Little Island An tOileán Beag | |
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Civil Parish | |
.jpg) 15th or 16th century tower house, known locally as Wallingstown Castle | |
  Little Island Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:51°54′00″N08°21′00″W / 51.90000°N 8.35000°W /51.90000; -8.35000 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Cork |
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Little Island,County Cork, is acivil parish and mainly industrial area to the east ofCork city in Ireland.[1] It is no longer an island since the northern channel separating it from the mainland has filled over. To the west and south isLough Mahon, part ofCork Harbour; across a channel to the east isFota Island. Little Island is within theDáil constituency ofCork North-Central.
The parish of Little Island dates to at least the seventh century,[2] andtidal mills have been excavated dating to c. 630 AD.[3] By the fourteenth century, the parish was known asDe Insula, meaning "of the island".[2][4]Henry Purdon, MP forCharleville, lived here in the eighteenth century.[5] The currentChurch of Ireland parish church was built in 1865 in theGothic Revival style.[2] A limestone quarry on Little Island was the source of thousands of tons of limestone annually, which were used in the construction of public buildings nationally, including Cork'sCity Hall andHoly Trinity Church,[2][6] as well asNewfoundland's first legislature, theColonial Building in St. John's.[citation needed]
Ancient protected structures, as recorded on theRecord of Monuments and Places, include examples offulacht fiadh, middens, corn-drying kilns, the remains of a medieval church and graveyard, and the 15th or 16th centurytower house known locally as Wallingstown Castle.[7][8][9]
A number of Cork's pharmaceutical companies are based on the island.[10] The main drainagewastewater treatment plant for Cork City was also opened in the area in 2004.[11]
Since the 1990s, development has grown, with retail and commercial spaces opened at Little Island Business Park and East Gate Retail Park.[12] As of 2017, the Little Island Business Association reported that there were approximately one thousand businesses operating in the area.[13] Over seven thousand people were employed in the area, which was described as one of Ireland's "industrial powerhouses" as of April 2018.[14]
Cork Golf Club[15] andLeeside A.F.C are also based on the island.
TheN25 Cork-Rosslare road is built on theinfilled channel between Little Island andGlounthaune. TheR623 is an area loop road from the N25.[16]
The Cork-Cobh railway line skirts the island to the north and west. It includesLittle Island railway station, which opened on 10 November 1859.[17] It has direct rail services to Cork, Glounthane,Cobh, Carrigtwohill andMidleton.
Thetownlands of Little Island include Ballytrasna, Carrigrenan, Castleview, Clashavodig, Courtstown, Harper's Island, and Wallingstown.[1]
CO075-052 Watermill, Wallingstown / CO075-020002 Church, Wallingstown / CO075-021 Castle tower house, Wallingstown / CO075-085 Kiln corn drying, Castleview / CO075-082 Fulacht fia, Castleview / CO075-024001 Midden, Carrigrenan / CO075-025 Castle, Courtstown
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