Ballydesmond
| Ballydesmond Irish: Baile Deasumhan | |
| County Cork, County Kerry | |
|---|---|
 Main Street | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | R157040 |
| Location: | 52°10’55"N, 9°14’1"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 210 (2016) |
| Local Government | |
Ballydesmond, formerly named Kingwilliamstown,[1] is a rural village in County Cork. It lies on the Blackwater River (near its source in Menganine) on the border of County Cork and County Kerry border, at the junction of the R577 and R578 roads.
He village is within the Sliabh Luachra area, which is famed for its traditional Irish music and culture.
The Ballydesmond quarry is an area of geological interest, containing the best example of tundra forest polygons found in Ireland.[2]
History
Ballydesmond was established in the 1830s as a model village, and named Kingwilliamstown after King William IV of the United Kingdom. It had formerly been known as Tooreenkeogh.[3]
In 1951, the village was officially renamed Ballydesmond, as an anglicisation of the Irish name Baile Deasumhan.[4] This is thought to refer to legendary rebel, the 15th Earl of Desmond, who is believed to have taken refuge in the nearby hills. However, the name 'Kingwilliamstown' is still the name of the townland.
During the Irish War of Independence, a number of British army officers were killed near Kingwilliamstown by untrained members of the local flying column of the Irish Republican Army. The incident is known as the Tureengarriffe Ambush.
Sport
- Ballydesmond GAA
Outside links
References
- ↑ "Baile Deasumhan/Ballydesmond". Placenames Database of Ireland. https://www.logainm.ie/en/1410942.
- ↑ Chapter 3 Template:Webarchive. (PDF) . corkcoco.ie. Retrieved on 23 April 2012.
- ↑ MacLysaght, Edward (1960). More Irish families. O'Gorman. pp. 87. https://books.google.com/books?id=1FhmAAAAMAAJ&q=Tooreenkeogh.
- ↑ S.I. No. 138/1951 — Local Government (Change of Name of Townland) Order, 1951. Irish Statute Book.