Rosscarbery
Encyclopedia
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 town is on a shallow estuary, which opens onto Rosscarbery Bay.
History
The area has been occupied from very early times, as is evidenced by the Neolithic remains (pred 2000 BC) such as Portal Dolmens. The area is very strong in Bronze Age remains - including a number of Stone Circles. There are also two Inscribed Stones in Burgatia. The number of Ring Forts and Holy Wells witnesses the Iron Age and transition from the Old to the New (Christian) God.Rosscarbery was home to the School of Ross
School of Ross
The School of Ross was a monastic institution located in what is now called Rosscarbery, County Cork, Ireland, but formerly Ross-Ailithir , from the large number of monks and students who flocked to its halls from all over Europe....
, a major centre of learning, at one time being a university town, and one of the major cities in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, around the 6th century. Due to its popularity as a centre of pilgrimage it was also known as Ros Ailithir. The hereditary chieftains of the area, or tuath
Tuath
Túath is an Old Irish word, often translated as "people" or "nation". It is cognate with the Welsh and Breton tud , and with the Germanic þeudō ....
, were the O'Leary
O'Leary
O'Leary is an Irish name, an anglicized version of the original Gaelic patronym Ó Laoghaire or Ó Laoire.The Uí Laoghaire clan, today associated with the Uibh Laoghaire parish in County Cork, is considered by scholars to have originated on the south-west coast, in the area of Ros Ó gCairbre , of...
s, known as Uí Laoghaire Ruis Ó gCairbre, until it passed to Norman control in the early thirteenth century. The entire region had belonged to the ancient Corcu Loígde
Corcu Loígde
The Corcu Loígde , meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centered in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Munster, the Dáirine, of whom they were the principal royal sept...
, of whom the O'Learys were one of the leading sept
Sept
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
s.
Demographics
The town itself has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent times, despite the lack of any major industry in the area, and being just outside the commuter belt for the city of CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. The majority of new housing is holiday accommodation, which results in an annual swell in population during summer months. According to the 2006 census, the population of the town is 936.
Cathedral
Today, there is still a cathedral in the town, an unusual feature for what now would be considered a sleepy country town. It is a Church of IrelandChurch of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
cathedral - St. Fachtna's Cathedral. The Church of Ireland's dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross
Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross
The Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross is the Church of Ireland Ordinary of the united Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the Province of Dublin....
were effectively merged during rationalisation in the 1860s. The bishop of this tridiocese, Paul Colton
Paul Colton
William Paul Colton is the Church of Ireland's Bishop of Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. He is now perhaps best known for being the priest who officiated at the wedding of footballer David Beckham and Spice girl Victoria Adams on July 4, 1999 at the medieval Luttrellstown Castle on the outskirts...
, spends almost all his time in Cork. St Fachtna's is the smallest cathedral in Ireland. It is the size of a typical parish church.
Beaches
Rosscarbery is a popular tourist destination in the summertime, being in proximity to at least three fine beaches. The nearest of these, the "Warren Beach", is about a mile from the village, and is designated a blue flag beachBlue Flag beach
The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education that a beach or marina meets its stringent standards.The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE which is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation consisting of 65 organisations in 60 member countries in Europe,...
, along with the nearby Owenahincha beach. The Warren Beach has experienced extensive coastal erosion in recent times, but remedial works have been undertaken throughout 2004/2005. Rosscarbery Pitch & Putt Club is located at the beach.
Antiquities
BohonaghBohonagh
Bohonagh is a recumbent stone circle located 2.4 km east of Rosscarbery, County Cork, Ireland. The circle is thought to date from the Bronze Age. A boulder burial is sited nearby .-Features:...
is a recumbent stone circle
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
located 2.4km east of Rosscarbery. The circle of 12 stones is thought to date from the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. A boulder burial is sited nearby. (grid ref: 308 368, Latitude: 51.580102N Longitude: 8.998987W)
Castle Salem is also near the town, and was the home to the Morris family from around 1660 until the early 1800's. The castle is now a guest house and run by the Daly family who bought the castle in 1895.
People
The poet Airbertach mac CosseAirbertach mac Cosse
Airbertach mac Cosse, died 1016, was an Irish poet, lector and later superior of the monastery of Ros Ailithir , on the coast of south-west County Cork...
was lector and superior of Ros Ailithir monastery, where he died in 1016.
Also connected with Rosscarbery is William Thompson
William Thompson (philosopher)
William Thompson was an Irish political and philosophical writer and social reformer, developing from utilitarianism into an early critic of capitalist exploitation whose ideas influenced the Cooperative, Trade Union and Chartist movements as well as Karl Marx...
(1775-1833), the Irish political and philosophical writer and socialist reformer.
Rosscarbery was also home to one of the leaders of the Irish Fenian
Fenian
The Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...
movement, Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa
Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa
Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa , was an Irish Fenian leader and prominent member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. His life as an Irish Fenian is well documented but he is perhaps known best in death for the graveside oration given at his funeral by Pádraig Pearse.-Life in Ireland:He was born at...
.
Tom Barry
Tom Barry
Thomas Barry was one of the most prominent guerrilla leaders in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence.-Early life:...
, a leader of the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
is associated with the town. Meda Ryan's biography - the standard reference text on Tom Barry - states that Barry was born in Kerry to Cork parents, and the 1901 census records the Ryan family living in Killorglin
Killorglin
Killorglin is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is located on the river Laune, which has a rowing club and a new boathouse. The population of Killorglin is 4,150 although this expands considerably during Puck Fair due to visitors and returning emigrants.Killorglin is a major activity centre...
at that time. (Barry's father [also Thomas] was posted posted to Killorglin barracks as an RIC constable
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
.) Tom Barry had moved to Rosscarbery with his family by 1911, and a Rosscarbery house bears a plaque to this effect. In his memoirs (Guerrilla Days in Ireland
Guerrilla Days in Ireland
Guerilla Days in Ireland is a book written by Irish Republican Army leader Tom Barry in 1949. The book describes the actions of Barry's Third West Cork Brigade during the Anglo-Irish War, such as the ambushes at Kilmichael and Crossbarry, as well as numerous other less known attacks made by the...
) Barry recalls riding a cow through the town's main street to amuse other boys. There is a plaque on the site of the former RIC Barracks, beside the current Garda Station, commemorating the taking of the RIC Barracks by Tom Barry's Flying Column in March 1921..
Transport and communications
The town is located along the N71N71 road (Ireland)
-Road standard:The road is mostly relatively poor single carriageway, with better sections towards the Cork end of the route. There are wide sections with climbing/passing lanes, including a very rare configuration with a passing lane on both sides, and a dual carriageway section approaching...
national secondary road
National secondary road
A national secondary road is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network, but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national primary roads. National secondary roads are designated with route numbers higher than those...
through West Cork
West Cork
West Cork refers to a geographical area in south-west Ireland, lying within Ireland's largest county, County Cork. Traditionally a popular tourist destination, the area is seen as being distinct from the more populated northern or eastern parts of the county, as well as the more urban area of...
. 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...
is nearby, further along the road to Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
city, a distance of forty miles. The nearest airport is Cork Airport.
Sport
The town has a strong tradition of GAAGaelic 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...
, its local team being Carbery Rangers
Carbery Rangers
Carbery Rangers is a Gaelic football club in Rosscarbery in County Cork, Ireland.It plays in games organized by Cork county board. It is one of the oldest clubs in Cork, having been founded in 1887. It currently competes in the Cork Senior Football Championship, and in the West Cork or Carbery GAA...
, founded in 1887. In November 2003, Carbery Rangers won their first ever football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
County Junior A title
Cork Junior Football Championship
The Cork Junior Football Championship is a Gaelic football competition in Cork. The competition was originally established in 1895 as a competition for second teams of clubs playing in the Cork Senior Football Championship. This is the fourth level of football clubs, under Senior, Premier...
, and subsequently a Junior Munster, Intermediate County
Cork Intermediate Football Championship
This is the Second tier Gaelic football team competition organized by the Cork GAA board. This championship was discontinued after 1938 because of a lack of clubs. From 1939 until 1964 any team that won the Junior County Football Final could go straight to Senior. The Intermediate Championship was...
, Munster, and All-Ireland
All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship
The All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship is a Gaelic football competition started up in 2003 to be played by the winners of the Intermediate Club Championship from each County. The 2010 final was contested by Spa of Kerry and Cookstown Fr...
titles. The club has since graduated to the senior ranks.
Rosscarbery Rowing Club competes at regattas in West Cork and at the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation Championships each August.
See also
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Cork)
- List of towns and villages in Ireland