Midleton Mainistir na Corann | |
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Town | |
 Old Distillery with copper pot still, Midleton | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Labore et Honore | |
  Midleton Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:51°54′58″N8°10′30″W / 51.916°N 8.175°W /51.916; -8.175 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | Cork |
| Dáil Constituency | Cork East |
| EU Parliament | South |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 13,906 |
| Time zone | UTC±0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST) |
| Eircode routing key | P25 |
| Telephone area code | +353(0)21 |
| Irish Grid Reference | W879736 |
Midleton (/ˈmɪdəltən/;Irish:Mainistir na Corann, meaning "monastery at the weir")[2] is a town in south-easternCounty Cork, Ireland.[3] It lies approximately 16 km east ofCork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port ofRosslare. A satellite town of Cork City, Midleton is part ofMetropolitan Cork. It is the central hub of business for theEast Cork Area. The town is in thecivil parish of Middleton.[2] Midleton is within theCork East Dáil constituency.
In the 1180s advancingNormans led by Barry Fitz Gerald established an abbey at a weir on the river to be populated byCistercian Monks fromBurgundy. The abbey became known as "Chore Abbey" and "Castrum Chor", taking its name from the Irish wordcora (weir), although some say that "Chor" comes from "Choir" or "Choral". The abbey is commemorated in the Irish name for Midleton,Mainistir na Corann, or "Monastery at the Weir", and of the local river Owenacurra orAbhainn na Cora meaning "River of the Weirs". St John the Baptist's Church, belonging to theChurch of Ireland was erected in 1825 and today still stands on the site of the abbey.[3]
The town gained the name Midleton or "Middle Town" as the main midway town, 10 miles between Cork andYoughal. It was incorporated as a market town and postal depot in 1670, receiving its charter fromCharles II, as the "borough and town of Midleton".[4]
Alan Brodrick, Speaker of theIrish House of Commons andLord Chancellor of Ireland was made the first Baron andViscount Midleton in 1715 and 1717, respectively.[5] Midleton Market House, nowMidleton Library, in Main Street was completed in 1789.[6]
The town is home to theOld Midleton Distillery which was established by James Murphy in 1825.[7] The distillery operated independently until 1868, when it became part of theCork Distilleries Company, which was later amalgamated into Irish Distillers in 1967.[7] In 1988, Irish Distillers was the subject of a friendly takeover by the French drinks conglomeratePernod Ricard.[7] The Old Midleton Distillery, which boasts the world's largest pot still – a copper vessel with a capacity of 140,000 litres, was in operation until 1975 when production was transferred to a new purpose-built facility, theNew Midleton Distillery.[7] The New Midleton Distillery produces a number of Irish whiskeys, includingJameson Whiskey,Redbreast, andPaddy. It also produces vodka and gin. In 1992, the old distillery was restored and reopened as a visitor centre.[8] Known as the Jameson Experience, the visitor centre hosts a number of attractions, including Ireland's largest working water-wheel (with a diameter of 7m).[9]
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At the top of the main street stands a monument to 16Irish Republican Army men killed on 20 February 1921 during theIrish War of Independence. Twelve IRA personnel were killed during anunsuccessful ambush of British forces at the nearby town of Clonmult, while four more were captured and two of those later executed.[10]
Two houses designed by Augustus Pugin, later the architect of the Houses of Parliament in London, stand at the bottom of Main Street. They now form one building and house a public bar.[11]
In 2015, a large steel sculpture calledKindred Spirits was installed in Bailick Park. This sculpture commemorates a famine relief donation, made in 1847 by Native AmericanChoctaw people, during theGreat Famine.[12]
In December 2015 (duringStorm Frank)[13] and in October 2023 (duringStorm Babet)[14] a number of businesses were flooded in Midleton, including on the town's main street.[15]
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Elizabeth Villiers, formermistress ofWilliam of Orange, founded the private school named Midleton College in 1696. The school is traditionally associated with theChurch of Ireland. Past pupils includeIsaac Butt, founder of theHome Rule League,Reginald Dyer, perpetrator of theAmritsar Massacre[16] andJohn Philpot Curran, lawyer.[17]
Local employers include retail, light manufacturing, food production, tourism and whiskey distilling industries.[citation needed] At nearbyWhitegate is the state's first gas-fired power station as well as Ireland's only oil refinery. Many Midleton residents also commute to jobs in Cork city,Carrigtwohill or Little Island.[citation needed]
Traditionally the main commercial and retail area of the town was on Main Street and this continues to provide shopping – primarily with local ownership.[citation needed] The commercial part of Midleton has also expanded to the old site of Midleton Mart, now called Market Green. A number of large retailers have outlets in Midleton, including Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and Supervalu.[18] The Market Green shopping centre, opened in 2005 and containing a cinema, is located at the northern end of the town.[19] The Midleton Farmers' Market is held on Saturdays.[20]
Midleton is also the home of the Old Midleton Distillery, a tourist attraction which includes the largest pot-still in the world.
The town is located in a fertile valley below hills to the north-west ofCork Harbour and the coast to the south. In times past, the channel from the Harbour to nearbyBallinacurra (Irish:Baile na Cora, meaning "Town at the Weir"), was navigable by barges up to 300 tonnes. Due to silting over the years, the channel is now extremely shallow.
In the 20 years between the 1996 and 2016 census, the population of the Midleton area effectively doubled, from 6,209 to 12,496 people.[21]
As of the2022 census, of Midleton's 13,906 inhabitants, 71.01% were white Irish, less than 0.5% white Irish travellers, 16.30% other white ethnicities, 3.36% black, 3.11% Asian, 2.45% other ethnicities, and 3.35% did not state their ethnicity. In terms of religion the area was 67.12%Catholic, 10.36% other stated religions, 18.47% with no religion, and 4.05% not stated.[1]
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Midleton railway station is on theCork Suburban Rail network and is one of two termini (the other being Cobh) into and out ofCork Kent railway station. Passengers interchange atCork Kent for trains to Dublin and Tralee.
The railway line to Midleton was opened on 10 November 1859 by the Cork &Youghal Railway, a company that was later taken over by the Great Southern & Western Railway. Midleton was the location of the railway works for this company.
The line between Midleton and Cork was closed for regular use between 1963 and 2009. Occasional use (mainly transport of beet from Midleton to the Mallow Sugar Factory) continued for many years after 1963, but even the sporadic usage of the line came to an end in 1988, with the final train to use the track being a passenger excursion for Midleton GAA supporters to Dublin for the final of the All Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship (in which Midleton played). The reopening of the line was completed byIarnród Éireann on 30 July 2009.[22]
The nearest airport isCork Airport.
Bus Éireann run bus services to and from Midleton, including toCork City Bus Station,Whitegate,Waterford,Ballinacurra,Carrigtwohill,Little Island,Glounthaune andTivoli.[citation needed]
Midleton GAA is the localGaelic Athletic Association club, andMidleton RFC the localrugby club. Martial arts groups include the Midleton Aikido Club [which has been teaching Aikido in East Cork since 2006] and Midleton Taekwondo Club.[citation needed]Midleton F.C. is the local soccer team, and there is also a cricket club.[citation needed]
Several convenience anchor stores (Tesco, Supervalu, Aldi and Lidl) are represented
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