Twin villages in County Cork, Ireland
Twin village in Munster, Ireland
The twin villages of Ballineen (Irish: Béal Átha Fhínín, meaning "mouth of Fineen's ford")[2] and Enniskeane,[3][4] or Enniskean, (Irish: Inis Céin, meaning "island of Cian")[5][6] in County Cork in Ireland are 43 km (26.72 mi) southwest of Cork City, on the R586 road. The linear settlement lies on the River Bandon between Bandon and Dunmanway.[4] The combined settlement is designated as a 'key village' by Cork County Council for planning purposes and,[4] as of the 2016 census, had a population of 692 people.[1]
Etymology
Ballineen derives its name from the Irish, Béal Átha Fhínín, meaning 'mouth of Fineen's ford'.[7]
Enniskean derives its name from the Irish, Inis Céin, meaning 'island of Cian'.[5][6] It takes this name from Cian Maol Muadh, a member of the O'Mahony family and local chieftain.[8][9] Cian married Sábh, the daughter of the High King of Ireland Brian Boru, and resided at Castlelands, Enniskean.[5] The priest and antiquarian John O'Mahony, born locally in 1844, noted that the "Irish-speaking people of that district always pronounced the word as if written in English, 'Inniskayn'".[10] Other Anglicised spelling variations include Enniskeen (used, for example, in some twentieth century census records).[11] Enniskeane is commonly used in the name of the Roman Catholic parish,[12][13] in the name of the local camogie club and routinely in Cork County Council publications.[14][15]
The combined census town has been labelled by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) as Ballineen/Enniskean and Ballineen-Enniskean.[1][16]
History
Ballineen belonged first to the Earls of Cork and later to the Earls of Bandon. Francis Bernard, 3rd Earl of Bandon improved the village in the mid-19th century by building a market house, courthouse, Wesleyan Chapel, Gothic church and two schools in the area. Ballineen held monthly fairs until the mid-1960s.[citation needed]
The Church of the Immaculate Conception, in the parish of Enniskeane and Desertserges, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cork and Ross, was built in 1871.[17] Father Daniel Coveney had persuaded the then Duke of Devonshire to donate land for a new church. He donated £250 towards the costs of construction and gave 17 acres for the building of the church, a presbytery, stable, and grazing for the priest's horse.[18]
Located about a half-mile apart, each village was served by separate train stations on the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway, which opened in 1866.[19] These two separate train stations were closed and replaced with a combined station, Ballineen and Enniskean railway station, which opened in 1891.[20][21] A number of businesses, including a flax mill, were built close to the station, on the road between the two villages, ultimately "joining" the two.[5] Ballineen and Enniskean station closed in April 1961.[20]
Demographics
In the 30 years between the 1981 and the 2011 census, the population of the census town of Ballineen-Enniskean increased from 548 to 700 people.[16][22] As of the 2016 census, it had a population of 692.[1]
Economy
The main employers in the area include a large Carbery Group cheese and ingredients factory approximately 2 km (1.24 mi) west of Ballineen on the R586 road, and Grainger's Sawmills in Enniskeane.[4] The Grainger Group sawmill is one of the largest in Ireland,[23] and the Carbery cheese plant at Ballineen is the "largest cheese-making facility" in Ireland and produces one quarter of all Irish-made cheese, including the Dubliner Cheese brand.[24]
Amenities
The villages have a Gaelic Athletic Association club called St. Mary's GAA club and a camogie club called Enniskeane Camogie Club. The clubs have previously undertaken joint fundraising activities.[25]
The local association football (soccer) club, Riverside Athletic, plays its home games in Ballineen.[26]
