Castlelyons

Castlelyons Irish: Caisleán Ó Liatháin
County Cork
St Nicholas's Cemetery, Kill-Saint-Anne, Castlelyons
Location
Grid reference:	W840930
Location:	52°5’20"N, 8°14’2"W
Data
Population:	374  (2016)
Local Government
Dáil constituency:	Cork East

Castlelyons is a small village in the east of County Cork, in the Barrymore. The name is derived from a stronghold of the Uí Liatháin - an early mediæval petty kingdom.

The village is to be found four miles south of Fermoy. The 2002 census recorded a population of 211.

Two stone bridges cross the River Bride into the village - one a small footbridge and the other a bridge which was part of the entrance into Barrymore Castle - the seat of the Earls of Barrymore. The parish has two churches at Bridesbridge and Coolagown, and also a castle, two abbeys, a mausoleum, two holy wells, and many other historical sights.

History

Castlelyons Friary was founded in around 1307, by John de Barry, and lasted until 1541, at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1737, the Dominican order re-established the friary, but it closed again with the death of the last prior, John O'Neil, in 1760.

In 1645, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the Battle of Castlelyons was fought near the village.

Sport

Hunting, shooting and fishing are popular in the area and there is both a gun club and an angling club. The also village has a pitch and putt course.

The village has squash courts and a Gaelic Athletic Association pitch of Castlelyons GAA.