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Beautiful Innishannon by
Alice Taylor
The little village of Innishannon nestles in the wooded valley of
the Bandon river on the upper reaches of Kinsale Harbour. In the
surrounding woodlands many ruined castles now shrouded in ivy tell
the story of earlier times when Irish chieftains battled over this
strategically placed village. Later the landed gentry of England
held sway here, among them the Frewen family who owned the village.
Mrs. Frewen was an aunt of Winston Churchill who holidayed here
in his boyhood. Many of these castles and great houses were burned
in troubled times, among them Cor Castle home of the Corcor family.
This castle is now being lovingly restored by a direct descendant
of the Corcors, the castle having come down in ownership through
the female line.
Innishannon is a very ancient place dating back to the sixth century.
At that time it was the point at which travelers going to West Cork
crossed the Bandon river. The point of crossing was known as Bothareen
Ath and is still visible below the old graveyard in the village
or from the opposite side of the river below the turn off to Trinders
Hill. Innishannon and Bandon bridge had yet to be built.
Innishannon was then of great importance to West Cork traffic.
The same is true today. We are the first village that travelers
meet when they leave Cork City, Cork Airport or the ferry. Traffic
diverges in different directions in Bandon but all come through
Innishannon, 1300 vehicles per day come through our village. As
tourism is one of our greatest industries and first impressions
are very important we in Innishannon are very conscious of the fact
that we are the first Irish village tourists meet when they visit
West Cork. And for all drivers, places pleasing to the eye make
motoring more pleasant. So we who live here make a big effort to
preserve and enhance our place.
This effort was recognised by Dept of the Environment in 1997 when
we won the Best Endeavour Award in the Tidy Towns Competition and
in 1999 the Regional and the National Landscaping Awards. In 1998
the Cork County Council in an effort to solve the litter problem
introduced an Anti Litter League between villages of the county.
We won the South Cork section and came second in the county. In
1999 we again won in our own section and then went on to win the
County Final. This was a major achievement considering our huge
volume of traffic.
As you come into our village you may notice a grove of young trees.
This was how we marked the Millennium. We planted in all 65 trees,
some of them fine specimens and all native species. As the foresight
of others in planting the woods of Innishannon enriched our lives
we wish that our gift of trees may enrich the lives of future generations.
We hope that you will enjoy the Innishannon Steam and Vintage Rally
and will find our village welcoming and pleasing to your eye.
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