Rushbrooke is a populated area on the western side of

Cobh Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. With a population of 14,148 inhabitants at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, Cobh is on the south si ...

Great Island Great Island () is an island in Cork Harbour, at the mouth of the River Lee and close to the city of Cork, Ireland. The largest town on the island is Cobh (called Queenstown from 1849 to 1920). The island's economic and social history has hist ...

Cork Harbour Cork Harbour () is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee (Ireland), 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 ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is in the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

of Ringacoltig ().

History and development

The area is named after Frederica Harriet Rushbrooke and her son and daughter who were granted lands under the 'Midleton Act' (1850). This followed the suicide of

George Brodrick, 5th Viscount Midleton George Alan Brodrick, 5th Viscount Midleton (10 June 1806 – 1 November 1848) was a British nobleman. The son of George Brodrick, 4th Viscount Midleton and Maria Benyon, he succeeded to the peerage in 1836. He was educated at Eton College. He ...

(1806-1848), who died by inhaling charcoal on 1 November 1848. Succession to the titles and estate was court challenged and ultimately settled by Private Act of the House of Lords. Land in

Surrey, England Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

and Ireland were settled on the Rushbrookes from the estates of Earl Broderick/Viscount Midleton, who became known as the 'most wretched man in the world' by his aristocratic peers in England. Much disapproved of was his association with

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 1812 – 14 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival style of ar ...

, the renowned Catholic architect and father of

E W Pugin Edward Welby Pugin (11 March 1834 – 5 June 1875) was an English architect, the eldest son of architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Louisa Barton. His father was an architect in the Gothic Revival style, and after his early death in 18 ...

who later designed

Cobh Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St. Colman (), usually known as Cobh Cathedral, or previously Queenstown Cathedral, is a single-spire cathedral in Cobh, Ireland. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral and was completed in 1919. Built on Cathedral Place, it ov ...

. Even more disapproved of was his unorthodox relationships. Rushbrooke contains a number of

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

houses, while several newer housing estates have been built in the Rushbrooke area in more modern times.

Industry

Located on the shoreline of Cork harbour, Rushbrooke has a long tradition of ship and boat-building. The docks at Rushbrooke were founded by

Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was a military commander and politician of the Confederate States of America. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil ...

and became the home of the former Dutch-owned Verolme Cork Dockyard which once employed over 1,100 people in

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

. Many large ships were built and launched from Verolme. This included a number of vessels, such as LÉ Eithne, which were built for the

Irish Naval Service The Naval Service () is the maritime component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork. Though prece ...

which has its headquarters nearby. The dockyard closed in the mid 1980s with major job losses, and was subsequently redeveloped into a commercial and small industries park - while Cork Dockyard Holdings Ltd continues with ship and boat repair.

Sport

Rushbrooke has the oldest tennis club in Ireland, the Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which runs a number of tournaments each year.

Transport

Rushbrooke also has a railway station on the main Cork to Cobh line, located close to the Cork Dockyard Commercial Development,

Rushbrooke railway station Rushbrooke () is a train station in the Rushbrooke area, on Great Island in Cork harbour. It is a station on the Cork to Cobh commuter service. Passengers transfer at Glounthaune station to travel to Midleton Midleton (; , meaning "mona ...

, which opened on 10 March 1862 and closed for goods traffic on 2 December 1974. A bus service between Cork and Cobh, operated by Cobh Connect, also stops at the entrance to Rushbrooke Links.

References

{{County Cork Towns and villages in County Cork Cobh

History and development

Industry

Sport

Transport

See also

References