Castletownshend
Castletownshend
Baile an Chaisleáin | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Castletownshend village seen from St Barrahane's Church | |
  Castletownshend Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 51°32′N 9°11′W / 51.533°N 9.183°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Cork |
| Population (2022)[1] | 164 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
Castletownshend (Irish: Baile an Chaisleáin, meaning 'town of the castle')[2] is a village about 8 km (5 mi) south-east of Skibbereen, in County Cork, Ireland. The village developed around a small 17th-century castle built by Richard Townsend.
History
[edit]Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ringfort, fulacht fiadh, standing stone and bullaun stone sites in the townlands of Castletownsend, Drishane, Gurranes and Farrandau.[3]
The modern village developed around a fortified country house, originally built by Richard Townsend c. 1650, which was extended in the 19th century.[4] The main street of the town, lined with large homes from the 18th century, runs down a sharply sloped hill leading to Castlehaven Harbour and the castle.
Drishane House, another large country house which is historically associated with the Somerville family, dates to the c. 1790.[5]
The village's Church of Ireland (Anglican) church, the Church of St Barrahane, was built in 1827 and overlooks the town.[6] The local Catholic church, also dedicated to Saint Barrahane, was built c. 1840 to the northwest of the village.[7]
Demographics
[edit]As of the 2022 census, Castletownshend had a population of 164. Of these, 73.2% were born in Ireland, 17.1% in the United Kingdom, 1.2% in Poland, 4.9% in other EU countries excluding Ireland and Poland, and 3.7% in the rest of the world.[1]
People
[edit]- Edith Somerville (1858–1949) lived in Castletownsend. She was one half of the writing duo Somerville and Ross, who together authored the Irish RM series of humorous novels on Irish life in the early 1900s.[5]
- Sir Patrick Buckley (1841–1896), who became Attorney-General of New Zealand, was born in the area.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Census Mapping - Towns: Castletownshend - Population Snapshot". Census 2022. CSO. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ "Baile an Chaisleáin / Castletownshend". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ^ Power, Denis, ed. (1992). Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork. Dublin: Government Stationery Office.
- ^ "The Castle, Castletownsend, Castletownshend, Cork". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
Detached country [..] built c.1650, flanked by [..] three-storey crenulated tower to north-east, added c.1860 [..] This fine building [..] was once the focus of the surrounding area. The village developed around the castle
- ^ a b "Drishane House, Cross Street, Drishane, Castletownshend, Cork". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
Detached six-bay two-storey country house, built c.1790 [..] It was the family home of Edith Somerville (1858-1949) at which her cousin Violet Martin (1862-1915) who wrote under the name Martin Ross, was a regular visitor. They are best known for their collaboration 'The Irish R.M'
- ^ "Saint Barrahane's Church (Castlehaven), Castletownsend, Castletownshend, Cork". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ^ "St. Barrahane's Roman Catholic Church, Fahouragh, Cork". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
Freestanding gable-fronted double-height Roman Catholic church, built c.1840 [..] in an isolated position to the north-west of Castletownshend
- ^ Bellam, Michael. "Buckley, Patrick Alphonsus". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
External links
[edit]
Castletownshend travel guide from Wikivoyage
51°32′N 9°11′W / 51.533°N 9.183°W
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