Ballineen and Enniskean

The twin villages of Ballineen (Irish: Béal Átha Fhínín, meaning "mouth of Fineen's Ford") and Enniskeane (Irish: Inis Céin, meaning "the island of Cian") in County Cork in Ireland are 43 km (26.72 mi) southwest of Cork City, on the R586 road. Ballineen and Enniskean lie on the River Bandon between Bandon and Dunmanway and the fertile Bandon valley.

Ballineen and Enniskeane
Twin village
Main Street Ballineen
Ballineen and Enniskeane
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°44′8″N 8°56′55″W
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCounty Cork
Population
 (2016)[1]
692
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

History

Ballineen belonged first to the Earls of Cork and later to the Earls of Bandon. Francis Bernard, 3rd Earl of Bandon improved the village in the mid-19th century by building a market house, courthouse, Weslyan Chapel, Gothic church and two schools in the area. Ballineen held monthly fairs until the mid-1960s.

Enniskean takes its name from Cian Maol Muadh (later O'Mahony) a local chieftain and has a connection with Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland. Cian married Sábh Brian's daughter and resided at Castlelands, Enniskean.

Located about a half-mile apart, each village was served by separate train stations on the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway, which opened in 1866.[2] These two separate train stations were closed and replaced with a combined station, Ballineen and Enniskean railway station, which opened in May 1891.[3] A number of businesses, including a flax mill, were built close to the station, on the road between the two villages, ultimately "joining" the two.[4] Ballineen and Enniskean station closed in April 1961.[3]

Ballineen and Enniskean are combined for planning and census purposes, with a population of 692 people as of the 2016 census.[1]

Economy

The main employers in the area include a large Carbery Group cheese and ingredients factory approximately 2 km (1.24 mi) west of Ballineen on the R586 road, and Grainger's Sawmills in Enniskean. The Grainger Group sawmill is one of the largest in Ireland,[5] and the large Carbery cheese plant at Ballineen produces one quarter of all Irish-made cheese, including the Dubliner Cheese brand.[6]

Amenities

The villages have a Gaelic Athletic Association club called St Mary's GAA club. There is also a camogie club called Enniskean Camogie Club. The local association football (soccer) club is Riverside Athletic.

People

See also

References
  1. "Small Area Population Statistics (SAPMAP Area) - Settlements - Ballineen and Enniskean". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. April 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  2. "Ballineen". eiretrains.com. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  3. "Ballineen and Enniskean station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
  4. "The Twin Villages of Ballineen and Enniskean". ballineenandenniskean.weebly.com. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  5. "Timber firms merge for €50m operation". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  6. "Mozzarella next on menu as Carbery grows in Asia and US". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020. Carbery's factory in Ballineen [..] produces a quarter of all Irish-made cheese, including its flagship Dubliner brand
  7. "Former Fianna Fáil minister Joe Walsh dies aged 71". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 9 November 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
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