Castlepark
Encyclopedia
Kinsale
Kinsale is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of 2,257 which increases substantially during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak and...
harbour on the coast of County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, on the south coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
is really more a presque-isle
Presque-isle
Presque-isle is a geographical term denoting a piece of land which is closer to being an island than most peninsulas because of its being joined to the mainland by an extremely narrow neck of land....
than a peninsula, being joined to the mainland only by an extremely narrow neck at its north-western corner.
Thus, the Castlepark peninsula is almost completely surrounded by water: the River Bandon
River Bandon
The River Bandon is a river in County Cork in Ireland. It rises at Nowen Hill , to the north of Drimoleague.The river then flows to Dunmanway, before turning eastward towards the twin villages of Ballineen and Enniskean...
, flowing from the north-west, bounds the peninsula on the north; the entrance to Kinsale harbour bounds the peninsula on the east; the Atlantic ocean bounds it to the south; and the tidal inlet known as Sandycove Creek bounds the peninsula on the west.
Most traffic into Castlepark now arrives via the Duggan Bridge, built 1976, which crosses the River Bandon from the northern, Kinsale, bank just east of the neck which joins the peninsula to the mainland.
Among the old buildings on the peninsula are James's Fort
James's Fort
James Fort is located on Castlepark peninsula in Kinsale harbour, downstream on the River Bandon from Kinsale and overlooking the town. Charles Fort is located on the opposite side of the harbour.-History:...
(early 17th century), Ringrone Castle (12th or 13th century) and the ruins of Ringrone church, the latter surrounded by an ancient graveyard that is still in use.
Located within the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Courceys
Courceys
Courceys is a Civil parish and barony in County Cork on the south coast of Ireland. Its name refers to the Norman de Courcy family, who ruled the area from the early 13th century. The villages in the parish include Ballinspittle and Ballinadee....
, the peninsula, which has an area of a little under 500 acres (2 km²), contains three townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
s: James's Fort, Castlepark and Castlelands.
The James's Fort townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
, which contains James's Fort
James's Fort
James Fort is located on Castlepark peninsula in Kinsale harbour, downstream on the River Bandon from Kinsale and overlooking the town. Charles Fort is located on the opposite side of the harbour.-History:...
, is, itself, a peninsula, protruding out of the north-eastern corner of the Castlepark peninsula.
On the western side of the neck which joins the James's Fort peninsula to the main Castlepark peninsula there is a marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
; on the eastern side of the neck, there is a sandy beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
; a small village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
, most of whose houses were built in the 1970s although some date back to at least the early 19th century, straddles the neck.
The rest of the peninsula consists of farmland with scattered housing.
Most of the land is used for tillage
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
(cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s and sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
), although there is some grazing of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and sheep. By the late 1990s, only one of the farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s was still involved in dairying.
Sandycove Island
Sandycove Island
Sandycove Island is a small island at the mouth of Ardkilly Creek on the south coast of Ireland, just to the west of the Castlepark peninsula, which forms the western side of the entrance to Kinsale harbour in County Cork....
, at the mouth of Sandycove Creek, is uninhabited; a herd of goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s grazes the island so, presumably, fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
is available.