p>\n Last December, a 34-year-old former heroin addict who had been staying at the inn was placed on a probation bond for 18 months by a judge at Bantry District Court for threatening and abusive behaviour.<\/p>\n Another former guest was the prime suspect in the unsolved 1996 murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier \u2014 the late Ian Bailey<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Tony](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5064090_25_articleinline_NEWS-glengarriffs-11.jpg\" "\\"Tony")
Tony Murphy runs bookings for the ferry said although he has seen comments on social media, he is unaware of any anti-social issues linked to the Perrin Inn. Picture: Neil Michael<\/p>\n![\"Pat](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5066601_2_articleinline_NEWS-glengarriffs-5.jpg\" "\\"Pat")
Pat Somers and his daughter Caroline, who run the Perrin Inn. Picture: Neil Michael<\/p>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5064096_25_articleinline_NEWS-glengarriffs-4.jpg\" "\\"Michael")
Michael \u2018Mucca\u2019 Twomey, popular in Cork\u2019s music scene as DJ Mucca. Picture: Neil Michael<\/p>\n![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5064099_25_articleinline_NEWS-glengarriffs-7.jpg\" "\\"Michael")
Michael Butcher, who had been living in the west Cork village of Ballineen for 26 years before his marriage broke down and he ended up homeless. Picture: Neil Michael<\/p>\n