Ballinora or Ballynora ( or ''Baile Nóra'') is a small rural parish and

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

near

Cork city Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

and

Ballincollig Ballincollig () is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork city in Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork city, beside the River Lee on the R608 road. In 2016 it was the largest town in County Cork, at which time the ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The townland, which lies in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Kilnaglory, is home to several education facilities and sporting clubs. The village of

Waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

is nearby.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the townland of Ballinora include a number of

ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...

and

fulacht fiadh A burnt mound is an archaeological feature consisting of a mound of shattered stones and charcoal, normally with an adjacent hearth and trough. The trough could be rock-cut, wood-lined or clay-lined to ensure it was watertight. Radiocarbon ...

sites. A cross-inscribed stone was also discovered in the area. The parish church in Ballinora, St. James' Church, was built . The church, which is in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Cork and Ross The Diocese of Cork and Ross () is a Latin Church, Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, Cashel and Emly. The cathedral c ...

, underwent a major renovation in 2009. The former

Bishop of Cork and Ross The Bishop of Cork and Ross is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Cork and the County Cork town of Rosscarbery in the Republic of Ireland. The combined title was first used by the Church of Ireland from 1638 to 1660 and ...

, Cornelius Lucey (1902–1982), went to school in the area.

Amenities

Ballinora is home to a community hall, Ballinora and Ballymaw GAA grounds, a scout hall (home to the 109th Cork

Scouting Ireland Scouting Ireland () is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers . Of the 750,000 people between the ages of 6 ...

group), a pub, a garden centre, and Ballinora National School. As of 2024, Ballinora National School had 300 pupils enrolled.

Sport

The local GAA club, Ballinora GAA, was founded in 1924. The club's colours are green and red, and it fields

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

and

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

teams in the

Muskerry Muskerry () is a central region of County Cork, Ireland which incorporates the baronies of Muskerry West Cork GAA The Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) () or Cork GAA is one of the 32 County board (Gaelic games), county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cork and the Cork county teams. It ...

. Ballinora GAA's main pitch is adjacent to Ballinora National School. Richmond FC is the local

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

(soccer) club. Founded in 1980, the club has pitches at Ballyhank in Waterfall and Garranedarra in Bishopstown.

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. He has received numerous awards and honours including four BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two Tony Awards. In 2005 he received the Socie ...

, who is from the area and received a number of caps the national team, began his football career with the club.

References

External links

Website of Ballinora and District Community Association

Ballinora GAA club website
{{County Cork Townlands of County Cork Towns and villages in County Cork