Castlelyons () is a small village in the east of

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns ar ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is also a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the barony of Barrymore.Placenames Database of Ireland
Civil parish of Castlelyons. The name is derived from a stronghold of the

Uí Liatháin The Uí Liatháin (IPA: �iːˈlʲiəhaːnʲ were an early kingdom of Munster in southern Ireland. They belonged the same kindred as the Uí Fidgenti, and the two are considered together in the earliest sources, for example '' The Expulsion of t ...

- an

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

kingdom. It is situated south of

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. It is located in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, and is in the D� ...

. In the 2016 census it recorded a population of 374. Castlelyons is part of the Cork East Dáil constituency. There are two stone bridges that cross the River Bride into the village - one a small footbridge and the other a bridge which was part of the entrance into Barrymore Castle - the seat of the Earls of Barrymore. The parish has two churches at Bridesbridge and Coolagown, and also boasts a castle, two

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

s, a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be con ...

, two

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its gua ...

s, and many other historical sights.

History

The

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

parish of Castlelyons today is made up of three main districts - Coolagown, Britway and Castlelyons/Bridesbridge. Three quarters of the parish extend along the banks of the River Bride.

Castlelyons Friary Castlelyons Friary is a former Carmelite Priory and National Monument located in County Cork, Ireland. Location Castlelyons Friary is located south-southeast of Fermoy, south of the Munster Blackwater. History The Carmelite friary was found ...

existed between the 14th and 18th centuries. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of Kingdom of England, England's governanc ...

, the Battle of Castlelyons in 1645 was fought near the village.

Sport

Hunting, shooting and fishing are popular in the area and there is both a gun club and an angling club. The also village has a pitch and putt course. The village has squash courts and a

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

(GAA) pitch. Castlelyons GAA is the local GAA club.

People

* Thomas Kent, an Irish nationalist court-martialled and executed following a gunfight with the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) on 2 May 1916, in the immediate aftermath of the Easter Rising. * William Brouncker, 2nd Viscount Brouncker, the celebrated mathematician, born here in 1620

References

{{reflist

External links

St. Nicholas Cemetery, Castlelyons
Towns and villages in County Cork Holy wells in Ireland Civil parishes of County Cork

History

Sport

People

See also

References

External links