Mitchelstown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mitchelstown
Baile Mhistéala (Irish)
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Town
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New Square
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 Mitchelstown
Location in Ireland
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| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Cork |
| Elevation | 103 m (338 ft) |
| Population
(2022)
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3,744 |
| Irish grid reference | R818127 |
Mitchelstown (Irish: Baile Mhistéala) is a town in the north of County Cork, Ireland. It has a population of over 3,740 people. The town is located in a valley south of the Galtee Mountains.
Mitchelstown is about 13 km southwest of the Mitchelstown Cave. It is also 53 km north of Cork City and 56 km southeast of Limerick City. The town is close to the M8 motorway, which connects Cork and Dublin.
Experts have called Mitchelstown one of Ireland's "finest Georgian planned towns." The River Gradoge flows through the town into the River Funshion. This river then joins the River Blackwater.
Contents
The Name of Mitchelstown
Before the 12th century, the area around Mitchelstown was called "Caoille." This land was bordered by the Kilworth Mountains and the Galtee Mountains. It was home to a group of people known as the Fir Muighe, meaning "men of the plain."
The name Mitchelstown comes from an Anglo-Norman family called de St Michel. They started a settlement near the current town in the 13th century. Their family name was common among Anglo-Normans in this part of Ireland. The names Mitchelstown and Baile Mhistéala (its Irish name) developed over time. The first time the name "Mitchelstown" was written down in its current English form was in 1618.
History of Mitchelstown
Early Settlements
Before Mitchelstown grew, a settlement was built in the 7th century in a nearby area called Brigown. Brigown means "hill of the smiths" in Irish. It was founded by a monk named Fionnchú, also known as Saint Fanahan. There is a holy well on the eastern side of town linked to this saint. People traditionally visit it on November 25th, his special day. By the 9th century, Brigown had a round tower. This tower was damaged by lightning in 1720 and later taken down in 1807.
Mitchelstown itself is built on or near the site of a 13th-century Norman settlement. This settlement was called "Villa Michel." In the 13th century, "Villa Michel" was given market rights. This meant it became an important trading place in the region. From about 1300 to 1600, the town belonged to the White Knights. They were leaders of the Clan Gibbon family. The White Knights controlled large parts of modern-day counties Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary. Their land was over 40,000 hectares (about 98,840 acres). The first Mitchelstown Castle was built by the White Knights in the 14th century. It stood until the 1770s. The original town likely grew from small homes and paths around this castle.
The King Family and Town Development
The area known as Kingston College, or "King's Square," was built around 1764. James King, 4th Baron Kingston paid £12,000 for it. It was first used as homes for older, poor Protestants. When James died in 1764, his 10-year-old granddaughter, Caroline FitzGerald, inherited the estate. Five years later, she married her 15-year-old cousin, Robert King, Viscount Kingsborough. He also inherited large estates in other counties. For a time, they owned about 70,000 hectares (about 173,000 acres) of land together.
Caroline and Robert King were different from other landowners. They started many new projects on their Mitchelstown estate from the mid-1770s. The demesne wall, which surrounds the park, is said to be the longest park wall in Ireland. It took 16 years to build. It is 10 km long and encloses 500 hectares (about 1,235 acres). It was originally over 3 meters tall in most places.
The old medieval town was taken down. The current town was built in its place, a bit more to the southeast. The new town was designed with a grid pattern. It had two main streets crossed by several smaller streets. Some streets are named after members of the King family. These include Robert, George, Edward, James, Thomas, and King. Other streets are Church Street, Baldwin Street, Alley Lane, Chapel Hill, Convent Hill, King Square, New Square, and Mulberry Lane.
The design of the town by the second and third Earls of Kingston (between 1776 and 1830) used the natural landscape. This allowed for great views of the Galtee Mountains. For example, George Street was planned so that Saint George's Arts and Heritage Centre closed the view at the south end. At the north end, Kingston College and Temple Hill on the Galtee Mountains finished the view.
Mitchelstown Castle was rebuilt between 1823 and 1825 by George King, the 3rd Earl of Kingston.
Mitchelstown Castle and the Civil War
During the Irish Civil War in 1922, the castle was taken over by the Irish Republican Army. For six weeks, things inside the castle were taken, and the building was burned down on August 12th and 13th, 1922. It was said this was to stop the Irish Free State army from using it. However, there is no proof of this. Another reason suggested for the fire was to hide the taking and destruction of items inside. The stone ruins of the house stood until about 1930. Then, monks from Mount Melleray Abbey bought the stone. They used it to build their new monastery in County Waterford.
The Mitchelstown Incident of 1887
Between 1879 and 1881, and again from 1886 to 1888, local farmers in Mitchelstown refused to pay rent. This was called a rent strike. It was led by John Mandeville and William O'Brien, a Member of Parliament. The Mitchelstown Estate was owned by Anna, Dowager Countess of Kingston, and her husband, William Downes Webber.
On September 9, 1887, a protest was held in New Market Square. Mandeville and O'Brien were supposed to be tried there. About 8,000 people gathered in New Square. As speeches began, police tried to get closer to hear what was being said. The crowd stopped them. The police left but came back with 50 more officers. They used their rifles to push through the crowd. A fight broke out, with people hitting police with sticks and throwing stones.
The police went back to their barracks, which was in a house overlooking the square. As the last officer reached the barracks, he fired a shot into the air. This confused the police inside, who were at upstairs windows with rifles. Several shots were then fired into the crowd. Three men were killed: John Shinnick, John Casey, and Michael Lonergan. Several others were hurt.
This event became known as the "Mitchelstown Massacre." It gained a lot of attention around the world. The phrase "Remember Mitchelstown" became a rallying cry for Irish people everywhere. A memorial to Mandeville stands in Market Square. It was unveiled in 1906 and also remembers the three men who died in 1887.
Economy
Farming Co-operative
Until 1990, Mitchelstown was the main office for Mitchelstown Co-operative Agricultural Society Ltd. This was one of Ireland's largest co-operatives, owned by farmers. It was started in 1919. Between 1919 and 1990, Mitchelstown Co-op Creameries became the biggest dairy processing business in Ireland. It was known for its processed cheese brands. It was also famous in the dairy world for its natural cheeses. These were sent all over Europe and won many international awards.
In the 1930s, the co-op encouraged pig farming in the area. This gave farmers another way to earn money. Some of Ireland's largest pig farms were then set up near Mitchelstown.
In October 1990, Mitchelstown Co-operative joined with Ballyclough Co-operative. This created a larger company called Dairygold Co-Operative. Dairygold is now the largest farmer-owned co-operative in Ireland. Its main office is in Mitchelstown. Eamon Roche, one of the first managers of Mitchelstown Creameries, is given credit for the co-op's huge growth.
Today, Mitchelstown is home to Kerrygold Park. This is a €38 million facility that makes and packs butter. It supplies the Kerrygold butter brand to countries all over the world.
Transport
Roads
Mitchelstown is close to the M8 motorway, which goes from Dublin to Cork. You can get onto the M8 from Junctions 12 and 13 near the town.
A special road, called a relief road, was built west of the town. It helps direct N73 traffic towards Mallow and R513 traffic towards Limerick. This relief road, along with its connection to the M8 in 2009, means Mitchelstown is the smallest town in Ireland with a full 360-degree ring road. Before 2006, the N8 used to go right through Mitchelstown. This caused a lot of traffic jams on the main street. The R665 road connects Mitchelstown to Clonmel. The old N8 is now called the R639. It offers another way to get from Mitchelstown to Cork, Fermoy, and Cahir.
Buses and Trains
Bus Éireann runs bus services through Mitchelstown. These buses go to both Dublin and Cork. Since late 2022, there is also a bigger bus service between Mitchelstown and Limerick city. This bus stops in several towns and villages along the way.
Mitchelstown railway station opened on March 23, 1891. It stopped taking passengers and goods on January 27, 1947. The station fully closed on December 1, 1953.
Mitchelstown Caves
The Mitchelstown Caves are limestone caves. They are located near the R639, between Mitchelstown and Cahir. One of these, Mitchelstown Cave itself, is privately owned. It has been set up as a show cave, meaning parts of it are open for the public to visit with a guide. Some of the rock formations, called speleothems, are very special. These include the Tower of Babel formation. Many other stalactites (hanging from the ceiling), stalagmites (growing from the floor), and rock formations are named because of their unique shapes.
Events
Indiependence is an annual three-day music festival. It usually happens on the edge of Mitchelstown during the August Bank Holiday weekend. Famous acts like Editors, Bastille, Lewis Capaldi, Hozier, Public Enemy, Picture This, The Coronas, Ash, and Feeder have performed there.
Notable People
Many interesting people have connections to Mitchelstown:
- Seán Clancy: An Air Corps general and the current leader of the Irish Defence Forces.
- Michael Francis Crotty: A Roman Catholic leader and diplomat. He grew up in Skeheen, near Mitchelstown.
- John Dunne: A Roman Catholic bishop in Australia.
- Liam Hamilton: A judge and lawyer who was once the top judge in Ireland.
- Mark Keane: A professional Australian rules footballer.
- Margaret King: A writer, traveler, and medical adviser.
- John Roach: He owned America's largest shipbuilding company after the Civil War.
- Kevin Roche: A famous American architect. He was the son of Eamon Roche, the first general manager of Mitchelstown Co-operative Creameries, and was raised in the town.
- William Trevor: A well-known author who was nominated for the Booker Prize five times. He was born and spent his early childhood in Mitchelstown.
See also
In Spanish: Mitchelstown para niños
