Crookstown () is a small village in

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

in Ireland, about 12 km east of the town of

Macroom Macroom (; ) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork (city), Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of war, ...

and about 1 km off the N22 Cork–Killarney road. It had a population of 183 at the 2022 census, down from 203 in the 2016 census.

History

To the south of Crookstown village is the ruin of the 16th century Clodagh Castle, once home to one of the branches of the McSweeney clan. Another ruined castle, Castlemore Castle or Dundrinan Castle, lies to the north of the village. Crookstown Road railway station, located close to Castlemore Castle approximately 2 km from the village centre, operated as a stop on the

Cork and Macroom Direct Railway The Cork and Macroom Direct Railway (CMDR) was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland which ran the from Cork (city), Cork to Macroom. History It was incorporated in 1861 and was chaired by Sir John Arnott and Joseph Ronayne. The engineer for ...

from 1866 until services on the line ceased in the 1940s. The

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

(IRA) was active around Crookstown during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

, and Crookstown House, an estate house owned by the Warren family was burnt-out by the IRA in June 1921. It was later rebuilt. According to biographer

Tim Pat Coogan Timothy Patrick "Tim Pat" Coogan (born 22 April 1935) is an Irish journalist, writer and broadcaster. He served as editor of ''The Irish Press'' newspaper from 1968 to 1987. He has been best known for such books as ''The IRA'', ''Ireland Since t ...

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

was likely on his way to a meeting in Crookstown when he was killed in an ambush at nearby

Béal na Bláth Béal na Bláth or Béal na Blá (anglicised Bealnablath or Bealnabla) is a small village on the R585 road in County Cork, Ireland. The area is best known as the site of the ambush and death of the Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins i ...

during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 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 Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

Geography

Crookstown is approximately 30 km from

Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

, and 4 km from

. It lies between the River Bride and River Brouen, and in 2012 was subject to flooding when both rivers burst their banks.

Economy

Crookstown is a rural village with a number of shops, pubs and other businesses. A large mill, built c.1810 at Bellmount close to the village, was once economically important to the area. The area is now better known for its brick and concrete factory at Castlemore.

Amenities

The Crookstown area is served by a Garda station and post office. Local sports clubs include Crookstown United (which fields teams in the

Munster Football Association The Munster Football Association (MFA) is the governing body for association football in the Irish province of Munster. It is affiliated to the Football Association of Ireland and is responsible for organising the Munster Senior Cup and the Mu ...

's 'shipping league') and Crookstown Karate Club (members of which have competed in national and international competition).

References

{{County Cork Towns and villages in County Cork

History

Geography

Economy

Amenities

See also

References