The twin villages of Ballineen () and Enniskeane () in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

are southwest of

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...

, on the

R586 The R586 road is a long regional road in Ireland, located in west County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It i ...

road. Ballineen and Enniskean lie on the

River Bandon The River Bandon ( ga, Abhainn na Bandan, from ''ban-dea'', meaning "goddess") is a river in County Cork, Ireland. The Bandon rises at Nowen Hill (one of the Shehy Mountains), to the north of Drimoleague. The river then flows to Dunmanway, be ...

between Bandon and

Dunmanway Dunmanway (, official Irish name: ) is a market town in County Cork, in the southwest of Ireland. It is the geographical centre of the region known as West Cork. It is the birthplace of Sam Maguire, an Irish Protestant republican, for whom the tr ...

and the fertile Bandon valley.

History

Ballineen belonged first to the

Earls of Cork Earl of Cork is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, held in conjunction with the Earldom of Orrery since 1753. It was created in 1620 for Richard Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle. He had already been created Lord Boyle, Baron of Youghal, in the County ...

and later to the

Earls of Bandon Earl of Bandon was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Francis Bernard, 1st Viscount Bandon. He had already been created Baron Bandon, of Bandon Bridge in the County of Cork, in 1793, Viscount Bandon, of Bandon Bridge ...

Francis Bernard, 3rd Earl of Bandon Francis Bernard, 3rd Earl of Bandon (3 January 1810 – 17 February 1877), styled Viscount Bernard between 1830 and 1856, was an Irish peer and politician. Background and education Born in Grosvenor Street, London, he was the son of James Bernar ...

improved the village in the mid-19th century by building a market house, courthouse,

Weslyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminianism, Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a Christian theology, theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the Christian ministry, ministry of the 18th-century eva ...

Chapel,

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

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 Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domi ...

, the

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...

. 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 Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway (CB&SCR), was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland. It opened in 1849 as the Cork and Bandon Railway (C&BR), changed its name to Cork Bandon and South Coast Railway in 1888 and became part of the Great South ...

, which opened in 1866. These two separate train stations were closed and replaced with a combined station,

Ballineen and Enniskean railway station Ballineen and Enniskean railway station was on the West Cork Railway in County Cork, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe ...

, which opened in May 1891. A number of businesses, including a

flax mill Flax mills are mills which process flax. The earliest mills were developed for spinning yarn for the linen industry. John Kendrew (an optician) and Thomas Porthouse (a clockmaker), both of Darlington developed the process from Richard Arkwrigh ...

, were built close to the station, on the road between the two villages, ultimately "joining" the two. Ballineen and Enniskean station closed in April 1961. Ballineen and Enniskean are combined for planning and census purposes, with a population of 692 people as of the 2016 census.

Economy

The main employers in the area include a large Carbery Group cheese and ingredients factory approximately west of Ballineen on the R586 road, and Grainger's Sawmills in Enniskean. The Grainger Group sawmill is one of the largest in Ireland, and the large Carbery cheese plant at Ballineen produces one quarter of all Irish-made cheese, including the

Dubliner Cheese Dubliner is a sweet, granular cheese made from pasteurised cow's milk aged over a year and manufactured by Carbery, located in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. Since 1996, it has been marketed internationally by Ornua (formerly the Irish Dairy ...

brand.

Amenities

The villages have a

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

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

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr B ...

(1943–2014), politician and TD for Cork South-West

References

External links