Rochestown
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Rochestown is a primarily residential area in
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' ...
, Ireland. Originally a somewhat rural area 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 ...
, housing developments in the 20th and 21st centuries have connected the area to
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
and nearby suburbs. The area was formally incorporated into Cork City following the
2019 Cork boundary change The boundary between Cork city and County Cork, under the local jurisdiction of Cork City Council and Cork County Council respectively, was changed in mid 2019 when the Local Government Act 2018 came into force after the 2019 local elections, wit ...
on 31 May 2019, along with the surrounding areas of Douglas, Grange and Frankfield. The R610 trunk road passes through the area, linking Rochestown and other villages in lower
Cork Harbour Cork Harbour () is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" (after Port Ja ...
, to the city centre. Rochestown Road also links Douglas with the N40 South Ring Road.


History

Among the earliest written mentions of Rochestown are a reference in the Pipe Roll of Cloyne (1385) as "Rochestoun", and the
Down Survey The Down Survey was a cadastral survey of Ireland, carried out by English scientist, William Petty, in 1655 and 1656. The survey was apparently called the "Down Survey" by Petty, either because the results were set down in maps or because the s ...
(1656) as "Rochtowne". Other documents record the manor and estate houses in the area, including Ronayne's Court, a
fortified house A fortified house or fortified mansion is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, generally with significant fortifications added. United States In the United States, historically a fortified house was often calle ...
which was built in 1624, and described as the "oldest house near the
iver Iver is a large civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. In addition to the central clustered village, the parish includes the residential neighbourhoods of Iver Heath and Richings Park. Geography, transport and economy Part of the 43-square- ...
Lee" prior to its demolition in the 20th century. In the 19th century, the
Capuchin Order The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM) ...
opened a friary on the Rochestown-Monkstown road, which was developed as a secondary school, and is now more commonly known as St. Francis College Rochestown. Also opened in the 19th century was
Rochestown railway station Rochestown railway station was on the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway in Rochestown, County Cork, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in No ...
, a station on the
Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway The Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway known locally to the locals aThe Black Bridge(CB&PR) was a narrow gauge railway in County Cork, Ireland. The line originally opened in 1850 as a Irish standard gauge railway between Cork and Passage West ...
line. Though closed in 1932, part of this line was developed into a walking route alongside
Lough Mahon Lough Mahon () is a sea lough in the north-western part of Cork Harbour. Its area is about . Several Cork suburbs, such as Mahon, Douglas, Rochestown, Blackrock and Ballinlough as well as the town of Passage West are on its southern and we ...
. In the 1920s, during the Free State offensive of the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...
, there were clashes around Rochestown as Anti-Treaty irregulars attempted to hold the village from advancing Pro-Treaty National Army troops. This engagement, sometimes referred to as the "Battle of Rochestown", occurred as
Emmet Dalton James Emmet Dalton MC (4 March 1898 – 4 March 1978) was an Irish soldier and film producer. He served in the British Army in the First World War, reaching the rank of captain. However, on his return to Ireland he became one of the senior fig ...
's National Army troops landed in numbers (with armoured car and field artillery support) at
Passage West Passage West (locally known as "Passage"; ) is a port town in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the west bank of Cork Harbour, some 10 km south-east of Cork city. The town has many services, amenities and social outlets. Passage West was ...
port, and advanced towards Cork city. Anti-Treaty troops, including reinforcements fresh from the
Battle of Kilmallock The Battle of Kilmallock took place between 25 July and 5 August 1922 in County Limerick, Ireland. It was one of the largest engagements of the Irish Civil War. It consisted of ten days of fighting in the countryside round Kilmallock in Coun ...
, demolished the bridge and fortified several buildings in Rochestown, before retiring to defensive positions in Old Court Woods and Belmonte Hill. The fighting, which went on for three days, resulted in a National Army victory, and the eventual capture of Cork city. While a local Rochestown medical officer had set up a
field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...
in his home, upwards of 7 Anti-Treaty and 9 Pro-Treaty soldiers were killed. Remaining Anti-Treaty prisoners were taken to Cork. One of the fiercest areas of fighting, Old Court Woods at Garryduff, is now a forested
Coillte Coillte (; meaning "forests"/"woods") is a state-owned commercial forestry business in Ireland based in Newtownmountkennedy. Coillte manage approximately 7% of the country’s land, and operates three businesses - their core forestry business, a ...
amenity.


Amenities

Public green space and leisure amenities in the area include trails in Old Court woods and the Lough Mahon walkway. The
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
parish of Douglas and Rochestown is situated between
Passage West Passage West (locally known as "Passage"; ) is a port town in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the west bank of Cork Harbour, some 10 km south-east of Cork city. The town has many services, amenities and social outlets. Passage West was ...
and
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
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 ...
. A Catholic church of this parish (St Patrick's Church) is close to the Rochestown Road. The area is served by two schools, Scoil Phádraig Naofa (primary) which opened in 2008, and St. Francis College Rochestown (secondary) which dates to 1884. Local businesses include a small "town centre" type development in the Mount Oval housing development.


See also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland


References


Bordering suburbs

{{Geographic location , title = Neighbouring areas of Cork. , Northwest = Tramore River Estuary , North = Mahon , Northeast =
Lough Mahon Lough Mahon () is a sea lough in the north-western part of Cork Harbour. Its area is about . Several Cork suburbs, such as Mahon, Douglas, Rochestown, Blackrock and Ballinlough as well as the town of Passage West are on its southern and we ...
, West =
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
, Centre = Rochestown , East =
Passage West Passage West (locally known as "Passage"; ) is a port town in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the west bank of Cork Harbour, some 10 km south-east of Cork city. The town has many services, amenities and social outlets. Passage West was ...
, Southwest =
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
, South = Rural Area , Southeast = Rural Area Geography of Cork (city) Towns in Ireland