County Cork History
Corks name comes from the Gaelic word, Corcaigh, which means marsh. Corks turbulent history has earned it the nickname, The Rebel County. It is the birthplace of the famous Irish revolutionary, Michael Collins. Cork was originally a pontifical inhabitancy, focused around the famous church built by St. Finbarre, and the educational centers nearby. In the year 820 AD, Vikings raided the peaceful hamlet, and ended up amalgamating with the local Celtic population. Invasion by the Anglo-Normans took place in the 12th century. The new conquerors built massive stone bastions around Cork city, which were later destroyed in the 1690 Siege of Cork by eh forces of William of Orange. Co. Cork The largest county in Ireland, and of very diversified surface. In the east and 
north are expanses of typical Central Plain country-gently undulating limestone pastures. These are interrupted by east-and-west ridges of sandstones and slates, with picturesque river valleys between. As we pass westward these ridges increase in height and width, till in Western Cork they occupy the whole surface, producing wild and beautiful mountain scenery which continues and develops further in Kerry. The coast-line, as in Kerry, is exceedingly broken, with long and deep sea-inlets in the west. Cork, the capital of the province, lies among cultivated hills whore the east-and-west valley of the Lee dips below sea-level. It is a busy port and railway centre. The railway from Dublin, dropping steeply into the valley, reaches the station through a Grand Parade, Cork long tunnel, and runs on to Queenstown (Cobh) and Youghal. Further west, the Cork, Bandon, and South Coast Railway has its terminus : it serves a large area, 
penetrating to the Kerry border. A loop line now connects these two systems. A shorter line runs to Macroom. The port accommodates steamers of considerable ton- nage, but the largest boats lie in the open water of Cork Harbour, some miles down. The city had its origin as a fortified post of the Danes on a small island in the Lee, following on the ecclesiastical settlement founded there by St Finbarre in the seventh century. It has spread far beyond these narrow confines, and in some parts has climbed up the steep hills that rise over the river, so that the houses rise tier above tier. The appearance of the principal street is bright and busy, and many of the public buildings are good. Cork Harbour is an extremely irregular arm of the sea with a narrow entrance, 12 miles in length from Cork city to the open sea. It represents the sunken continuation of the Lee valley, and 
really con- sists of two drowned limestone troughs lying between three east-and-west ridges of slate, through which north-and-south passages have been cut by rivers. The first of these ridges rises along the northern edge of the area, by Cork and Midleton ; the second across the centre, forming Great Island, on which stands the important port of Queenstown (Cobh) ; and the third across the mouth, where the twin forts are perched high above the sea. Its structure is illustrated on pp. 34, 35. Youghal is a fishing port and Grand Parade, Cork summer resort at the mouth of the Blackwater, in the extreme east. Kinsalc, Clonakilty, Skibbereen, and Bantry lie on the western coast. Inland, Dunmanway and Bandon are on the Bandon river, and Macroom on the Lee. Along the picturesque valley of the Blackwater are Kanturk, Mallow (an important railway junction) and Fermoy. Northward, in the more level limestone country, are Buttevant and Charleville. Mitchelstown is in the north-east, at the southern base of the Galtee mountains.
June 7th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
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