Rochestown

51.877°N 8.39°W / 51.877; -8.39

Abandoned platform of Rochestown railway station

Rochestown is a primarily residential area in Cork City, Ireland. Originally a somewhat rural area in County Cork, housing developments in the 20th and 21st centuries have connected the area to Douglas and nearby suburbs. The area was formally incorporated into Cork City following the 2019 Cork boundary change on 31 May 2019, along with the surrounding areas of Douglas, Grange and Frankfield.[1] The R610 trunk road passes through the area, linking Rochestown and other villages in lower Cork Harbour, to the city centre. Rochestown Road also links Douglas with the N40 South Ring Road.

History

Among the earliest written mentions of Rochestown are a reference in the Pipe Roll of Cloyne (1385) as "Rochestoun",[2] and the Down Survey (1656) as "Rochtowne".[3] Other documents record the manor and estate houses in the area, including Ronayne's Court, a fortified house which was built in 1624,[4] and described as the "oldest house near the [River] Lee" prior to its demolition in the 20th century.[5][6]

In the 19th century, the Capuchin Order opened a friary on the Rochestown-Monkstown road, which was developed as a secondary school, and is now more commonly known as St. Francis College Rochestown.[7][8] Also opened in the 19th century was Rochestown railway station, a station on the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway line.[9] Though closed in 1932, part of this line was developed into a walking route alongside Lough Mahon.[10]

In the 1920s, during the Free State offensive of the Irish Civil War, there were clashes around Rochestown as Anti-Treaty irregulars attempted to hold the village from advancing Pro-Treaty National Army troops.[11] This engagement, sometimes referred to as the "Battle of Rochestown",[12][13] occurred as Emmet Dalton's National Army troops landed in numbers (with armoured car and field artillery support) at Passage West port, and advanced towards Cork city.[14] Anti-Treaty troops, including reinforcements fresh from the Battle of Kilmallock, demolished the bridge and fortified several buildings in Rochestown, before retiring to defensive positions in Old Court Woods and Belmonte Hill.[15] The fighting, which went on for three days, resulted in a National Army victory, and the eventual capture of Cork city.[16] While a local Rochestown medical officer had set up a field hospital in his home, upwards of 7 Anti-Treaty and 9 Pro-Treaty soldiers were killed.[17][18] Remaining Anti-Treaty prisoners were taken to Cork. One of the fiercest areas of fighting, Old Court Woods at Garryduff, is now a forested Coillte amenity.[19]

Amenities

Public green space and leisure amenities in the area include trails in Old Court woods and the Lough Mahon walkway.[19][10]

The Catholic parish of Douglas and Rochestown is situated between Passage West and Douglas in County Cork.[20] A Catholic church of this parish (St Patrick's Church) is close to the Rochestown Road.

The area is served by two schools, Scoil Phádraig Naofa (primary) which opened in 2008,[21] and St. Francis College Rochestown (secondary) which dates to 1884.[8]

Local businesses include a small "town centre" type development in the Mount Oval housing development.[22]

See also

References
  1. "Cork City's population to grow by 85,000 and expand fivefold ... at midnight". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  2. Richard Caulfield; James Coleman; John O'Riordan, eds. (1918). Pipe Roll of Cloyne. Cathedral Church of Cloyne – via Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, Ser. 2, Vol. XIX - XXIII.
  3. William Petty, ed. (1656). The County of Corke. Bibliothèque nationale de France – via Trinity College Dublin.
  4. Daphne Pochin Mould (1991). Discovering Cork. Brandon. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-86322-129-3. Ronayne's Court [..] was built in 1624 and demolished in 1969
  5. Mark Bence-Jones (1978). Burke's Guide to Country Houses - Volume I - Ireland. Burke's Peerage. ISBN 978-0-8277-7275-5. Ronayne's Court [..] having a large early 17th century fireplace carved with [..] an inscription recording that the house was built by John Ronayne 1624
  6. James Coleman (1912). "The oldest house near the Lee, being an account of Ronayne's Court and of the Ronayne family". Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. 2. XVIII: 106–108. ISSN 0010-8731.
  7. Irish Capuchin Franciscan Friars (2012). "The Founding of Rochestown College - A Brief History". IrishCapuchins.com. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  8. Gilbert Bermingham; Bryan Shortall. "History - St. Francis College, Rochestown 1884-2006". Stfranciscollege-rochestown.ie. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  9. Railscot. "Irish Railways - Rochestown" (PDF). Railscot.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  10. Cork Independent (25 October 2012). "Take a walk by the castle". Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  11. Padhraic Ó Confhaola (2009). "The Naval Forces of the Irish State, 1922-1977 (Thesis)" (PDF). MaynoothUniversity.ie. Clashes occurred around Rochestown as Irregular troops from Cork city attempted to hold the village [..] and surrounding woods
  12. John Borgonovo (2015). "Battle of Rochestown" (PDF). DouglasRochestownParish.ie.
  13. Barry Keane (20 July 2015). "Cork deaths War of Independence and Civil War 1916-1923". Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  14. Robert O'Neill; Richard Holmes (2011). I am Soldier: War stories, from the Ancient World to the 20th Century. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78096-226-9. Dalton's amphibious attack on Cork [came] on 8 August 1922. [..] Dalton put ashore 456 men, an armoured car and an 18lb gun outside Cork. [..A]fter fighting at Rochestown and Douglas, Cork fell to Dalton
  15. Peter Cottrell (2014). The Irish Civil War 1922–23. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-4728-1033-5. the Republicans [..] demolished the bridge leading into the town and fortified several buildings. Exhausted IRA reinforcements were brought in by train from Kilmallock [..but..] By the evening of 8 August the IRA had been shoved out of Rochestown and driven back to Old Court Woods to the west. In the end [..] 12 men secured a Saorstat victory by assaulting Cronin's Cottage on Belmonte Hill [..] casualties were relatively high and seven out of 200 IRA and nine out of 456 NA soldiers were killed.
  16. Michael Hopkinson (2010). Green Against Green – The Irish Civil War: A History of the Irish Civil War. Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-7171-5819-5.
  17. James Lynch (1922). "Account of events by Dr. James Lynch, Medical Officer, Garryduff, Rochestown". Retrieved 20 September 2017 – via Homepage.eircom.net.
  18. Padraic O'Farrell (1997). Who's who in the Irish War of Independence and Civil War, 1916-1923. Dufour. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-874675-85-3. LYNCH [..] From 8–10 August 1922, after Passage landings, they turned their home near Rochestown into a virtual field dressing station for both sides
  19. Coillte. "Sites - Oldcourt / Garryduff". Coillte.ie. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  20. "Parish of Douglas and Rochestown - About the Parish". Douglasrochestownparish.ie. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  21. "Scoil Phádraig Naofa - History". RochestownNS.ie. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  22. "Mount Oval Pharmacy, The Square, Mount Oval Village" (PDF). Sherry Fitzgerald. Retrieved 23 August 2017. the commercial centre of Mount Oval Village [..is..] laid out in a courtyard setting with [..retail and medical businesses..] bar and restaurant
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