Kilbrittain
Encyclopedia
Kilbrittain or Killbrittain is the name of a village
, townland
and parish
in County Cork
, Ireland
. The village lies about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Bandon
, and near Clonakilty
and Kinsale
. The coastal route around the edge of the parish is the R600. The village itself is around 1.5 kilometres inland from the coast.
station that overlooks the beach, built in 1910 and burnt down in 1920. http://www.dcu.ie/~foxs/irhist/june_1920.htm
Kilbrittain Castle is the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland. The Castle is thought to date from 1035 where the original fortress may have been built by the O'Mahony Clan. Known to have been in the hands of the Norman family of de Courcey and possibly extended in the 13th Century, Kilbrittain Castle was the principal seat of MacCarthy Reagh
family, Princes of Carbery
, from the early 15th century. The castle was extensively restored and enlarged by the Stawell family in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was partially burned in 1920 and restored in 1969 by inventor Russell Winn. Kilbrittain Castle is now the home of the Cahill-O'Brien family.
Coolmain Castle was originally built by the de Courcey family in the early 15th century, but they lost it to the MacCarthy Reaghs, the Princes of Desmond, the following century. Over the years it passed through the hands of a number of families, including that of the Earls of Cork. In the middle of the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell acquired the property. In the early 1900s it was owned by a popular American novelist of the day, Don Byrne. He was from New York, but his wife, Dolly Cadogan, was from the area.
Roy Disney bought it about 20 years ago from Hollywood photographer Bob Willoughby, who had carried out extensive refurbishments to the property.
club fields Gaelic football
and hurling
teams. It is affiliated with Cork GAA and Carbery GAA
.
Kilbrittain G.A.A club was founded In 1904 and was celebrated for its 100 year anniversary in 2004.
Kilbrittain have very successful underage teams. Under 14 and Under 16 have won the West Cork Championship in 2008. The under 12 played in Croke Park
against other teams in Ireland. The under 16 won the county last year and Cork Minor C Football Championship
in 2008.
Kilbrittain underage had their first ever win at County level in 2004 winning both a hurling (B grade) and football (C grade) County titles.
Kilbrittain has several popular beaches, and one of them, Coolmain, is designated the West Cork Windsurfing Centre. It is very popular with Windsurfers and Kitesurfers.
Harbourview, which is on the opposite side of the bay from Coolmain, is popular with walkers and also for Kitebuggies.
Kilbrittain NS received a new school building in the late 1990s, while Gurraneasig has recently opened a new modern extension to the original building which contained just two classrooms.
Both Schools take part in GAA
Leagues called Sciath Na Scoil.
Bay, hold an open-air opera to raise funds in aid of the Courtmacsherry Lifeboat.
Annually in August, Kilbrittain Village hosts a Family Festival which draws large crowds.
Kilbrittain is twinned with Sagra
, a village in Alicante
, Spain.
In the summer of 2011, a short film 'The Blow-Ins' was shot in Kilbrittain and Courtmacsherry. The Kilbrittain Whale featured in the film. The film is currently in post-production and due to be released early 2012.
The whale was featured in a Channel 4 documentary "Inside Nature's Giants" which showed autopsies of large mammals.
was compiled in the 15th Century to commemorate the marriage of the Gaelic lord Finghin Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach, of Kilbrittain Castle, to Caitilín, daughter of the seventh earl of Desmond. The medieval manuscript contains 166 large vellum folios of material that a learned person of the time would have been expected to know. It later became known as Leabhar Mhic Cárthaigh Riabhaigh. MacCarthy was patron of the friary at Timoleague, and some of the book’s pages were copied there in 1629 by the scribe Mícheál Ó Cléirigh.
During a raid on Kilbrittain
in 1642, the book was taken by Lewis, Lord Kinalmeaky, of Lismore
who sent it back to his father, with a letter, at Lismore Castle. The book remained there until it was discovered behind a wall at the castle in 1814, during rebuilding works.
The Book of Lismore is written in Irish, but not the modern version spoken today. It is written on vellum, made from calfskin, an expensive material at the time of the book’s writing, in the 15th century. The Book of Lismore contains many important texts, including a cosmological work, the Ever-new Tongue; the most extensive account of the lives of the saints in an Irish-language medieval manuscript; an Irish translation of the travels of Marco Polo; and one of the greatest compositions of the Fenian Cycle, Acallam na Senórach, or The Conversation of the Old Men. The illustrated capitals are thought to have been added in the 19th century by Donnchadh Ó Floinn, an Irish-language scribe living on Shandon Street in Cork.
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...
, 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...
and 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...
in 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...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The village lies about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Bandon
Bandon
Bandon is the name of several places*Bandon, County Cork, Ireland*the River Bandon in Ireland*Bandon , former constituency in Ireland*Bandon, the old name of Surat Thani in Thailand**the Bandon Bay near Surat Thani...
, and near Clonakilty
Clonakilty
Clonakilty , often referred to by locals simply as Clon, is a small town on the N71 national secondary road in West County Cork, Ireland, approximately 45 minutes away by road to the west of Cork City. The town is on the southern coast of the island, and is surrounded by hilly country devoted...
and Kinsale
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...
. The coastal route around the edge of the parish is the R600. The village itself is around 1.5 kilometres inland from the coast.
Features of Interest
Howestrand is a beach in Kilbrittain with the ruin of a Coast GuardCoast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
station that overlooks the beach, built in 1910 and burnt down in 1920. http://www.dcu.ie/~foxs/irhist/june_1920.htm
Kilbrittain Castle is the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland. The Castle is thought to date from 1035 where the original fortress may have been built by the O'Mahony Clan. Known to have been in the hands of the Norman family of de Courcey and possibly extended in the 13th Century, Kilbrittain Castle was the principal seat of MacCarthy Reagh
MacCarthy Reagh
The MacCarthy Reagh dynasty are a branch of the great MacCarthy dynasty, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the ancient Eóganachta, of the central Eóganacht Chaisil sept. The MacCarthys Reagh seated themselves as Princes of Carbery in what is now southwestern County Cork in the 13th century...
family, Princes of Carbery
Barony of Carbery
Carbery, or the Barony of Carbery, was once the largest barony in Ireland, and essentially a small, semi-independent kingdom on the southwestern coast of Munster, in what is now County Cork, from its founding in the 1230s by Donal Gott MacCarthy to its gradual decline in the late 16th and early...
, from the early 15th century. The castle was extensively restored and enlarged by the Stawell family in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was partially burned in 1920 and restored in 1969 by inventor Russell Winn. Kilbrittain Castle is now the home of the Cahill-O'Brien family.
Coolmain Castle was originally built by the de Courcey family in the early 15th century, but they lost it to the MacCarthy Reaghs, the Princes of Desmond, the following century. Over the years it passed through the hands of a number of families, including that of the Earls of Cork. In the middle of the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell acquired the property. In the early 1900s it was owned by a popular American novelist of the day, Don Byrne. He was from New York, but his wife, Dolly Cadogan, was from the area.
Roy Disney bought it about 20 years ago from Hollywood photographer Bob Willoughby, who had carried out extensive refurbishments to the property.
Sport
KilbrittainKilbrittain GAA
Kilbrittain GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the parish of Kilbrittain, County Cork, Ireland. The club fields teams in Gaelic football and Hurling, but is primarily known for its hurling successes. The club participates in Cork GAA competitions. The club is a member of Carbery...
club fields Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
and hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
teams. It is affiliated with Cork GAA and Carbery GAA
Carbery GAA
Carbery GAA are a divisional team from the south-west division of County Cork, Ireland, in ancient Carbery. They compete in the Cork Senior Football Championship. They competed in the Cork Senior Hurling Championship up to and including 2010. They did not enter a hurling team in 2011...
.
Kilbrittain G.A.A club was founded In 1904 and was celebrated for its 100 year anniversary in 2004.
Kilbrittain have very successful underage teams. Under 14 and Under 16 have won the West Cork Championship in 2008. The under 12 played in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
against other teams in Ireland. The under 16 won the county last year and Cork Minor C Football Championship
Cork Minor C Football Championship
The Cork Minor C Football Championship is a Gaelic football competition for Gaelic Athletic Association players under the age of 18 in County Cork, Ireland. This competition is confined to the weakest clubs at this grade, and teams are restricted to 13 players rather than the normal 15...
in 2008.
Kilbrittain underage had their first ever win at County level in 2004 winning both a hurling (B grade) and football (C grade) County titles.
Kilbrittain has several popular beaches, and one of them, Coolmain, is designated the West Cork Windsurfing Centre. It is very popular with Windsurfers and Kitesurfers.
Harbourview, which is on the opposite side of the bay from Coolmain, is popular with walkers and also for Kitebuggies.
Education
There are two primary schools in Kilbrittain. Gurraneasig National School, which is located near to Howe Strand and Kilbrittain National School which is in the village.Kilbrittain NS received a new school building in the late 1990s, while Gurraneasig has recently opened a new modern extension to the original building which contained just two classrooms.
Both Schools take part in GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
Leagues called Sciath Na Scoil.
Culture
Each summer, the owners of Burren House, which overlooks CourtmacsherryCourtmacsherry
Courtmacsherry is a picturesque seaside village in County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland, on the southwest coast. It is about 30 miles southwest of Cork, and 30 minutes drive east from the town of Clonakilty. The village consists of a single long street on the south shore of Courtmacsherry...
Bay, hold an open-air opera to raise funds in aid of the Courtmacsherry Lifeboat.
Annually in August, Kilbrittain Village hosts a Family Festival which draws large crowds.
Kilbrittain is twinned with Sagra
Sagra, Alicante
Sagra, Alicante is a village in the province of Alicante and autonomous community of Valencia, Spain....
, a village in Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Spain.
In the summer of 2011, a short film 'The Blow-Ins' was shot in Kilbrittain and Courtmacsherry. The Kilbrittain Whale featured in the film. The film is currently in post-production and due to be released early 2012.
People
- Donn Byrne - Poet who lived at Coolmain Castle http://www.kilbrittain.net/donnbyrne.htm http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0232615/
- Roy DisneyRoy DisneyRoy Disney may refer to:* Roy O. Disney , Walt Disney's elder brother and the financier of his efforts* Roy E. Disney , his son, director emeritus of The Walt Disney Company...
- Nephew of Walt Disney, current owner of Coolmain Castle - Charlie Hurley - Irish Republican Charlie Hurley (Irish republican)
- Florence MacCarthyFlorence MacCarthyFinnian or Fínghin mac Donnchadh Mac Cárthaigh , known to the English as Florence MacCarthy, was an Irish prince of the late 16th century and the last credible claimant to the MacCarthy Mór title before its suppression by English authority...
- Irish Chieftain born at Kilbrittain Castle Florence MacCarthyFlorence MacCarthyFinnian or Fínghin mac Donnchadh Mac Cárthaigh , known to the English as Florence MacCarthy, was an Irish prince of the late 16th century and the last credible claimant to the MacCarthy Mór title before its suppression by English authority... - Thaddeus MacCarthy - Bishop of Ross, Cork and Cloyne
- Patrick ScottPatrick ScottPatrick Scott is an Irish artist.Patrick Scott had his first exhibition in 1944, but trained as an architect and did not become a full time artist until 1960. He worked for fifteen years for the Irish architect Michael Scott, assisting, for example, in the design of Busáras, the central bus...
- Architect and Artist http://www.irish-architecture.com/architects_ireland/scottp.html - Richard Townsend - English soldier and politician who lived at Kilbrittain Castle
- John P. WalshJohn P. WalshJohn P. Walsh was a prominent Irish businessman, and a nationalist politician of the All-for-Ireland League. He was Member of Parliament for County Cork South from 1910 until 1918, taking his seat in the House of Commons of what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.Born in...
- prominent Irish businessman, nationalist politician, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and member of the All-for-Ireland Party - Bob WilloughbyBob WilloughbyRobert Hanley "Bob" Willoughby was an American photographer.- Biography :...
- Hollywood photographer who lived at Coolmain Castle http://www.willoughbyphotos.com/ - Eoin Sexton - Eoin Sexton (born 1975 in Kilbrittain, County Cork) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club KilbrittainKilbrittain GAAKilbrittain GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the parish of Kilbrittain, County Cork, Ireland. The club fields teams in Gaelic football and Hurling, but is primarily known for its hurling successes. The club participates in Cork GAA competitions. The club is a member of Carbery...
and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since the late 1990s.
The Whale
On 15th January 2009 an 18 metre fin whale was stranded and subsequently died on a beach in Kilbrittain, after becoming disorientated and lured by unusually high tides. Efforts were made by Courtmacsherry Lifeboat to get the whale back into the sea but a combination of its size and weight meant that attempts to save the whale's life were unsuccessful. The people of Kilbrittain organised to save the its remains which are now displayed in the village.The whale was featured in a Channel 4 documentary "Inside Nature's Giants" which showed autopsies of large mammals.
The Book of Lismore
It is believed that the Book of LismoreBook of Lismore
The Book of Lismore is a Medieval Irish manuscript.-Overview:The Book of Lismore is an Irish vellum manuscript, compiled in early 15th century, Lismore, Ireland. Its original name was Leabhar Mhic Cárthaigh Riabhaigh...
was compiled in the 15th Century to commemorate the marriage of the Gaelic lord Finghin Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach, of Kilbrittain Castle, to Caitilín, daughter of the seventh earl of Desmond. The medieval manuscript contains 166 large vellum folios of material that a learned person of the time would have been expected to know. It later became known as Leabhar Mhic Cárthaigh Riabhaigh. MacCarthy was patron of the friary at Timoleague, and some of the book’s pages were copied there in 1629 by the scribe Mícheál Ó Cléirigh.
During a raid on Kilbrittain
Kilbrittain
Kilbrittain or Killbrittain is the name of a village, townland and parish in County Cork, Ireland. The village lies about southwest of Bandon, and near Clonakilty and Kinsale. The coastal route around the edge of the parish is the R600...
in 1642, the book was taken by Lewis, Lord Kinalmeaky, of Lismore
Lismore
-Places:Australia*Lismore, New South Wales, city*Lismore, Victoria, townCanada*Lismore, Nova Scotia, villageIreland*Lismore, County Waterford, town*Lismore Castle*Lismore, County Down, a townland in County Down,Scotland*Lismore, Scotland, island...
who sent it back to his father, with a letter, at Lismore Castle. The book remained there until it was discovered behind a wall at the castle in 1814, during rebuilding works.
The Book of Lismore is written in Irish, but not the modern version spoken today. It is written on vellum, made from calfskin, an expensive material at the time of the book’s writing, in the 15th century. The Book of Lismore contains many important texts, including a cosmological work, the Ever-new Tongue; the most extensive account of the lives of the saints in an Irish-language medieval manuscript; an Irish translation of the travels of Marco Polo; and one of the greatest compositions of the Fenian Cycle, Acallam na Senórach, or The Conversation of the Old Men. The illustrated capitals are thought to have been added in the 19th century by Donnchadh Ó Floinn, an Irish-language scribe living on Shandon Street in Cork.
Kilbrittain Festival
Kilbrittain Festival has been running since 2004 and has grown in popularity every year.See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland