Kieran’s Our City, Our Town article, Cork Independent

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 211)

Carrigrohane – A Geography Inspired

From Ballincollig, the Lee meanders towards the tidal water. Its journey is nearly over. On one side of the valley is Curraghkippane and on the other, soaring above the scene just before one encounters the Carrigrohane Straight Road, is Carrigrohane castle. Carrigrohane translated means Carraig Raitheach or ‘the rock of the ferns’. The second translation is Carraig Rothain or ‘the rock of the (hangman’s) noose’.

Here, the geography of a place is, again, as important as its history. The development of Carrigrohane castle from its origins to the present day was inspired by its geographic location, so close to a cliff face and overlooking the Lee and one of the principal approach roads leading into Cork. In fact, its walls overlook Hell Hole — a favourite swimming and fishing haunt for many centuries that is near the present-day Angler’s Rest Pub.

The development of the site began around the year 1180 when King Henry II granted Milo De Cogan, an Anglo-Norman lord, several hundred acres of land south and west of the walled town of Cork. In 1207 Richard DeCogan, a relative, was given the manor of Carrigrohane and his successors built a castle. In 1464, on the occasion of a new charter granted to the city of Cork, the western limits of the liberties of the city were extended to Carrigrohane castle. In 1317 William Barrett, in consequence of his father Robert working with the king’s armies against ‘the King’s enemies’, was granted two parts of the local land of ‘Gronagh’ and the castle on that land.  By the 1400s, the DeCogans of Carrigaline returned as overlords of the Barrett property. In the 1500s, the castle supported the Irish Earl of Desmond in his revolt against the English crown. When the Earl of Desmond’s uprising failed, the Queen’s Lord Deputy (in around 1600) gave the lease of Carrigrohane to Sir Richard Grenville, on the condition that he would repair the ruined walls of the castle and build a new house. Subsequently, the lands were given to Sir William St Leger. The new house could be described as a Tudor castle – a type of semi-fortified mansion with three storeys lit by four windows on each storey. The medieval castle has partly survived next to the present-day dwelling.

The builders of fortified houses were concerned with creating a formal plan based on renaissance lines in order to accommodate more luxurious living standards. Fortified houses were symmetrical and had a central doorway. The structures resembled semi-defended country houses, with many of the features found in earlier castle conceptions, such as crennelations, mural stairs and bawn walls, all being abandoned.

Circa 1601 the Carrigrohane house and lands, through Warham, were granted to Abraham Baker and Barrachias Baker. In the 1640s, during the confederate war, Lord Inchiquin occupied the dwelling and large portions of the interior were dismantled. The site became the haunt of a man called Cope, who terrorised and robbed the countryside with his gang.

In the ensuing years, the Baker family returned and the house was rebuilt. One of the sons, John, had a niece who married Peter Wallis. Their son John died in 1731 and the property passed to his brother, Barrachias of Ballycrenane in Cloyne. His daughter Clotilda married Sir Edward Hoare in 1771. The Hoares were a Cromwellian family. The house was reduced to a ruin again as the family squandered their fortune and were forced to abandon the structure.

Around the year 1790 Nathaniel Grogan, a Cork painter, depicted the house gloomily with all its contours, located on its cliffside overlooking what look like flour mills in the foreground and two gentlemen fishing in the Lee. In 1837 Samuel Lewis referred to those mills and others in the vicinity when he noted that they were capable of manufacturing between 350 and 400 sacks of flour weekly. Around the year 1830 Carrigrohane castle passed to Augustus Robert McSwiney, a corn merchant in the city (at 18 Dunbar Street) who also owned Carrigrohane Flour Mills, mills, which are illustrated in Grogan’s painting (buildings were later demolished). McSwiney is reputed to have worked with Cork architects Deane and Woodward to carry out extensive reconstructions. One of the key features especially commissioned of the occasion was a chimney mantle piece emblazoned with the shields of the McSwiney family. During this time the Carrigrohane Straight Road, a two-and-a-half mile stretch of a new line of road from Cork, was constructed to replace the old road.

Soon the McSwiney family ran out of money for refurbishment and in 1846 the Hoares bought the property back and lived there until the 1940s. In 1946 the house was bought by Mr Burnett and in 1976 it was purchased by Leo and Mary O’Brien. Today, the house is a splendid building retaining all of its charm and identity. Its owners, the O’Brien family, have ensured that the legacy of this historic building can be used in the modern world. As well as that, its long history has been remembered and commemorated in a wealth of papers and books by scholars like James N. Healy and painters like Nathaniel Grogan.

To be continued…

Sincere thanks to the O’Brien family of Carrigrohane Castle for their courtesy and insights.

Captions:

538a. Nathaniel’s Grogan’s sketch of Carrigrohane Castle c.1800 (courtesy: Crawford Municipal Art Gallery)

538b. View of River Lee from atop of Carrigrohane Castle (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

 Kieran’s Our City, Our Town,

Cork Independent, 29 April 2010

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 210)

A Village Transforms

The year 1945 coincided with a general depression over the Irish economy. Times were harsh and jobs were few. It was only in 1959 when Eamonn de Valera became President and the new Taoiseach was Sean Lemass when a series of plans to rebuild the Irish economy really began. The memories of the bloody struggle for independence, the partition of the country were also still fresh for the Irish public. Sean T.O’Kelly became the second President of Ireland in 1945 (till 1959). He had been involved in the 1916 rising and was a member of Dáil Éireann from 1918 until his election as President. Due to a loss of support by a majority of TDs, he also had to dissolve the Dáil on four occasions (in 1948, 1951, 1954 and 1957).

Guy’s Directory of Cork in 1945 (available in Cork City Library) for the Ballincollig region details a large farming base with approximately 55 farmers listed. Like most towns, it provided a number of services. Ballincollig’s post mistress was M. Duggan; the shopkeepers were J.  Boyde, P. O’Connell, T. Coakley;  Sergeant P. White was in charge of the ‘Civic Guard’s Station’;  Mrs. H Beechinor was one of the local victuallers,  P.J. Lynch, a vintner,  J. Crowley, a local doctor, J. Flynn, a horse dealer,  F. O’Sullivan and D.O’Sullivan, local harness makers and Ford and Sons, local builders.

The national school teachers were Miss A. Horgan, J. Coughlan, J. Long, Miss M.O’Neill, Mrs E. O’Neill, Mrs Clancy and Miss O’Riordan.  Rev. J. Sexton (1930 to 1953) and Rev. P. Sheehan, were the parish priests. Mr. T.H.G. Wallis, was a local solicitor who lived in Parknamore.  J. Mahony was a motor agent.  William Murphy was the caretaker of Powder Mills whilst  W. Egar was manager of the local creamery. Mrs. Riordan headed up the dispensary whilst T. Riordan was the local blacksmith. In 1945 D.O’Keeffe is recorded as the station master whilst J.O’Neill was the signal man  Ten years previously Ballincollig railway station closed to passenger traffic on 1 July 1935, closed to goods traffic on 10 March 1947 and finally closed altogether on 1 December 1953.

There was also a movement into urban centres from rural areas. The Journals of Ballincollig Community School, Local History Society reveal that between 1948 and 1955, Cork County Council purchased land and developed four local authority-housing schemes at Ballincollig and Carrigrohane – three housing schemes were completed in the vicinity of the East Gate viz. Leo Murphy Terrace, Fr. Sexton Park and Peter O’Donovan Crescent (early 1960s development). Village life was enlivened by the playing of the village children, fancy dress parades and by the Aonach festival, organised in 1948 to raise money for the building of Scoil Eoin and the Repair of the church. Almost £15,000 was raised. Teachers, Gardaí and priests form the backbone of every local community. Mr. Eugene O’Callaghan taught in the boy’s school between 1922 and 1964. In his last 25 years he was principal in Scoil Eoin.

The Rainbow Ballroom on the Carrigrohane Straight was a centre of attraction from 1949 to 1967. Dances, plays, concerts formed the entertainment and provided the memories – For example McNamara’s Band. In 1955, James Dillon, Minister of Agriculture, opened the Cork Farmers’ Union Factory in Ballincollig. It later became Byrne’s meats before it closed in the mid 1980s. From the early 1950s and the early 1960s, Hennessy’s of Cork assembled cars, bikes and lorries in Ballincollig. Their name is mainly associated with DW cars. Both John A Wood’s and O’Regans have been working in the Ovens-Ballincollig area since the early part of the century.

In the 1970s, Ballincollig developed as much more of a satellite town, with many housing developments constructed around the old village and housing people who worked in Cork City or its suburbs. This expansion continued through the late 80s and 90s. Consequently the town’s population has risen dramatically, particularly with the westward expansion of the town. A total of 10,000 people are recorded for 1982.

The most recent change came with the Government decision in July 1998 that Murphy Barracks, along with five others, would be closed and disposed of, thus facilitating and supporting a much needed reinvestment programme to meet the on–going equipment and infrastructure needs of the Defence Forces. With the purchase of the property from the Department of Defence in O’Flynn Construction took the opportunity to construct a new town centre for Ballincollig comprising residential, commercial and retail elements. Today the population of the town and environs stands at 20,000 people.

Ballincollig has played a large role in Irish history climbing from the role of a key gunpowder mill in the British empire of the nineteenth century to the current presence of multi-nationals and their role in the present globalised world. With such changes, Ballincollig’s identity as a place has fluctuated as each generation and different town functions brought new people to the town. A great narrative exists through the lens of Ballincollig’s heritage on telling the story of how Ireland’s identity changed and continues to evolve by different interest groups. A wonderful opportunity also now exists to integrate the historic sites into the fabric of the town of Ballincollig.

To be continued…

Captions:

537a. Present day Ballincollig Town Centre (pictures: Kieran McCarthy)

537b. Contrasts, modern housing and the Lee Valley, Ballincollig Old Quarter, June 2006

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town article, Cork Independent, 22 April 2010

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 209)

The Quiet Revolution

In the Ireland of the 1940s and 1950s, Irish people saw widespread electrification and mechanisation of their way of life. The physical and cultural fabric of Ballincollig also experienced vast change. In particular, on Tuesday 20^th and Wednesday 21^st January 1948, the Hurler’s Hall in Ballincollig became the ESB’s base for demonstrating the benefits of electricity to the general public in rural areas not yet possessing the technology.

Approximately 300 people turned up to the Wednesday evening as revealed through archived field notes by P.J. Ennis of the Development Division. His notes can now be read in the ESB Archive in Dublin. P.J. Ennis talks of Ballincollig as close to Cork City and having electricity for quite a while and hence was a central hub for attracting people from the surrounding region to hear the ESB’s sales pitch. He noted that a Mr Lyons made a thorough sales canvass immediately after the display and harnessed the ‘new’ hire purchase agreements as a means of inducing very small famers to buy into the kettle and iron sales.

Between 1923 and 1929 an Electricity Supply Bill was proposed in order to establish Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board. The state board was founded on 11 August 1927, focusing on the countrywide distribution of electricity and the promotion of its use. The marketing for the electricity campaign proved successful and in the ten years from 1932 to 1942 the number of the Board’s customers jumped from 77,134 to 200,000. The initial stages of electrification were confined to large towns and large villages. In 1932 the demand for electricity was approaching capacity and the Board had to look again at the River Liffey hydro electric scheme project. The war years was a tough period in the history of the ESB as the Board struggled to provide supplies for its customers.

Developments were not confined to increasing generation capacity and a major step was taken on the distribution side of the business when in August 1943, the then Irish government announced its approval of the ESB scheme for rural electrification. In Michael J. Shiel’s book (2003) The Quiet Revolution: The Electrification of Rural Ireland, 1946-1976, he outlines the ESB’s strategies for a successful rollout.

William F. Roe (1904-1982) was the electrical engineer who led the rural electrification scheme in Ireland. A Kilkenny man William Roe’s early career in the ESB saw him as District Engineer in Portlaoise, Waterford and Cork City. When the Rural Electrification Scheme was initiated in 1945, William Roe was based at the ESB station on Albert Road in Cork. In 1950, he was appointed Assistant Chief Engineer of the ESB and in 1965 Deputy Chief Engineer, all the time keeping his finger on the pulse of the Rural Scheme.

Despite many post-war difficulties, the scheme got under way in 1946 and the first pole was erected at Kilsallaghan, County Dublin on 5 November 1946. By the following year an area for development had been established in twenty-three of the twenty-six counties. In 1948, seven of the areas had been completed. Area officers of the Board were urged to have a word with the parish priest or work through such organiza­tions as Muintir na Tíre, Young Farmers’ Clubs or the ICA. There were always some people in every parish who were anxious to procure electrici­ty for their area. Inniscarra was the first rural electrification scheme to be put in operation in County Cork. The Cork Examiner on 23 December 1947 reported:

“By throwing a switch at Curaheen a few miles from Ballincollig yester­day afternoon, Mr Henry Golden, Cork, ESB, brought light to 100 houses in the Inniscarra area. When Mr Golden operated the switch, which was on a pole, a lamp on the pole was lighted and bulbs in nearby houses glowed in the gathering darkness. Thirty-two more houses will receive their electric current supply soon after Christmas, and by March 750 houses which have contracted to take supply in this area will have the benefits of electricity”.

An account is given by two ESB officials in Aghabullogue, Con O’Shea and his assistant Jerry Linehan. The two of them, working together and marketing electricity visited every house. They answered any questions asked by the local community. Prior to doing the survey they were advised never to visit too early in the morning and never to refuse a cup of tea. They cycled all over the parish and completed the survey in three months. The organizing committee was overjoyed when it was announced that their application was suc­cessful and eventually the power was switched on in September 1949.

Even though electricity was now available, people were still very slow in making full use of the facility. The rural electrification scheme made steady progress and by 1959 75 per cent of the country was completed. However, it was not until 1975 that the last area, the Black valley in County Kerry, was electrified. By that time, more than 370,000 rural dwellers had been supplied. The benefits to people of rural Ireland were widespread and revolutionary. Indeed, the programme has been called The Quiet Revolution.

To be continued…

Captions:

536a. Switch on at Inniscarra, 22 December 1947 (pictures: ESB Archives)

536b. picture of ‘gang’ of rollout of rural electrification scheme

 Kieran’s Our City, Our Town article, Cork Independent, 15 April 2010

In the Footsteps of St. Finbarre (Part 208)

That Flying Spirit

Enormous work was pursued in the late 1980s and early 1990s by history teacher Dermot Lucey of Ballincollig Community School who encouraged his students to document the changing village of Ballincollig in the twentieth century. That work culminated in a number of annual historical journals. They shine a light on people, events and transformations within Ballincollig over the century.

By 1900, an elaborate village social structure was well in place in Ballincollig comprising military, police, clergy, teachers, shop-owners, vintners and landowners. The main employers during the early twentieth century were the gravel pits of John A. Wood and at O’Regan’s Poulavone as well as the military presence. These all contributed to the local economy.

However, from reading the journals one can also learn of Edward ‘Mick’ Mannock, a World War I flying ace who was born on 24 May 1887 in Ballincollig. Edward grew up to be a master of air strategy. After joining the Royal Air Force during World War I, he officially shot down 73 enemy planes. Edward received many honours for his courage including the Victoria Cross. He was shot down in 1918 by enemy ground fire while assisting a young pilot. His body was never recovered.

In 1922 Ballincollig Barracks was formally handed over by the War Department to the new Irish State. During the ensuing Civil War, the barracks was burned and was only reopened in 1940 when it was named Murphy Barracks in memory of a former Officer Commanding 3rd Batallion 1st Cork Brigade, who saw active service during the War of Independence and was killed in action at Waterfall on 22 June 1921.

During the Second World War the Irish army began to use the Barracks after it lay in ruins for almost 20 years. Manoeuvres were conducted by the LDF and the army in the Barracks and in the surrounding district, including the guarding of the level crossing on the Cork-Macroom line, near Maglin and the locating of a checkpoint on Inniscarra Bridge.

In the 1930s also a number of flying circuses came to Ballincollig and used the landing field behind the ruined barracks for their displays. Alan Cobham’s was the most famous of these. The public enjoyed the thrill of air flights, parachute drops, giro copters and the exploits of two of Britain’s youngest pilots, Miss Winnifred Drinwater and Sir Alan Cobham.

A member of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I, Alan Cobham became famous as a pioneer of long distance aviation. After the war he became a test pilot for the de Havilland aircraft company. In 1921 he made a 5,000 mile air tour of Europe, visiting 17 cities in 3 weeks. In 1928 he flew a Short Singapore flying boat around the continent of Africa landing only in British territory. In August 1926, he flew from England to Australia where 60,000 people swarmed across the grassy fields of Essendon Airport, Melbourne when he landed his DH.50 float plane. On 25 November 1926, Alan Cobham attempted but failed to be the first person to deliver mail to New York City by air from the east, planning to fly mail by taking off from the White Star ocean liner RMS Homeric in a De Havilland DH.

In 1932 Alan Cobham started the National Aviation Day displays. They comprised a team of up to fourteen aircraft, ranging from single-seaters to modern airliners and many skilled pilots. The displays toured the Britain and Ireland, calling at hundreds of sites, some of them regular airfields and some just fields cleared for the occasion like Ballincollig. Generally known as “Cobham’s Flying Circus”, it was hugely popular, giving thousands of people their first experience of flying. The displays continued until the end of the 1935 season. Indeed, the presence of Cobham’s Flying Circus led to considering Ballincollig as a possible location for Cork Airport, but this suggestion was rejected because of the nearby hills.

Ballincollig also enjoyed considerable success in GAA fields in the 1940s when the Club featured in the County Senior Hurling Final in 1941, 1942 and 1943. Two of Ballincollig’s most famous players were Paddy “Hitler” Healy and Billy “Long Puck” Murphy. Paddy Healy was both a hurler and footballer and won All-Ireland medals in both sports. Paddy Healy won his All-medals during the 1940s. In Hurling, he won medals as a substitute in 1943 and 1944 and he won his third medal playing right wing forward in 1946. Whilst he played for Ballincollig during most of his playing career, he also played with Clonakilty when he was stationed there as a member of the 31^st Army Battalion. Between 1944 and 1952 he won four Cork County football titles with Clonakilty and he won his All-Ireland football medal in 1945. He said he got his nickname “Hitler”- during the war years because he was “game for anything” and he had a similar hairstyle to the real Hitler.

Billy Murphy was born in 1915 in Ballincollig. He was successful in the Ballincollig Hurling Team. As he struck the ball probably longer than any other player has ever done, he will always be remembered as “long puck” Murphy. He won All-Ireland medals at right corner-back for Cork.

To be continued…

Captions:

535a. Checkpoint on Inniscarra Bridge during World War II (pictures: Ballincollig Community School Collection)

535b. Cobham’s Flying Circus at Ballincollig on the banks of the River Lee, 1930s