Mahon Machain | |
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Suburb | |
 Gate tower ofRingmahon Castle in the grounds of Ringmahon House | |
  Mahon | |
| Coordinates:51°53′21″N8°23′50″W / 51.88917°N 8.39722°W /51.88917; -8.39722 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | Cork |
| Time zone | UTC0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST) |
| Area code | 021 |
Mahon (Irish:Machain)[1] is an area to the south-eastern side ofCork, Ireland. Mahon gets its name fromLough Mahon, a wide stretch of the upper section ofCork Harbour. It was once a semi-rural peninsula, but from the late 20th century was subject to residential development, and has a number of housing estates and developments.[2] The area was generally known as the Ring of Mahon, and is the site ofRingmahon House (formerly occupied byJames Murphy ofMurphy's Brewery and later byBen Dunne ofDunnes Stores).[3] Mahon is within theCork South-Central Dáil constituency.
According toJohn Windele'sHistorical and Descriptive Notices of the City of Cork and Its Vicinity (published in 1839), Ringmahon and the Mahon peninsula takes its name from the Irish wordrinn (meaning peninsula) andMahon (a reference to theO'Mahony family who controlled much of the area).[4][5]Ringmahon Castle, though undated, is included in 17th century maps of the peninsula and is historically associated with the Crawford and Chatterton families.[6][7] Ringmahon was leased to the Murphy family by the start of the 19th century,[7][8] and James Murphy (1769–1855) builtRingmahon Housec. 1820.[6][3]
Blackrock Castle, also known as "Blackrock Castle Observatory", is a 16th-century castle located in nearbyBlackrock, a suburb which borders Mahon. The castle is a short distance from the centre of Mahon on the banks of theRiver Lee, and was built by the citizens of Cork as a watch tower and fort to guard the city's waterway. In a collaboration betweenCork City Council and theCork Institute of Technology, Blackrock Castle was re-opened to the public in August 2007 as Blackrock Castle Observatory.[9]
Also nearby isDundanion Castle. This ruined 16th-century castle, also at Blackrock, was the point from whichWilliam Penn reputedly sailed on his first voyage to America in 1682.[10]
Lough Mahon is an expanse of approximately 12 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi) within upperCork Harbour.[11] It stretches from Mahon toPassage West and incorporates the estuary of the Douglas River.[12] SeveralCork City southern suburbs, including Mahon,Blackrock,Douglas andRochestown lie along its shores. At low tide, Lough Mahon has extensive mudflats which are used as feeding grounds for a number of bird species and migrating waders in particular.[11][13]
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Mahon is located in the greater Cork area with theSouth Ring Road running along its eastern and southern edges and entering theJack Lynch Tunnel under theRiver Lee. The road gives access toCork Airport as well asCork city centre. It is home toCity Gate, an office and medical development.[14] TheCentral Statistics Office, PM Group, andRCI are also located in the area.
The area is also home to theMahon Point Shopping Centre, which is Cork's biggest shopping centre and retail park, and Munster's second largest shopping destination (after theCrescent Shopping Centre inLimerick). The centre has over 60 stores, a thirteen-screen cinema, and a food court.RedFM, a Cork radio station, has a broadcasting pod in the centre.[15]
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By road, theJack Lynch Tunnel crosses under theRiver Lee from Mahon toDunkettle. Completed in 1999, it transports vehicular traffic in uni-directional bi-lanes. In 2015, it was estimated that approximately 63,000 vehicles were using the tunnel per day.[16]
A walk has been developed along the old railway line from Mahon to Harty's Quay,Rochestown and fromHop Island, Rochestown toPassage West.
Bus services which serve Mahon includeBus Éireann route numbers 202 and 202A (serving Mahon viaBlackrock,Ballintemple,Cork City Centre, andGurranabraher fromKnocknaheeny). The 212 operates from Mahon toCork Kent railway station via Blackrock, Ballintemple and the Monahan Road. Routes 215 and 215A serve Mahon Point Shopping Centre viaBallinlough,Cork City Centre andBlackpool fromBlarney. Route 219 serves Mahon viaDouglas,Turner's Cross,Glasheen, fromCUH andMunster Technological University Bishopstown Campus.[17]
Sporting clubs in the Mahon area includeSt Michael's GAA Club,Ballinure GAA Club andRingmahon Rangers Football Club.
Mahon Golf Club is located at Clover Hill House off Skehard Road and owned byCork City Council. Designed byEddie Hackett, Mahon Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course and Ireland's first purpose made municipal golf course. It was financially assisted by theGolfing Union of Ireland. The course was officially opened on 3 September 1980 and was named the "Ted McCarthy Municipal Golf Course" after a long-serving local councillor.[18]
Mahon has three schools including Secondary School Nagle Community College and primary schoolsScoil na Croise Naofa (Holy Cross School) and the Irish speakingGaelscoil Mhachan (MahonGaelscoil).
Nagle Community College is situated on Avenue de Rennes in the centre of Mahon.[19] The college was built on land owned by Joseph Nagle (uncle ofNano Nagle founder of thePresentation Sisters), with the first classes held in September 1981.[citation needed]
Scoil na Croise Naofa (Holy Cross School) is also situated on Avenue de Rennes.[20] The school opened in September 1984 to provide primary education for the children in the (then) growing suburb of Mahon. The school is in the trusteeship of theBishop of Cork and Ross. In 2005, the status of the school changed to co-educational. Scoil na Croise Naofa also has an "Early Start" preschool on the premises.[citation needed]
Gaelscoil Mhachan was founded in 1986, with the intention of providing education throughIrish to children in their area.[21] The school was officially recognised by theDepartment of Education in 1987, and originally located atRingmahon House. It moved into a new building on Avenue de Rennes in 2001, with a further extension opened in 2008.[22]
The movieStrength and Honour written byMark Mahon was made aroundCork City, and includes some scenes filmed at St. Michael's graveyard in Mahon. The movie was premiered at theCannes Film Festival in May 2007, and won the "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" awards at theBoston Film Festival.[citation needed]
51°53′22″N8°23′41″W / 51.8894°N 8.3948°W /51.8894; -8.3948
Neighbouring areas of Cork. | ||||||||||||||||
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