CARRIGALINE VILLAGE (c.1850).
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A quote from Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837:
CARRIGALINE, a parish, partly in the county of the city of CORK, and partly in the barony of KINNALEA, but chiefly in that of KERRICURRIHY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 7 miles (S. E.) from Cork city; containing 7375 inhabitants.
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OBSERVATIONS OF CARRIGALINE VILLAGE .
from Lewis's 1837:
The parish is situated on the road from Cork city to Tracton, and contains 14,254 statue acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £16,606 per annum; the surface is pleasingly undulated, and the soil is fertile; a considerable part is under an improved system of tillage, and the remainder is in demesne, meadow, or pasture land. There is neither waste land nor bog; coal, which is landed at several small quays here, is the chief fuel. A light brown and purplish clay-slate is found; and limestone of very superior quality is raised at Shanbally, in large blocks, and after being hewn into columns, tombstones, &c., is shipped to Cork and other places. The appearance of the country is beautifully varied: the views from the high grounds are extensive and picturesque, commanding the course of the river Awenbwuy, with the capacious estuary, called Crosshaven, and embellished with numerous gentlemen's seats.
The principal are Coolmore, the residence of W. H. Worth Newenham, Esq., situated in a beautiful demesne of 545 acres, with a lofty square tower a little to the east of the house, which commands a magnificent prospect of the town and harbour of Cove, and the rich scenery of the river; Mount Rivers, of M. Roberts, Esq.; Waterpark, of Robert Atkins, Esq.; and, on the border of the parish, Ballybricken, of D. Conner, Esq.
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| The village has a very pleasing appearance; it consists of several good houses and a number of decent cottages, extending into the parish of Kilmoney, on the south side of the river, over which is a bridge of three arches. |
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There are three large boulting-mills, the property of Messrs. Michael Roberts and Co., capable of grinding 20,000 sacks of flour annually, of which the greater part is shipped for England from Cork. The trade consists chiefly in the export of corn, flour, and potatoes, and the import of coal and culm. The channel of the river has been lately deepened six feet, principally at the expense of Mr. Roberts, and vessels can now deliver their cargoes at the bridge. A creek runs up to Shanbally, and another forms the channel of Douglas, both of which are navigable for vessels of 40 tons' burden, which being up lime, sand, and manure, and take away limestone and bricks, the latter of which are made near Douglas. The opening of several new lines of road has been of great advantage to the district. The river Awenbwuy, winding through a rich corn country, is well situated for commerce, and salmon and trout are caught in abundance. Fairs are held in Carrigaline on Easter-Monday, Whit-Monday, Aug. 12th, and Nov. 8th, for cattle, sheep, and pigs. There is a penny post to Cork; and a chief constabulary police force has been stationed here. Petty sessions are held in the court-house every Tuesday, and a manorial court once in three weeks.
The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Cork, and in the patronage of the Earl of Shannon: the tithes amount to £1080. The church is a very handsome edifice of hewn limestone, in the later English style of architecture, with a massive square tower crowned with pinnacles and surmounted by an elegant and lofty octagonal spire pierced with lights: it was erected in 1823, near the site of the former church, and enlarged in 1835, by the addition of a north transept; the windows are very light, chaste, and beautiful, particularly the eastern one, the upper part of which is ornamented with stained glass. near the west front is a lofty arch, beneath which is an altar-tomb of grey marble, with a recumbent leaden figure, now much mutilated, of Lady Suanna Newenham, who died in 1754. A chapel of ease has been built at the village of Douglas, in the northern division of the parish, within the liberties of the city of Cork. There is no glebe-house, but a glebe of 6a. 3r. 9p.
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In the Roman Catholic divisions the parish partly forms the head of a union or district, comprising the four ploughlands called Carrigaline and the parishes of Templebready and Kilmoney, and is partly in the union of Douglas or Ballygervin, and partly in that of Passage: the chapel is in that part of the village of Carrigaline which is on the south side of the river.
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The male and female parochial schools are supported by subscription; the school-rooms were built in 1834. At Raheens are schools for boys and girls, the former supported by a donation of £50 per ann. from W. H. W. Newenham, Esq., and the latter by Mrs. Newenham; a school is aided by annual subscriptions, amounting to £4, and there are other hedge schools in the parish, altogether affording instruction to about 450 children, and a Sunday school. Here is also a dispensary.
At Ballinrea there is a mineral spring, which is considered to be of the same kind as that of Tunbridge Wells, and has been found efficacious in cases of debility; and near it is a holy well, dedicated to St. Renogue, which is resorted to by the country people on the 24th of June. -end of Lewis's report 1837.
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Ronogue's Well
sketched by acclaimed
artist Daniel MacAlise RHA
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FAMINE TIMES - LAND LEAGUE
The land around Carrigaline being prosperous meant that Carrigaline appeared to have not suffered badly at the time of the famine although the population began to decrease.
The penal laws enacted in 1795 forced the catholic church more or less underground, meeting in private houses and mass rocks. A Mass house was in place in the Main Street and in 1796 a site was obtained on Shinbone Hill and the building of the church of St John The Baptist was commenced and completed in 1800AD. The Chapel was extensively renovated in 1893 serving the people of Carrigaline until the existing church of our Lady & St. John was opened in 1957. Only the pillar of the old church remains. The original church of St. Mary built in 1723 near the Rock was replaced by the existing church in 1824, a fine gothic structure. It was re-furbished in 1992, but was damaged in an accidental fire in 2003, now fully restored.
During the eighteenth century Carrigaline featured in all the national movements of the time, such as the anti tithe campaign, the land league and the repeal movement. A massive anti tithe meeting was held near St Ranog’s well attended by over 100,000 in the 1830’s. In the latter part of the century Land League agitation was to the fore – Canon Carey of Carrigaline being very much involved before the matter was more or less settled in 1902. Carrigaline like almost rural areas in the rest of the country saw it’s share of evictions and memories were still vivid.
POPULATION TRENDS of Carrigaline Village
The population of Carrigaline is always difficult to assess, as even to-day the town is devided into three electoral areas, Cork South, Kinsale rural and Liscleary. Sean O’Mahony did a brilliant job on the population in the eighteen hundreds, listing population by dwellings, The population was nearly 800 in 1851 and and gradually declined to a low of just over 300 in 1936 but rose to over 700 in 1966 due to the influence of the employment at the pottery. It rose to 6482 in 1991 and at the last census taking an area of a 1 mile radius from the Bridge the population was over 11,000.
| Year |
Persons |
Males. |
Females. |
| 1837 ___ |
7375 (town & parish / hinterland) |
N/A |
N/A |
| 1851 |
780 (town) |
N/A |
N/A |
| 1901 |
476 (town) |
N/A |
N/A |
| 1911 |
518 (town) |
N/A |
N/A |
| 1936 |
315 (town) |
N/A |
N/A |
| 1951 |
492 (town) |
N/A |
N/A |
| 1971 |
951 (town) |
454 |
497 |
| 1979 |
3,063 (town) |
N/A |
N/A |
| 1981 |
4,147 (town) |
2059 |
2088 |
| 1986 |
5,893 (town) |
2938 |
2955 |
| 1991 |
6,482 (town) |
3213 |
3269 |
| 1996 |
7,025 (town) |
3482 |
3543 |
| 2002 |
9,345 (town) |
4621 |
4724 |
| 2006 |
10,969 (town) |
5468 |
5501 |
| 2011 |
11,825 (town) |
5,816 |
6,009 |
Some interesting facts from the 2002 Census are:
Carrigaline had highest car usage in Ireland!
Nearly 63 per cent of workers living in the dormitory town of Carrigaline in County Cork drove to work in 1996. This was followed by Celbridge (60.8%), Portmarnock (59.9%) and Greystones (58.5%).
Also
In Cork the ED of Lehanagh increased by 2,381 persons since 1996 while Carrigaline grew by 2,320. The Limerick EDs of Ballycummin and Ballysimon increased by 3,885 and 2,015, respectively. Elsewhere in Munster the ED of Ennis Rural experienced an increase of 3,325 persons since the last census.
The Census of Population data is mainly from the Central Statistics Office, Dublin. www.cso.ie
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