Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 12 December 2019
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 12 December 2019
Gems From West Cork
My new book, 50 Gems of West Cork (Amberley Publishing, 2019) book explores 50 well-known gems of that beautiful region. Below is an abstract from two of my favourite castle sites – Three Castle Head and Ballinacarriga Castle.
Gem 28, Upon the Ramparts of Ruins – Three Castle Head:
Located on a western headland above the Mizen Head is what is known as Three Castle Head. Spectacular in its location, Dun Locha or Dunlough or Fort of the Lake sits atop the brink of a 100-metre cliff face on the site of an ancient promontory fort. In its day it was an important strategic location with 360 degree views of the landscape. Historical information signs on the approach to the castle point to an annal record that it was constructed by Donagh O’Mahony in 1207. He is reputed be a scholar and traveller on pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Archaeologists have also noted that the extant ruins are more fifteenth century in date and possibly were added to an earlier structure.
According to the Archaeological Inventory of West Cork, the castle’s location is all about creating maximum defence. The three towers of this edifice are connected by a rampart wall of some 20 feet in height, one of the highest medieval walls still intact in Ireland. Walls extend from the edge of the cliff eastwards to the lake. Dry stone masonry was used in its construction. The geology of the area is metamorphic, which supplied relatively flat and regular stone. Quarried from nearby, the stones were not cut but utilised as they were.
Tower number one by the lake was three stories high, with a main arched entrance. Tower number two was of a similar height, also with a spiral staircase, and has an interior archway at ground level that led either to a separate room below or was the entrance to a souterrain leading to the sea, utilising the natural crevices in the rock. The third tower or the tallest tower, 10-15 metres in height, also had three stories. Within its space, the ground floor had several loophole windows. Above the second level are two arches, which support a stone ceiling. It had uppermost ramparts for observation and defence.
There are 40 acres behind the castle known as the Island to explore as well. On foot it is rough terrain but the visitor is met with spectacular views of the Mizen Peninsula and the Beara Peninsula.
Gem 45, A Personalised Past – Ballinacarriga Castle:
The four-storey Ballinacarriga Castle adjacent Ballinacarriga Village and near Ballineen is very accessible. Built on a rocky outcrop sometime in the sixteenth century, the castle is associated with the Hurley family. In 1585 Randal Hurley married Catherine Cullinane and their marriage is commemorated on the inside of one of the fourth-storey windows. The arched door and the cut corner stones have long since disappeared being appropriated for the construction of a nearby mill which has since been demolished. The castle contained a great hall resting on an arched floor, which was lit by two ornamental windows, the casing of which still exists. The south window has carved figures which seem to represent figures at Crucifixion. One is clad in ecclesiastical garb, the palms of the hands extended, and one supports the shaft of a cross.
There are also Instruments of the Passion, and figures which may represent St John, Blessed Virgin and St Paul as well as decorative panels. On the first floor, there are carvings of a figure and five rosettes said to represent Catherine O’Cullane and her children. On the third floor are carvings, which include the inscription “1585 R.M.C.C.” (Randal Muirhily [Hurley] and his wife Catherine O Cullane).
On the external face of the eastern wall of the castle is inserted a carved stone, bearing a representation of a grotesque stone carved figure known as a Sheela-na gig. Sheela na gigs are figurative carvings of naked women exhibiting an embellished vulva. They are architectural grotesques found all over Europe on castles, cathedrals, and other buildings. The highest concentrations can be found in Ireland, Great Britain, France and Spain, sometimes together with male figures. Ireland has the greatest number of surviving Sheela-na-gig carvings. There are circa 165 recorded extant examples in Ireland. The carvings could have been utilised to protect against demons, death and evil. They are often positioned over doors or windows, presumably to protect these openings.
The Ballabuidhe Horse Fair dates back to 1615, when a Charter for it was granted by King James 1 to Randal Óg Hurley of the castle. The fair is steeped in history, tradition and antiquity. It is still one of Ireland’s greatest annual horse fairs, to be held on the streets, and where buyers come from all over Ireland and Cross-Channel too.
50 Gems of West Cork (Amberly Publishing, 2019) by Kieran McCarthy is available in any good Cork bookshop. Kieran is also showcasing a series on some of the gems on his facebook page, Cork, Our City, Our Town.
An earlier book this year The Little Book of Cork Harbour (History Press, 2019) is also available in bookshops as well as Championing Cork: Cork Chamber of Commerce, 1819-2019 (Cork Chamber of Commerce, 2019).
Captions:
1027a. Three Castle Head, Mizen Peninsula, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
1027b. Ballinacarriga Castle, near Ballineen, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Cllr McCarthy: New Marina Park Timeline Unveiled
The first phase of Marina Park in Cork’s Marina district is now proposed to open in late 2020. Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the recent positive response to his question on the City Council floor to the Director of Operations, Valerie O’Sullivan of Cork City Council – that there is now a clearer timeline to have Marina Park, the public park to circulate the new Pairc Uí Chaoimh, in place and open by the end of 2020. The tender assessment process for phase one which is for layout and foundations will be finalized before Christmas according to the Director of Operations.
Commenting Cllr McCarthy noted; “there has been much frustration by locals and officials alike that it has been a difficult tender process. Marina Park will be one of the newest recreational jewels in the crown of amenities to serve areas such as Docklands, Ballinlough, Ballintemple and Blackrock. The Marina and Atlantic Pond are two of the most visited amenities in the city. Both have a long history and have served Corkonians for decades.
“It’s important now that the Marina Park project is kept on track and funding put aside to progress it beyond phase one and onto phase two, which includes a large playground. Marina Park is recreational project I have high up on my priority work list”, noted Cllr Kieran McCarthy.
Cllr McCarthy: Enhancement of Ballinlough Playground Facilities a Must
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has called for an enlarged playground in Ballinlough. The Councillor cited through a motion on Cork City Council’s meeting agenda that large-scale demographic change and younger families moving into the area means that enhancement of playground facilities must be considered.
Cllr McCarthy noted; “The call for a larger playground in Ballinlough is one which has been on my work list for many years. During the economic downturn, items such as playgrounds were not deemed on a priority within the Council’s yearly budgets. Consequently, there has been a large built up demand across the city for more neighbourhood playgrounds”.
“During my canvass in Ballinlough this year I witnessed that in every third or fourth house in the housing estates of Ballinlough are young families just starting off their journey in the area. Ballinlough Swimming Pool Park has a very small playground, which many young parents in the area would like to see extended calls for the enhancement of small playground facilities are heard regularly in the Council. The Council needs to respond to the needs of families and the new City Development next year needs to reflect family needs as well”, noted Cllr McCarthy.
In response to Cllr McCarthy’s motion at the recent South East Local Area Committee, Director of Services in Operations Valerie O’Sullivan wrote that an enhancement of Ballinlough Swimming Pool Playground will be considered for the 2021 Council Budget to be set later next year.
Cllr McCarthy’s new book 50 Gems of West Cork Launched
Cllr Kieran McCarthy has launched his third book of this year – 50 gems of West Cork (Amberley Publishing, 2019). The new book explores 50 well-known gems of the West Cork region and is a culmination of 18 months work. It brings 50 stories together in an accessible manner. It is not meant to provide be a full history of a site but perhaps does try to provide new lenses on how heritage is looked at and the power of construction and collective memory in West Cork.
The new book details 50 key sites detailing how they became the focus of attention and development – and how their stories, memories and the making of new narratives were articulated in an attempt to preserve an identity and/ or communities locally and nationally at sites or to create new identities and communities.
Cllr McCarthy highlights that several sites in the book came into being in the fledging years of the Irish Free State where tourism and story-telling about the nation’s history were highlighted or some sites were created from the burgeoning boom time of 1960s Ireland, where the focus was on developing industry and recreational amenities. For example, the promotion of areas such as Inchidoney Island for more tourism was driven by the Irish Free State’s Irish Tourist Association (ITA), which was established in 1925 to market the young Irish Free State as a tourist destination internationally. Small resorts along the West Cork coastline were developed simultaneously at sites such as Courtmacsherry, Glandore, Bantry Bay, Glengarriff and Berehaven.
The book takes the reader from Bandon to Dursey Island, from Gougane Barra to the Healy Pass. Cllr McCarthy notes; “Researching West Cork, the visitor discovers that each parish has its own local historian, historical society, village council, sometimes a library, tidy towns group, community group and business community who have inspired the collection of stories, the creation of heritage trails and information panels, and the championing of a strong sense of place and identity”.
“Relics from the past also haunt the landscape with prominent landmarks ranging from Bronze Age standing stones to ivy clad ruined houses and castles, churches and old big houses, to beacons, cable cars and lighthouses. All add to the narrative of the spectacle that is West Cork”, noted Cllr McCarthy.
50 Gems of West Cork by Kieran McCarthy is available is any good Cork bookshop.
Kieran’s Question to CE and Motions, Cork City Council Meeting, 9 December 2019
Question to the CE:
To ask the CE about progress on Marina Park? (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
Motions:
That the City Council paint a yellow box as Boreenmanna Road meets the City inbound and outbound South Link lanes (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
That the City Council repaint the road line junction markings as Blackrock Road meets Victoria Road junctions (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
That the City Council begin to host visible tree planting events that the public can engage with (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
To ask Community, Culture and Place-Making Directorate for a progress and implementation report on the City of Sanctuary Action Plan (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 5 December 2019
Article 1026
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 5 December 2019
Gems From West Cork
My new book, 50 Gems of West Cork (Amberley Publishing, 2019) book explores 50 well-known gems of that beautiful region. Below is an abstract from two of my favourite archaeological sites – Drombeg Stone circle and The Hag of Beara.
Gem 10, A Compass in the Landscape – Drombeg Stone Circle
Drombeg is one of Ireland’s most famous stone circles and is also part of suite of circles and standing stones in West Cork. It is also one of the most publicly accessible. On the winter solstice on 21 December each year, the sun sets over the recumbent stone on the stone circle. If you stand looking between the two portal stones, you will view the sun set in a notch in the opposite hill and over the recumbent stone which is diametrically across from the two portal stones.
Drombeg was one of the earliest ancient sites protected by National Monument Act, 1930. It was added to list of protected structures by the State in 1938. However, a glance through the Archaeological Inventory of West Cork reveals a myriad of ancient standing stones, stone circles and fulacht fia (ancient cooking sites) – all very much present in the heritage DNA of the region.
The Drombeg Stone Circle complex is located on natural rock terrace on the southern slope of a low hill. The circle was excavated 1957 and the nearby fulacht fiadh and hut site was excavated in 1958. The circle comprises seventeen stones; two missing and one fallen. Five pits were uncovered within the circle, sealed beneath compacted gravel floor; one pit contained deposit of cremated human bone, fragments of shale and numerous sherds of coarse fabric pot. Other finds from circle included seven pieces of flint and small convex scraper.
The excavator of the site and archaeologist Edward Fahy literally put Drombeg on the map as the findings drew much media attention and were published in the eminent Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. It was one of Edward’s first excavations. Up to then he had been a student at the Cork School of Art. He worked with Michael J O’Kelly, the curator of Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald’s Park especially in designing the cases for display when the museum officially opened on 4 April 1945. The building up of the Museum’s collections and displays was a continuing effort and while engaged in that work, he studied for and was awarded with distinction the Diploma of the Museums Association. This required the writing of a dissertation coupled with specialised courses and examinations in England.
Subsequently Edward Fahy pursued a BA degree, which he obtained with first class honours in Archaeology and Geography. He took part in many of Michael J O’Kelly’s excavations at this time and built up his experience in fieldwork and excavation techniques.
Gem 40, The Shaper of the Land – The Hag of Beara
Indented by an exposed coastline and defined by the Slieve Mikish and Caha Mountains, the Beara Peninsula is some 45 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide at its widest point. The principal point in the Caha Range, Hungry Hill stands 2,251 feet and is well known to tourists not only for its mountain lakes and lofty waterfall, but also for the superb view which it affords.
Prehistoric settlers were attracted to the area as evidenced by standing stones, stone circles, and wedge tombs. Rich folklore embedded into the local landscape survives of giants, Spanish princesses and witch-like creatures. The geomorphology of Coulagh Bay is attributed to a pair of fighting giants called the formorians According to folklore the name Beara is that of a Spanish princess, the wife of Eoghan Mór (the mythical second century BC King of Munster). Later Christian tradition pitches the presence of a Celtic Goddess of Harvest, Shaper and Protectoress of the Land – An Chaileach Bhearra or translated the Hag of Beara. In truth, she represents many cultural meanings such as mother and fertility Goddess and Divine Hag. She was deemed a goddess of sovereignty, who gave the kings the right to rule their lands
According to the local information sign, the Hag of Beara is associated with Kilcatherine in the northern part of the Peninsula, north of Eyeries, overlooking Coulagh Bay. According to myth, The Hag lived for seven periods of youth one after another – so that every man who co-habited with her came to die of old age. Her grandsons and great grandsons were so many that they were made up of entire tribes and races – hence her legend is woven into folklore across several parts of Ireland and across the west coast of Scotland.
The advent of the arrival of Saint Caitiarin and Christianity was deemed a threat to her powers. Local folklore has it that one day after collecting seawood along the shore of Whiddy Island, the Hag on her return encountered the priest asleep on a local hillock. She drew near to him and quietly took his prayer book and ran off. A cripple who lived nearby on seeing what happened shouted at the saint who awoke startled and the saw the hag running off. The saint caught up with her, re-acquired the prayer book and turned her into a grey pillar stone with her back to the hill and her face to the sea.
Visiting the pillar stone today, the visitor can see offerings of coins and pebbles. The first extant written mention of the hag is in the twelfth century Vision of Mac Conglinne, in which she is named as the “White Nun of Beare”.
The myth of the Hag is harnessed as a construct in forging a national and cultural identity in the early twentieth century. She is mentioned in work by Irish academic, scholar of the Irish language, politician and Douglas Hyde in 1901 and in verse by writer, republican political activist and revolutionary Pádraig Pearse “Mise Éire Siné mé ná an Cailleach Béara”. In most recent years, the myth of the Hag has been spotlighted again by well-known Irish poet Leanne O’Sullivan.
50 Gems of West Cork (Amberly Publishing, 2019) by Kieran McCarthy is available in good Cork bookshop.
Captions:
1026a. Drombeg Stone Circle, Winter Solstice 2018 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
1026b. The Hag of Beara, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Christmas on the Grand Parade, Cork, December 2019
A Walk Through Old Court Woods, Garryduff, 1 December 2019
Ballinlough Christmas Concert, 1 December 2019
Time to dust off the vocal chords for the Ballinlough Festival Committee’s Christmas Concert!
