Ballydehob (Irish: Béal an Dá Chab, meaning 'mouth of the two river fords')[2] is a coastal village in the southwest of County Cork, Ireland.

The Celts arrived at some later time and in the early historic period, various clans fought for dominance, until the eventual emergence of the McCarthys and O'Mahonys as the rulers of the region.

[4] In 1602, soldiers led by Sir George Carew, Lord President of Munster, descended on the area in a successful bid to break the power of the Irish clan chieftains.

Their passage through West Cork was described in "Pacata Hibernia" by Thomas Stafford from the invaders's point of view.

The events were also captured, from a native Irish perspective, in "Historicae Catolicae Iberniae Compendium" by Philip O'Sullivan Beare.

[5] The 17th century saw an influx of settlers mainly from England, as well as a number of Protestants (Huguenots) also fleeing persecution by the Catholic Royal House of Bourbon in France.

The Cappagh mine was financed by Lord Audley; its 20-metre (66 ft) chimney survived until February 2002, when it was destroyed by a lightning strike.

[7] This house, which included a shop, gallery and studios, was originally opened in 1968 by Christa Reichel and Norah Golden who together formed the Ballydehob Artists Ltd.[12] Ballydehob lies within a tourist area in West Cork and has a number of guest-houses and private holiday homes.

[18] Mounting losses, coal shortages and the arrival of buses and motor cars eventually brought the closure of the line.