Kildorrery () is a village in north

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 ...

. It lies at the crossroads of the N73 road from Mallow to

Mitchelstown Mitchelstown () is a town in the north of County Cork, Ireland with a population of over 3,740. It is situated in the valley to the south of the Galtee Mountains. Mitchelstown is 13 km south-west of the Mitchelstown Cave, 53 km nor ...

and the R512 from

Kilmallock Kilmallock () is a town in south County Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, near the border with County Cork, 30 km south of Limerick city. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King John's Castle (Kilmallock), King's Castle (or K ...

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,700 people. It is located in the barony (Ir ...

. The village is in a

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 ...

and

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 the same name. Kildorrery is part of the Cork East Dáil constituency. The village, which sits on a hilltop plateau, overlooks the surrounding area. To the east are the

Galtee Mountains Galtymore or Galteemore () is a mountain in the province of Munster, Ireland. At , it is one of Ireland's highest mountains, being the 12th-highest on the Arderin list, and 14th-highest on the Vandeleur-Lynam list. Galtymore has the 4th-highe ...

and

Knockmealdown Mountains The Knockmealdown Mountains () are a mountain range located on the border of counties Tipperary and Waterford in Ireland, running east and west between the two counties. The highest peak of the range is Knockmealdown, in County Waterford. On t ...

, with

Slievenamon Slievenamon or Slievenaman ( , "mountain of the women") is a mountain with a height of in County Tipperary, Ireland. It rises from a plain that includes the towns of Fethard, County Tipperary, Fethard, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir. The mountain ...

in the distance. To the north the Ballyhouras – the

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

road is flanked by two mountains, Castlegale and Carrigeenamronety Hill (''Carraigín na mBróinte''). To the south, across the Blackwater Valley, are the Nagle mountains.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes 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 ...

sites in the

s of Ballynoe and Scart. A ruined medieval church, within the village, dates to at least the 14th century.

Bowen's Court Bowen's Court was a historic country house or Anglo-Irish big house near Kildorrery in County Cork, Ireland. House The house was built in the 1770s by Henry Cole Bowen (died 1788) and the design has tentatively been attributed to Isaac Rothery ...

, a former 18th century country house and home to writer

Elizabeth Bowen Elizabeth Dorothea Cole Bowen ( ; 7 June 1899 – 22 February 1973) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish novelist and short story writer notable for her books about "The Big House in Ireland, the Big House" of Irish Landed gentry, landed ...

, was built in nearby Farahy. The current Roman Catholic church, built , is dedicated to

Saint Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

Economy and culture

Agriculture, including

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

, provides much of the local employment. The village itself has several businesses, including a petrol station, grocery shop, fast food outlet, a bus/coach transportation service, restaurant/cafe, two pubs which present live music, several hair salons and beauticians, a bakery, sign makers/printers, a veterinarian, horticultural businesses, a haulage firm, a funeral parlour and a nursing home. An annual festival, known as "Hillfest", takes place during the summer and is jointly run by the local community development group and by Kildorrery GAA club.

Education

Kildorrery National School on Fermoy Road was constructed in the 1970s replacing the two-roomed "Old School", formerly known as Scart National School, which was originally built in 1847. Kildorrery National School was opened in 1977, an amalgamation of Ballinguyroe and Scart National Schools. Kildorrery National School is a co-educational, Catholic primary school. There are ten full time teachers, one part time teacher and four special needs assistants in the school. As of the 2022/2023 school year, there were 195 pupils enrolled. Kildorrery also has a pre-school which operates from the community hall in the church grounds.

References

{{reflist Towns and villages in County Cork Civil parishes of County Cork Townlands of County Cork

History

Economy and culture

Education

See also

References