Farran An Fearann (Irish) | |
|---|---|
Village | |
.jpg) Ruins of Aglish church and cemetery near Farran village | |
  Farran Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:51°52′26″N08°43′12″W / 51.87389°N 8.72000°W /51.87389; -8.72000 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Cork |
| Population | 326 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
Farran (Irish:An Fearann)[2] is a village inCounty Cork, Ireland, in the parish ofOvens. It lies on the southside of theRiver Lee. Farran is 12 miles (19 km) west fromCork City on theN22 road.
The village has a primary school, creche and Montessori school, a church, community hall, and a number of small businesses.Kilcrea Friary andKilcrea Castle are historical sites in the area. As of the2022 census, Farran was home to 326 people.[1]
Farran lies within the historicalbarony ofMuskerry East and the ancient parish ofAglish (fromIrish:Eaglais, meaning 'church'). The medieval parish church at Aglish is recorded in taxation records of 1199 as 'Magalaid',[3] and by 1482 was recorded as 'Agalasmaschala'.[4]
The ruins of this church, which was built of stone and lime, still show the northern and western walls.[citation needed] The old graveyard is to the rear of the western gable. A new graveyard was opened in the 1970s, and is still being used for families in the area.[citation needed]
The current parish church at Farran is in theRoman Catholic parish of Ovens (formed of the ancient parishes of Aglish, Athnowen, and Desertmore).[5] It was commissioned by the then parish priest, Fr. John Cotter, in 1860.[6][7] Replacing a smaller temporary church which dated from the 1820s,[6] it was built beside the road leading from Farran village to Aglish burial ground. Funded by local subscription,[8] the church was built in aGothic Revival style by contractor John Crean to designs byME Hadfield andGeorge Goldie of Sheffield.[7]
Farran Church is unusual in that the entire building (rather than just the altar) is consecrated.[8] In 2010, Farran Church celebrated its 150th year in use.[6]
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Farran Forrest Park (commonly called Farran Wood) is a 44 hectares (110 acres) woodland area just north of Farran village. It is a public park operated byCoillte, and is located on the southern bank of theRiver Lee atInniscarra Lake.[9][10] It is the home of the National Rowing Centre.[11]
Farran Wood was originally part of a larger estate, formerly associated with the Matthews and previously the Clarke families.[12] The Clarke family had been local landlords who came to Farran in the mid-19th century.[13] Originally from Liverpool in England, the Clarke family first settled in Trabolgan near Midleton and later in Farran, where they extended a Georgian house which had formerly been owned by the Penrose family.[13][14] The Clarke family were involved in the tobacco industry and opened a cigar company,William Clarke & Son, in Cork in the mid-19th century.[15]
Ballineadigtownland borders Farran, and contains a "cill" site within a circular mound. This ecclesiastical enclosure, locally known asAn Teampall (the temple) is traditionally associated withSaint Finbarr.[16] There are also a number offulacht fiadh andringfort sites within the townland.[17]
The name of the townland in English, Ballineadig, derives from the IrishBaile an Éadaigh ("town of the clothes"), reputedly referring to a former clothes producer in the area.[citation needed] The River Lee represents the northern boundary of Ballineadig. In 1957, the Electricity Supply Board constructed a dam to generate electricity at Inniscarra. This dramatically raised the water level of the river, and thus, several sections of land in Ballineadig were subject to compulsory purchase.[12]
Kilcrea Abbey andKilcrea Castle were both built in the 1460s byCormac Láidir McCarthy. The ruins of the two structures lie in the townland of Kilcrea on the southern bank of theRiver Bride, approximately 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from Farran village.
Among the people buried at Kilcrea Abbey are several generations of theMacCarthys of Muskerry, the writerArt Ó Laoghaire andThomas O'Herlahy the Catholic Bishop of Ross. The abbey was pillaged several times, and though restored to theFranciscans in the early 17th century, was abandoned before being occupied during theCromwellian conquest of Ireland.[18][19]
Kilcrea railway station, located about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of Farran Cross, was formerly a stop on theCork-Macroom line, and accommodated cargo and passenger trains. The Farran community depended largely on the station until the widespread introduction of cars, after which the necessity of passenger trains decreased and haulage lorries reduced the need for cargo trains. Kilcrea station closed to passenger traffic in the 1930s and to goods traffic in the 1940s.[20] The station house can still be seen today and is still occupied. The road which runs alongside the station became known as Station House Road, which runs from the N22 towards Aherla.
Within Aglish parish, in the townland of Rooves Beg, is aholy well known inIrish asTobar Riogh an Domhnaigh (King of Sunday). It is also calledTobareen an Aifrinn (well of the mass) as mass was reputedly celebrated nearby in Penal times.[21]
The well is on a section of road, which was once the main Cork to Kerry road (known as the butter road). The well is covered with a hood shaped construction. People traditionally visit the well onGood Friday, Easter Sunday, and mid-August.[citation needed]
The parish of Aglish is given in Taxation 1199 as Magalaid [..] its old name was Maal, a corrupt form of the former word
the Matthews leased [Nadrid House] back from the ESB. Part of the deal encompassed the giving of Farran Wood to the Irish State
CO072-110---- [..] Class: Ecclesiastical enclosure [..] Townland: Ballineadig
CO072-104--- [thru] CO072-110--- Ballineadig
the [Kilcrea] friars had to withdraw for a while, but had returned by 1603. They were finally expelled in 1614
