A Little History

This stretch of coast holds real stories — a Famine-era mill, and two dramatic shipwrecks on the coves either side of the property.

The Mill

The Mill takes its name from the three-storey flour mill at its heart, built in the 1840s, likely as a Famine relief project, and powered by the stream that still runs through the grounds. Corn was ground here until the wheel fell silent over a century ago; it is long gone now, though you can still see where it once sat. Owned by the Roberts family for generations, the building stood roofless and overgrown until it was rescued and rebuilt as a home in the mid-1990s, reusing reclaimed Portland stone steps from nearby Hodderfield House and pitch-pine timbers from an old church, before a further renovation in 2022 opened it up to the light.

Rennie's Bay

Rennie's Bay, the namesake of Rennies Cottage, was the site of one of Cork's worst maritime disasters. On the night of 23 December 1775, the transport ship Rockingham, carrying soldiers of the 32nd Regiment of Foot and their families, mistook Roberts Cove for Cork Harbour in a gale and was driven onto the rocks. The crew and an estimated 90 or more passengers drowned.

Man of War Cove

A short walk from the property, Man of War Cove has its own dramatic history. On 28 December 1915, the oil tanker SS El Zorro was torpedoed by German U-boat U-24 off Kinsale and, badly damaged, drove ashore here in the storm that followed. Two crew members died, and her cargo of 8,000 tons of oil coated the beaches for miles.

Read more about these wrecks, and see a historical photograph of the El Zorro, on the Tracton Parish local history site.