Ballyvourney
| Ballyvourney Irish: Baile Bhuirne | |
| County Cork | |
|---|---|
 The Mills Inn, Ballyvourney | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | W195770 |
| Location: | 51°56’41"N, 9°9’48"W |
| Data | |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Macroom |
| Dáil constituency: |
Cork North-West |
Ballyvourney is a Gaeltacht village in the south-west of County Cork, in the Barony of Muskerry West. Its name is given in Irish, the language of the village, as Baile Bhúirne or Baile Mhúirne, meaning 'Town of the Beloved'.[1]
The village stretches along the N22 road which links Cork city (to the south-east) with Killarney (to the north-west). The nearest large town is Macroom.
The village stands beside the River Sullane, and it has been noted that:
"The river Sullane has its source in the parish, in the mountains bordering on the county of Kerry, and after intersecting it longitudinally pursues an eastern course through the parish of Clondrohid to the town of Macroom, to the east of which, at the distance of a mile, it discharges itself into the River Lee;"[2]
In this part of Cork, the rivers mainly drain longitudinally from west to east; this is true of the Lee and the Munster Blackwater. Between these rivers lies the valley of the Sullane. To the north of the parish, the Derrynasaggart Mountains and the Boggeragh Mountains separate the valley from the Blackwater valley. To the south, the upland area of Reananerree and the Shehies separate it from the Lee valley. The surrounding district of Muskerry straddles the counties of Cork and Kerry. The mountainous terrain and poor quality of the land has instead made it a virtual enclave within the county, best expressed in the old Gaelic tuatha of Muskerry, and as the tuatha was relatively less desirable from an economic viewpoint, it may explain why the Gaelic way of life persisted into the 20th century.
History
Historically, the people of Múscraige had the Corcu Loígde as their overlords. However, they switched allegiance to the Eóganachta and facilitated their rise to power as King of Munster.[3]
During the Irish War of Independence, the IRA ambushed a British rations lorry just south of Ballyvourney on 18 July 1921, resulting in the deaths of two British soldiers, including James Airy.[4]
Tradition and legend
The town is associated with St Gobnait and is the site of her abbey, cells and St Gobnait's Well. Her Pattern Day, 11 February, is still celebrated by the Roman Catholics of the community. Legend recounts that Gobnait was born in County Clare in the 6th century: fleeing from Clare, she took refuge in the Aran Islands, where she encountered an angel who instructed her to go on a journey. The angel told her that when she came upon nine white deer, that would be her place. Travelling south, she came to Clondrohid where she found three white deer. She followed them to Killeens, Ballymakeera where she saw six more. When she found the nine white deer in Baile Bhuirne, she stayed and founded a convent. The remains of the convent are still the locus of pilgrimage, which while it is ostensibly Christian, may well be pagan in origin.[5]
The abbey contains an example of a Sheela na Gig and there are a number of stone circles, stone rows and fulachtaí fia in the area.
The village gives its name to an Irish dance figure—the Baile Bhuirne Set[6]
About the village
St Gobnet's Wood is an old 74-acre woodland mainly planted in old Sessile Oak.
The film The Wind That Shakes the Barley was filmed in nearby locations.
The bars and restaurants in the village are "The Mills Inn", "The Abbey Hotel", "The Hibernian", "The Crúiscín Lán"and "The Village Takeaway & Diner". The Mills Inn is built on the site of the former police barracks.
Sport
- Football: Sullane F.C.
- Gaelic football: Naomh Abán GAA
See also
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ballyvourney) |
References
- ↑ Placenames Database of Ireland
- ↑ Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland", 1837, Ballyvourney
- ↑ Griffith's Valuation of Ireland (1837)
- ↑ "Captain James Osmund Airy". www.theirishrevolution.ie. https://theirishrevolution.ie/1920-37/#.YAhmqhanxPY.
- ↑ Siofra Geoghegan, "Gobnait: Woman of the Bees"
- ↑ The Baile Bhuire Set