Ballinhassig
| Ballinhassig Irish: Béal Átha an Cheasaigh | |
| County Cork | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Countryside near Ballinhassig | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | W634629 |
| Location: | 51°49’2"N, 8°31’55"W |
| Data | |
| Dialling code: | 021 |
| Local Government | |
Ballinhassig is a village in County Cork, six and a half miles south of the City of Cork, just off the N71 Bandon road and near the source of the River Owenabue (whose name, Abhainn Bui, means "Yellow River").
Traditionally an agricultural area, Ballinhassig has seen some growth as a commuter area, being close to Cork city. This growth saw the construction of new houses during the Irish construction boom of the early 21st century.
History
There are a number of prehistoric ringforts around Ballinhassig.
Lord Mountjoy, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, camped locally with his army of 4,000 troops on the night before his decisive victory at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601.
On 30 June 1845, 11 people (10 men and 1 woman) were reportedly killed by the Royal Irish Constabulary during a riot in the village.[1]
During the Irish War of Independence, there were a number of incidents in the area, including on 3 February 1921, when the 3rd Cork Brigade of the Irish Republican Army ambushed and killed three British Soldiers on the Tulligbeg side of the village in what was known as the Toureen ambush. Two soldiers of the Essex Regiment died there; Lt Dixon and Pte Charles Reid, Sergeant Thomas Bennet died of wounds the next day. That night, soldiers retaliated by burning much of the village and homes in the Ballinaboy area, and arresting and imprisoning a number of local citizens.
About the village
The Gogginshill Tunnel at Ballinhassig, opened in 1851, is now the longest abandoned railway tunnel in the Republic of Ireland. It was a part of the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway. Ballinhassig railway station itself was opened on 1 August 1849, and closed on 1 April 1961.[2]
Sport and leisure
A steam rally club is based a mile and a half from Ballinhassig village at situated in Halfway (a village so named as it is halfway between Cork and Bandon).
- Football: Ballinhassig AFC.
- Gaelic sports: Ballinhassig GAA
The local Marian Hall is used as a training venue for a local taekwondo club.
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ballinhassig) |
References
- ↑ "Dreadful Conflict and Loss of Life". The Melbourne Courier, 17 Nov 1845. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/226362501.
- ↑ "Ballinhassig station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf.