History

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Kanturk Ceann Toirc The Boar's Head. Why? Folklore has it that the very last Wild Boar in Ireland was killed in Kanturk

Kanturk is a 17th century development of an existing site with the present town built on the townlands of Kanturk

Curragh:- the lower extremity of which was formerly know as Shradeen which is now covered by O'Brien St., Earl St., Egmont Place and the adjacent section of Newmarket Rd.. Greenane:

It is possible there existed two seperate settlements:- Kanturk, which belonged to the family of Dermod MacOwen (MacDonagh) and in Curragh, the property of the rival Donough Mac Cormac (Mac Donough). The original Kanturk Castle was in Curragh (adjacent to Bolsters dwelling) and is mentioned first under 1510 when it was taken by Gearld the Great Earl Of Kildare. Shradeen (referred to in 1702 as being part of the plough land of Curragh but seperated from it to accomidate the Town of Kanturk) may have been the settlement which grew aroung this castle.

One, or both of these Gaelic settlements existed since the early 16th century at least. Kanturk and Curragh formed the most southerly extremity of the Parish of Clonfert which was bounded by the Rivers Allow and Brogeen at this point. At one time the River Allow also marked the limits of the Diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe.

Ownership These lands originally belonged to the MacCarthy Clan a branch of whom know as MacDonough owned Duhallow Vide Butler. The MacDonough proprierorship continued up to Cromwell - Curragh had been sold in 1639 at which time Kanturk was mortgaged - succeeded by the Purcevals. The Perceval development took place in Kanturk - Shradeen was largely a late 18th early 19th century development.

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The following sections are taken from " Kanturk : This Is Our Town In County Cork" by Seamus O Mahony and Padraig O Sulleabhain and edited by Padraig O Maidin. Cork County Council Nation Monuments Committee 1981.

Kanturk : (Ceann Toric) is a thriving market and residential town on the Mallow-Newmarket road, at the confluence of the Dalua and Allua rivers, which are both bridged here. The Dalua is spanned by Kanutrk Bridge (Dalua Stone Bridge) and the Allua by Greenane Bridge.

Dalua Bridge Of six arches, was built in 1760 for the landlord, the Earl of Egmont. In the copying of the parapet six quadrangular polished limestone, placed at intervals, remind us that the roadway was much narrower and that staon-foofed recesses over the northern piers provided seating accomodation for the weary travellers or courting couples. The original Kanturk Bridge was a timber structure. In 1702 there was a confluence of the rivers above and below the bridge owing to heavy flooding. Ten years later the flooding was very heavy and the bridge suffered nuch damage. More repairs were required in 1720. Forty years later (1760), the present stone bridge was built. As the verses remind us, the inscribed stones were bought from the limestone quarry at Windmill Hill near Churchtown. "Yon famed hill" mentioned in the sixth stone is O'Donovans Hill, also referred to by the 14th century poet Godfraidh Fionn O Dalaigh: A chnuic thoir re taoibh Ealla Fa dtaid aicme Oilealla. Note the inscription on the parapet of the bridge: I, from my womb on Winmill Hill Great Egmonts order to fulfill Was brought with seven of my race His lordships honoured town to grace Secur'd from surly wind and rain The gentle nymph and amourous swain May here their tender vows repeat Which i shall surely ne'er relate. Hence Bluepool's waving groves delight Amuse the fancy, please the sight And give such joy as may arise From sylan scenes and azure skies. See Kanturk Castle and Fermoyle Retreats of Perceval and Boyle Illustrious in their country's cause And guardians of its rights and laws. See Dalua rolls its flood along, And Allua famed in Spencers song Where lordly swans in wanton pride. Expand their plumes or stem the tide. The weary here in safe repose Forgetting lifes attendant woes, May sit secure, serene and still And view with joy you famed hill.

Town Park Approaching the footbridge (commonly referred to as the "Metal Bridge" ) from Earl Street turn right into the scenic Town Park on the banks of the Dalua, with some fine oak, beech, chesnut and ash trees, incorporating a childrens playground as well as a leisurely walk by the side of the Dalua where one will often happen across a few delightful swans.

The Footbridge: On four low arches of cut limestone, with handsome cast iron rainlings, was erected in 1848 by Sir Edward Tierney, who had got a hod on the Egmont Estate. The embossed shileds on the railings display his coat of arms.

Canon's Wood: On the north of the bridge an enclosed grove of elm, chestnut and laburnum trees, known as the Canon's Wood appears a natural retreat for elder citizens. The footbridge leads to Church Streetand faces the Church Of The Immaculate Conception

Church of the Immaculate Conception:(1860-1867). The Church has an unusually high pitched roof supported by polished limestone pillars. On first seeing Kanturk Town when entering from Mallow, through Greenane Street this fine building can be seen quite easily and is one of the most distinguished buildings in Kanturk. It is 145ft., in length with nave 40ft., and two side aisles each 20ft., wide. The church was erected by subscriptions of the parishioners and Kanturk exiles in the gold fields of Klondyke, Australia and South Africa, who donated gold nuggets which were melted in one big nugget, which was to be raffled at the Egmont Arms Hotel in 1866. The raffle was to be held on June 6th 1866 but was postponed from week to week until the following August 17th. The raffle does not appear to have been held and one wonders what happened to the gold nugget!

Kanturk Castle: A mile south of Kanturk town are the impressive ruins of Kanturk Castle, known as the Old Court. built c. 1600 by Dermot MacOwenMacCarthy, 'Lord of Duhallow' head of the MacDonagh-MacCarthy branch of the MacCarthy family. On learning that he was building "a regular fortress" , " a house much too large for a subject" the privy council in London ordered that work on the castle be discontinued. The castle was, sadly, never copmpleted. The walls stop at the corbels intended to bear the parapets. Charles Smith, the historian of Cork described the castle as "the finest ever erected by an Irish Chieftan". Its plan is oblong, 120ft. by 80ft., flanked at each angle with a square embattled tower, five storys high. H.G. Leask states: "It is recorded that in a fit of rage at the complaints and accusations that he was building a fortress made by his suspicious neighbours - English settlers - thye the Privy Coucil of the day, Dermod MacOwen had the glass tiles made for its roof covering smashed up and thrown away and the building stripped. It may be assumed that the intention of the designer was to have many gables to the towers and walls, rising within the parapets: the walls however stop short at the gutter level and are furnished with rows of very heavy corbels of stone which were to bear the parapets. The entrance is of Jacobean design with pilasters and a bold frieze and cornice about it's round headed doorway. The semi-elliptical arch however, appears in some of the openings which have hoods of unusual design. The windows are numerous and large, in the main block and smaller size in the wings and towers. - Irish Castles and Castellated houses (Dundalk 1973).

Edel Quinn Edel Quinn was born in Kanturk, Co. Cork, Ireland on September 14th, 1907. As a girl her ambition was to enter a Contemplative Convent, but she was prevented from doing so by ill health. At the age of 20 she joined the Legion of Mary in Dublin and gave herself entirely to its apostolate. in 1932 she became seriously ill and spent a long period in hospital. She later resumed her Legion work, though with her health permanently impaired. In 1936, Edel was appointed Legion of Mary Envoy with the commission to establish the organisation in the vast territories of East and Central Africa. She encountered great obstacles in this pioneering work. As against every difficulty and her wretched health, she brought to her task an absolute faith in God's love and a limitless trust in the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin. Edel was gifted with a clear practical mind, notable organising ability, an indomitable will, a deep fund of warm, human sympathy and an infectious joyousness of spirit that never failed her. These qualities eventually won everyone to her side. Although working alone and in a state of perpetual ill-health and exhaustion, Edel established the Legion on a firm, enduring basis even as far a Mauritius in the indian Ocean. Hundreds of Legion branches and multiple councils were established and she mobilised thousands of Africans in the service of the Church. After eight years of heroic labour, Edel died in Nairobi on May 14th, 1944, where she is buried in the Missionaries' Cemetery. The Diocesan Process, the first step towrds her beatification, was sent in motion by the Archbishop of Nairobi. On 15th December 1994 our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II in a special assembly of the Cardinals and other members ofthe Congregation for the Causes of the Saints made the following solemn declaration.. "It is certain that the Servant of God, Edel Mary Quinn, a secular virgin of the Legion of Mary, practised to a heroic degree the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity towards God and her neighbour and likewise the cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude". He ordered the Decree to be published and to be inserted in the Acts of the Congregation. Because of this proclamation of her outstanding holiness Edel Quinn now bears the title Venerable The above extract is taken from the Legion of Mary Official Website

Kanturk and Newmarket Railway: Opened 1889, closed (finally) 1963 and had some very distinctive features. Built by Robert Worthington for the Kanturk and Newmarket Railway Co. (local land gentry and Cork businessmen) it had an independant existance of 3 1/2 years until purchased by the Great Southern and Western Railway in February 1893. The line, 8 3/4 miles long, from Banteer to Newmarket, had it's only intermediate station at Kanturk. It was never profitable and had to be supported by baronial guarantee from the beginning. Until 1942 four trains ran daily, with occasional Sunday excursions to the seaside, G.A.A. matches, or pilgrimages(Drogheda and Knock) and tha annual exodus to Banteer Sports in June. C.I.E. proposed to close the line in 1952. Walter Mc Grath writes (Seanchas Duhalla, 1978-1979):"I the mid 1950's the Mewmarket Line became the venus for an interesting railway experiment, C.I.E. tried to close the line, but the time the last word lay with an independant Transport Tribunal, and following a great campaign in the locality the Tribunal (after a two day hearing in Kanturk ) refused to sanction the closure. The result was that C.I.E. commissioned a special small class of German-bulit diesel-hydraulic locomotive, and in an atmosphereof great rejoicing the branch line was officially reopened to regular goods services ( after nine years closure) on June 1st 1956 The Kanturk and Newmarket stations took a new lease of life and for a time many local merchants gave good support. Occasional passenger trains ran aswell, for eevents such as Banteer Sports, Knock pilgrimages etc. But subsequent legislation aboloished the Transport Tribunal, gave C.I.E. full power to abandon "uneconomic" lines and the final closure came in 1963 when the residents of Ceann Toirc and Ath Treasna finally bade farewell to their railway The extensive station at Kanturk was retained by the Kanturk Development Association until 1973 when it was purchased by H.M.Keating and Son. The office, store and water tower of the railway still stand in Percival Street; there too is the former station masters house. The embankment of the Kanturk-Newmarket section forms the western bounday of the Town Park.

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