Ballintemple (Irish: Baile an Teampaill, meaning "town of the church") is a suburb of Cork city, Ireland.[1] The village is situated on the east side of the city with its limits extending to the River Lee and the village of Blackrock further to the east. Originally, Ballintemple was a separate village but today it has been enclosed by the city.

Ballintemple
Baile an Teampaill
Village
Ballintemple village
Ballintemple village
Ballintemple is located in Ireland
Ballintemple
Ballintemple
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°54′N 8°26′W / 51.900°N 8.433°W / 51.900; -8.433
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCounty Cork
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

History edit

 
Grave marker in Temple Hill burial ground

Temple Hill, Churchyard Lane, and Ballintemple itself derive their names from an ecclesiastical and burial site at the top of Temple Hill.[2][3] While some historical texts suggest that this graveyard was sited at an early medieval church of the Knights Templar,[4] this is not supported by other texts,[5] and modern historians assert that this association is incorrect.[6] Whatever the case, while the graveyard remains, no archaeological evidence of an adjoining church has been subject to modern survey.[2] The graveyard itself has been surveyed,[7] and while it may have been used in the early mediaeval period, the earliest recorded burial event was that of the entrails of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton who was killed in the 1690 Siege of Cork and whose intestines were removed and buried here to preserve the body prior to transport back to England.[8] The earliest remaining extant burial markers (with discernable dates) are dated to the early 18th century.[9] The antiquary and folklorist Thomas Crofton Croker surveyed the graveyard in the early 19th century. He recorded a folksong relating to the graveyard[10] as well as documenting a marker for an 18th-century burial of a Lieutenant Henry Richard Temple who died with his young wife during a journey from the Caribbean (via Ireland) to England.[11] During one such survey in the early 1800s, Croker was chased by locals who mistook his survey for grave robbery.[12] The graveyard is accessible but closed to new burials (save to a few families with existing burial rights).[citation needed]

Other memorial markers in Ballintemple include the McCarthy Monument (constructed in the 19th century at Diamond Hill to honour ex-MP Alexander McCarthy),[13] and a plaque at the junction of Ardfoyle and Blackrock road (commemorating the 1798 hanging in Ballintemple of an accused United Irishman).[14][15]

The ruins of Dundanion Castle lie close to Páirc Uí Chaoimh by the River Lee. William Penn, the founder of the state of Pennsylvania, is said to have departed from here on his journey to the United States in 1682.[16] Some time earlier, Sir Walter Raleigh is reported to have spent some time here before setting off on his final voyage to the West Indies in August 1617.[17]

George Boole, the mathematician and inventor of Boolean algebra, lived in Ballintemple during the nineteenth century whilst professor at University College Cork. He died in December 1864, after catching pneumonia as the result of a rain storm whilst walking the four miles between his house and the university to give a lecture.[18]

The old, abandoned Beaumont Quarry lies adjacent to Páirc Uí Rinn and Temple Hill. In its time, it provided limestone blocks for some of the notable buildings of Cork City.[19][20][21] Prior to the expansion of Cork's suburbs in the 20th century, Ballintemple (as with nearby Ballinlough and Flower Lodge) was also home to a number of market gardens and nurseries - such as that of William Baylor Hartland.[22]

Amenities edit

The Blackrock Road runs through the heart of the village which has a post office, some small shops, and two public houses – The Venue and The Temple Inn (known locally as Longboats). The Lavanagh Centre is also located in the village, and offers services to the physically disabled - including physical therapy in its swimming pool.[23]

Stadia and events edit

Páirc Uí Rinn and Páirc Uí Chaoimh, both owned by the Gaelic Athletic Association, are based in the area. These are used by various Cork GAA teams and clubs for hurling and Gaelic football matches, and contribute to congestion in the area on match-days and when used for special events.[24] Also close by to Temple Hill are the grounds of Cork Constitution Football Club.[25]

On the eastern side of Páirc Uí Chaoimh is the Atlantic Pond, which was built as part of the scheme to drain the marshy area next to the River Lee and which is now used by walkers and runners. The showgrounds of the Munster Agricultural Society also adjoin Páirc Uí Chaoimh and prior to 2012 were used for occasional agricultural exhibitions.[26][27] Cork City Council proposed a broad redevelopment of the showgrounds, Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Atlantic Pond areas,[28] under a master plan for the "Marina Park" area.[29] The proposed development included considerable changes to Páirc Uí Chaoimh,[30] which were completed during 2017,[31] with additional works to follow.[32]

Transport edit

 
An open top tram in Ballintemple with a Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company service (c.1910)

Ballintemple is served by a single city bus route, number 202, which runs from Mahon, through Blackrock, Ballintemple, Cork City Centre, to Gurranabraher and Knocknaheeny.

The nearest currently active railway station is Kent Station Cork. However, from 1850 to 1932, the line of the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway ran just north of the village centre. From 1880 to 1932, there was a station along this stretch of line called the Show Ground Halt railway station, and this served Ballintemple.[33]

The area was also previously served by trams.

Notable residents edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Baile an Teampaill / Ballintemple". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Beaumont Quarry Environmental Impact Study Report - Section 7 - Architectural, Archaeological and Cultural Heritage" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). May 2007.
  3. ^ Folio 6 of the "Grand Jury Map" of 1811 (survey from 1790s) notes the "Church of Ballintemple" to east, and marginally south of the junction between Churchyard lane and Boreenmanna
  4. ^ John Windele (1910). Cork: Historical and Descriptive Notices of the City of Cork from Its Foundation to the Middle of the 19th Century. Guy and Company. p. 145.
  5. ^ Aubrey Gwynn; Richard Hadcock (1970). Mediaeval Religious Houses: Ireland : with and Appendix to Early Sites. Irish Academic Press.
  6. ^ Evelyn Bolster (1972). A history of the Diocese of Cork: from the earliest times to the Reformation. Irish University Press. p. 134.
  7. ^ "Archaeological Survey of Ireland - Record Details - Record number CO074-065". National Monuments Service. January 2009.
  8. ^ Garnet Joseph Wolseley (1894). The life of John Churchill, duke of Marlborough, to the accession of Queen Anne. R. Bentley and Son. p. 201. His body was embalmed, sent to England in a cask of spirits, and buried at Euston [..] his brain and entrails were buried in the little old graveyard of Ballintemple, near Cork
  9. ^ Ciara Brett (2011), Cork City's Burial Places, Cork City Council (Planning and Development Directorate)
  10. ^ Thomas Crofton Croker (1844). Fairy Legends and Traditions Of the South of Ireland. p. 167.
  11. ^ Thomas Crofton Croker (1823). "Chapter XI - Cork Harbour". Researches in the South of Ireland. p. 213.
  12. ^ Michael Lenihan (2010). Hidden Cork: Charmers, Chancers and Cute Hoors. Mercier Press. p. 150. ISBN 9781856356862.
  13. ^ "Corkpastandpresent - Maps & Images - Michael O'Leary - McCarthy Monument, Blackroad Road". Corkpastandpresent.ie (Cork City Libraries). Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  14. ^ Ó Coindealbháin, Seán (1979). "United Irishmen in Cork County". Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. 54: 68–83.
  15. ^ "Image of memorial plaque".
  16. ^ Pennsylvania society, Barr Ferree (1911). Report on William Penn memorial in London. The Pennsylvania society. p. 109. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  17. ^ "Dundanion Castle Article by Micheal Lenihan". The Douglas Weekly. 14 October 1999. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  18. ^ Eoin English (13 March 2013). "Apple could be core of bid to preserve building". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  19. ^ "Cork City Council - Places - Berwick Fountain". Corkpastandpresent.ie. 1 July 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  20. ^ Tommy Barker (10 January 2013). "Savings to be made". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  21. ^ "Cork Heritage Open Day 2011 (Pamphlet)" (PDF). Cork City Council. p. 38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  22. ^ Richard Henchion (2005). East to Mahon, The Story of Blackrock, Ballintemple, Ballinlough, Ballinure and Mahon. Dahadore Publications.
  23. ^ "Lavanagh Centre, Ballintemple, Cork - About Us". Lavanagh.ie. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  24. ^ "Garda Notice related to Bruce Springsteen Concert on 18 July 2013 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh". Garda.ie. July 2013. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013.
  25. ^ "Cork Con FC - Club History". Corkcon.ie. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  26. ^ Barry Roche (18 September 2013). "Cork GAA confident Páirc Uí Chaoimh project will get go-ahead". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  27. ^ Rose Martin (19 January 2012). "Show society in 126-acre purchase". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  28. ^ Alan Healy (27 November 2012). "Marina Park plans unveiled". Evening Echo. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014.
  29. ^ "Marina Park Masterplan (adopted by Cork City Council 8 July 2013)" (PDF). Cork City Council. 8 July 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  30. ^ Stephen Rogers (25 April 2014). "Council gives green light for €70m revamp of Páirc Uí Chaoimh". Irish Examiner Newspaper. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  31. ^ "In Pictures: Páirc Uí Chaoimh is open for business and it looks glorious". Irish Independent. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  32. ^ Alan Healy (29 May 2017). "Work begins on Cork's new Marina Park". Evening Echo. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  33. ^ "Cork Show Yard Halt" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  34. ^ "Boolean logic meets Victorian Gothic in leafy Cork suburb". Irish Times. 9 July 2015. Lichfield Cottage, Ballintemple, was final home of maths pioneer George Boole
  35. ^ Paddy Butler (2017). The Extraordinary Story of Mary Elmes: The Irish Oskar Schindler. Orpen Press. ISBN 9781786050458. Mary Elmes [..] lived with her parents and younger brother, John, in Ballintemple, on the south side of the River Lee
  36. ^ a b "House of the Week, Ard Cairn Ballintemple". Irish Examiner. 1 June 2013.
  37. ^ "Triumphant return to Cork for Cillian Murphy". Irish Examiner. 27 August 2014. The boy from Ballintemple has grown into a 38-year-old star with such films as 28 Days Later and three Batman movies under his belt
  38. ^ "Cork's heroine of communist literature". Irish Times. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2018. [Ethel Voynich née Boole] was born in 1864 at Ballintemple, Cork
  39. ^ "Parents vow to shield rugby star son as Zebo-mania takes off". Independent News and Media. 6 February 2013. The 22-year-old wonder winger still lives with his mother Lynda and dad Arthur at the family's home in the quiet Cork suburb of Ballintemple

51°54′N 8°26′W / 51.900°N 8.433°W / 51.900; -8.433