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.[1] 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.
References
- ↑ Placenames Database of Ireland Civil parish of Castlelyons.
