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Mahon, Cork

Coordinates: 51°53′22″N 8°23′41″W / 51.8894°N 8.3948°W / 51.8894; -8.3948
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Mahon
Machain
Suburb
Gate tower of Ringmahon Castle in the grounds of Ringmahon House
Gate tower of Ringmahon Castle in the grounds of Ringmahon House
Mahon is located in County Cork
Mahon
Mahon
Coordinates: 51°53′21″N 8°23′50″W / 51.88917°N 8.39722°W / 51.88917; -8.39722
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCork
Time zoneUTC0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST)
Area code021

Mahon (Irish: Machain)[1] is an area to the south-eastern side of Cork, Ireland. Mahon gets its name from Lough Mahon, a wide stretch of the upper section of Cork 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 of Ringmahon House (formerly occupied by James Murphy of Murphy's Brewery and later by Ben Dunne of Dunnes Stores).[3] Mahon is within the Cork South-Central Dáil constituency.

History

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According to John Windele's Historical 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 word rinn (meaning peninsula) and Mahon (a reference to the O'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) built Ringmahon House c. 1820.[6][3]

Blackrock Castle, also known as "Blackrock Castle Observatory", is a 16th-century castle located in nearby Blackrock, a suburb which borders Mahon. The castle is a short distance from the centre of Mahon on the banks of the River Lee, and was built by the citizens of Cork as a watch tower and fort to guard the city's waterway. In a collaboration between Cork City Council and the Cork Institute of Technology, Blackrock Castle was re-opened to the public in August 2007 as Blackrock Castle Observatory.[9]

Also nearby is Dundanion Castle. This ruined 16th-century castle, also at Blackrock, was the point from which William Penn reputedly sailed on his first voyage to America in 1682.[10]

Geography

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Lough Mahon is an expanse of approximately 12 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi) within upper Cork Harbour.[11] It stretches from Mahon to Passage West and incorporates the estuary of the Douglas River.[12] Several Cork City southern suburbs, including Mahon, Blackrock, Douglas and Rochestown 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]

Economy

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See also: Mahon Point Shopping Centre
Mahon Point Shopping Centre
Mahon's City Gate development under construction

Mahon is located in the greater Cork area with the South Ring Road running along its eastern and southern edges and entering the Jack Lynch Tunnel under the River Lee. The road gives access to Cork Airport as well as Cork city centre. It is home to City Gate, an office and medical development.[14] The Central Statistics Office, PM Group, and RCI are also located in the area.

The area is also home to the Mahon Point Shopping Centre, which is Cork's biggest shopping centre and retail park, and Munster's second largest shopping destination (after the Crescent Shopping Centre in Limerick). 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]

Transport

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Bus stop in Mahon

By road, the Jack Lynch Tunnel crosses under the River Lee from Mahon to Dunkettle. 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 from Hop Island, Rochestown to Passage West.

Bus services which serve Mahon include Bus Éireann route numbers 202 and 202A (serving Mahon via Blackrock, Ballintemple, Cork City Centre, and Gurranabraher from Knocknaheeny). The 212 operates from Mahon to Cork Kent railway station via Blackrock, Ballintemple and the Monahan Road. Routes 215 and 215A serve Mahon Point Shopping Centre via Ballinlough, Cork City Centre and Blackpool from Blarney. Route 219 serves Mahon via Douglas, Turner's Cross, Glasheen, from CUH and Munster Technological University Bishopstown Campus.[17]

Sport

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Sporting clubs in the Mahon area include St Michael's GAA Club, Ballinure GAA Club and Ringmahon Rangers Football Club.

Mahon Golf Club is located at Clover Hill House off Skehard Road and owned by Cork City Council. Designed by Eddie Hackett, Mahon Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course and Ireland's first purpose made municipal golf course. It was financially assisted by the Golfing 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]

Schools

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Mahon has three schools including Secondary School Nagle Community College and primary schools Scoil na Croise Naofa (Holy Cross School) and the Irish speaking Gaelscoil Mhachan (Mahon Gaelscoil).

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 of Nano Nagle founder of the Presentation 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 the Bishop 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 through Irish to children in their area.[21] The school was officially recognised by the Department of Education in 1987, and originally located at Ringmahon House. It moved into a new building on Avenue de Rennes in 2001, with a further extension opened in 2008.[22]

[edit]

The movie Strength and Honour written by Mark Mahon was made around Cork City, and includes some scenes filmed at St. Michael's graveyard in Mahon. The movie was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007, and won the "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" awards at the Boston Film Festival.[citation needed]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "Machain / Mahon". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Database. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  2. ^ Henchion, Richard (2005). East to Mahon : the story of Blackrock, Ballintemple, Ballinlough, Ballinure and Mahon. Cork: Dahadore Publications. ISBN 0954129326.
  3. ^ a b "Ringmahon House, Ringmahon Road, Blackrock, Cork City". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  4. ^ Windele, John (1839). "Lough Mahon". Historical and Descriptive Notices of the City of Cork and Its Vicinity. London: Longman & Company. p. 148.
  5. ^ Cronin, J (1915). "The Old Castles Around Cork Harbour (Contd)" (PDF). Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. 21 (105): 1.
  6. ^ a b McCarthy, Kieran (8 May 2014). "Our City, Our Town - Historical Walking Tour of Mahon". Cork Independent. Retrieved 5 November 2024 – via kieranmccarthy.ie.
  7. ^ a b "Ringmahon Castle". Landed Estates Database. University of Galway. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  8. ^ Lewis, Samuel, ed. (1837). "Blackrock, Cork". A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. Dublin: Lewis – via libraryireland.com.
  9. ^ "Blackrock Castle History". bco.ie. Blackrock Castle Observatory. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  10. ^ "Dundanion Castle". ballintemplens.ie. Ballintemple National School. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Lough Mahon - Sampling Fish for the Water Framework Directive - Transitional Waters" (PDF). Central and Regional Fisheries board.
  12. ^ "Cork Harbour: Lough Mahon". Passage West Town Council. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007.
  13. ^ "Sites of Particular Biodiversity Importance in Cork City - Lough Mahon and the Douglas Estuary" (PDF). Nature in the City - a guide to Biodiversity in Cork City (PDF) (Report). Heritage Council / Cork City Council. 2009. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Corks New Medical Hub". citygatemahon.com. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  15. ^ "Cork's Red Fm Broadcast From The Pod Every Tuesday And Saturday". mahonpointsc.ie. Mahon Point Shopping Centre. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018.
  16. ^ "TII Traffic Counter Data Jack Lynch Tunnel". TII ( NRA). TII.
  17. ^ "Bus Éireann Routes, City Centre - Ballinlough - Mahon Point". buseireann.ie. Bus Éireann. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Mahon Golf Club". discoverireland.ie. Fáilte Ireland. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Nagle Community College". naglecc.ie. Nagle Community College. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Scoil na Croise Naofa - About Us". holycrosscork.ie. Holy Cross NS. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Whole School Evaluation Report - Gaelscoil Mhachan, Mahon, Blackrock, Cork" (PDF). education.ie. Department of Education. 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Fáilte go Gaelscoil Mhachan". gsmhachan.com. Gaelscoil Mhachan. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Archdeacon John James Murphy PP". corkandross.org. Diocese Of Cork & Ross. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  24. ^ "Ireland's Richest Businessmen Victims of 1980s Kidnap Epidemic". archives.tcm.ie. The Sunday Business Post. 22 September 2002. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009.
  25. ^ "Grip switch saved seconds". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 12 September 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  26. ^ "Biography - Rob and Marian Heffernan". robandmarianheffernan.com. Silver Hatch Sports. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Player Of The Year Awards 2018". pnefc.net. Preston North End FC. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2019.

51°53′22″N 8°23′41″W / 51.8894°N 8.3948°W / 51.8894; -8.3948

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