Little Island, County Cork
| Little Island Irish: An tOileán Beag | |
| County Cork | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wallingstown Castle on Little Island | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | W761720 |
| Location: | 51°54’-0"N, 8°21’-0"W |
| Data | |
| Local Government | |
| Dáil constituency: |
Cork North-Central |
Little Island is a parish of County Cork on the northern shore of Cork Harbour, which was indeed once an island in the harbour, but which is now firmly part of the mainland, the narrow separating channel having been filled in. Today Little Island is mainly an industrial area.
The island is to the east of the City of Cork. To the west and south lies Lough Mahon, a creek of Cork Harbour; across a channel to the east is Fota Island and to the south-east is Great Island.
History
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The parish of Little Island dates to the seventh century, and tidal mills have been excavated dating to c. 630 AD. By the fourteenth century the parish was known as De Insual, meaning "of the island".
Ancient protected structures, as recorded on the Record of Monuments and Places, include examples of fulacht fiadh, middens, corn-drying kilns, the remains of a mediæval church and graveyard, and the 15th or 16th century tower house known locally as Wallingstown Castle.[1][2][3]
The current Church of Ireland parish church was built in 1865 in the Gothic Revival style.[4] A limestone quarry on Little Island was the source of thousands of tons of limestone annually, which were used in the construction of public buildings nationally, including Cork's City Hall and Holy Trinity Church.[4][5]
Development
A number of Cork's pharmaceutical companies are based on the island.[6] The main drainage wastewater treatment plant for Cork City was also opened in the area in 2004.[7]
Since the 1990s, development has grown, with retail and commercial spaces opened at Little Island Business Park and East Gate Retail Park.[8] As of 2017, the Little Island Business Association reported that there were approximately one thousand businesses operating in the area.[9] Over seven thousand people were employed in the area, which was described as one of Ireland's "industrial powerhouses," as of April 2018.[10]
Cork Golf Club is also based on Little Island.[11]
Transport
The N25 Cork–Rosslare road is built on the infilled channel between Little Island and Glounthaune.
The Cork–Cobh railway line skirts the island to the north and west. It includes Little Island railway station, which opened on 10 November 1859.[12] It has direct rail services to Cork, Cobh and Midleton.
Townlands
Townlands of Little Island include Ballytrasna, Carrigrenan, Castleview, Clashavodig, Courtstown, Harper's Island and Wallingstown.[13]
References
- ↑ Wallingstown, Little Island Environmental Impact Statement: Tobar Archaeological Services; pages 12-14
- ↑ "Record of Monuments and Places - County Cork - Volume 1". Dúchas (National Monuments and Historic Properties Service). 1998. https://www.archaeology.ie/sites/default/files/media/pdf/Archaeology-RMP-Cork-Manual-1-(1998)-0007.pdf. Retrieved 8 August 2019. "CO075-052 Watermill, Wallingstown / CO075-020002 Church, Wallingstown / CO075-021 Castle tower house, Wallingstown / CO075-085 Kiln corn drying, Castleview / CO075-082 Fulacht fia, Castleview / CO075-024001 Midden, Carrigrenan / CO075-025 Castle, Courtstown"
- ↑ "Cobh Municipality Seek IDA Answers to Wallingstown Castle Site". East Cork Journal. 16 October 2019. https://www.eastcorkjournal.ie/cobh-municipality-seek-ida-answers-to-wallingstown-castle-site/. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "From old to new in Little Island". Cork Independent. 19 May 2016. http://www.corkindependent.com/features/aroundthecounty/articles/2016/05/19/4120039-from-old-to-new--in-little-island/.
- ↑ Curtin-Kelly, Patricia (2015). An Ornament to the City: Holy Trinity Church & the Capuchin Order. Dublin: The History Press Ireland. p. 52. ISBN 978 1 84588 861 9.
- ↑ "LIBA Members Directory - Pharma". Little Island Business Association. http://liba.ie/pharmaceutical.php. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ↑ "Carrigrennan Wastewater Treatment Works Upgrade - Consultant Contract Planning Stage". Office of Government Procurement. https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase.asp?PID=62989&HL=0&PS=1&PP=. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ↑ "Little Island a business hub". Cork Independent. 9 October 2013. http://www.corkindependent.com/20131009/business/little-island-a-business-hub-S73553.html.
- ↑ "About us". Little Island Business Association. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170125214437/http://www.liba.ie/about-us.php.
- ↑ O'Riordan, Sean (10 April 2018). "From old to new in Little Island". Irish Examiner. https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/plans-to-tackle-little-island-gridlock-469294.html.
- ↑ "Contact Us". Cork Golf Club. http://www.corkgolfclub.ie/contact-us/. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ↑ "Little Island station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ↑ An tOileán Beag / Little Island: Placenames Database of Ireland