Saint Patrick’s Church ex. Pro Cathedral

Fermoy Town Park is adjacent to the River Blackwater. It consists of a fully equipped children’s playground a leisure centre, acres of greenery and a walkway that is wheelchair accessible. A focal point of the park is the bandstand that has hosted many an event in recent years. The people of Fermoy take pride in the Park and the County Council regularly maintain the area. It is one of the most pleasant places in Fermoy to take a stroll around or bring a picnic.

The Tower, is a 12 metre art sculpture, in the park next to the River Blackwater. The Tower was commissioned by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to mark the completion of their flood relief scheme. Th Tower takes its influence from the tradition of rowing in the town and a three-piece clinker-style boat that was used in competitions around Ireland in the 1960s and ‘70s. The sculpture was designed by James L Hayes who is a contemporary visual artist and leturur in Fine Art Sculpture at the CIT Crawford College of Art and Design in Cork.

Corrin cross stands on Corrin Hill, was built in 1933 to mark the 1,900th anniversary of the death of Jesus Christ. The hilltop hosts beautiful views of Fermoy. To climb Corrin there is a pleasant walk from Corrin Woods car park (following the signs for Fermoy Golf Club) to the cross. Surrounding the hilltop is an iron age hill fort aging from about 500BC - 400AD but most of its large stone enclosures are now hidden under a canopy of trees. Adjacent to the cross is a Bronze age stone burial ground which attracted the attention of an amateur archaeologist from Castleyons Rev. John Ryder who organised its excavation in the 1830’s. During this, workmen found two burial chambers containing pottery vessels. One was accidentally broken by them while the other survived undamaged. It contained cremated human remains and was taken to London where it got lost. When ascending the hill to Corrin cross walkers will notice the stations of the cross at each meander of the path. Keep an eye out for the Red Squirrel in the treetops and if you’re really lucky the odd wandering deer might cross your path.

The limestone bridge spanning the River Blackwater at Fermoy is the town’s best known landmark. Consisting of 7 arches, it was built in 1864/65 and was on the main Cork to Dublin road until the M8 by-passed Fermoy in 2006. Fermoy was an important finding point on the River Blackwater between the 13th and 15th centuries when the Cistercaians operated a ferry across the river west of the present bridge. It was renamed in 2016 “Kent Bridge” in memory of Thomas Kent’s connection on the 1916 Easter Rising.

The convent was opened in 1838 by the Presentation Sisters. Fr Timothy Murphy asked the Presentation Sisters to open a convent in Fermoy in 1835. He purchased the land and paid £1,100 towards the £3,000 cost to build the convent. The Fermoy Convent was the 36th of the Order of the Presentation Sisters. When the convent opened the Presentation Sisters gave the poor female children religious and literary instruction. Educating girls was not greatly valued in Ireland at the time, therefore attendance of classes varied greatly. The sisters worked within the rules of the Board of Education, therefore received an annual salary from the Board. Initially, the sisters led the children in prayer, read from the scriptures, recited the Hail Mary on every hour and the Angelus rang out at noon every day. In 1953 the Board of Education stepped in and instructed the Sisters to cease giving religious instruction to the children. Subjects taught at the Convent included spelling, reading, writing, geography, grammar, geometry, arithmetic, book keeping and needlework. Music, instruction in musical instruments and singing were later added to the curriculum. A second school was founded in the convent inb1851. This was an industrial school which lone orphaned children or children of lone parents could attend. From 7.30am to 9am and 11.30am to 4pm the girls worked primarily carrying out embroidery and were taught literacy skills between 10am and 11.30am. The girls in the industrial school earned between 35 to 45 pence a week, without they would be unable to surprise.

Michael Kennedy was born in the townland of Corrogurm, Mitchelstown, in 1850 the son of a tenant farmer whose holding of 14 acres was part of the Kingston estate. Fr Kennedy studied for the priesthood in the Irish College in Paris and was ordained in Waterford in 1875. His first six years as a priest were spent in Liverpool in the parish of Old Swan where he was extremely popular, so much so that he was presented with a purse of gold sovereigns and an illuminated address. Upon Leaving Liverpool he returned to Cork taking up chaplaincy in Youghal in 1881. His return coincided with the Land War period and Fr Kennedy supported the local farmers in their struggles with high rents. Fr Kennedy then moved to Meelin, Co Cork, to take up the position of curate. While in Meelin, Fr Kennedy continued to work on behalf of farmers, attending Land League meetings around the Cork and supported the Plan of Campaign whereby farmers offered what they considered a fair rent to the landlord and if this was refused the money went into a fund used to defend those under threat of eviction. In 1888 Fr Kennedy was brought to court for his activities with the Land League and spent two months in jail in Cork. Shortly after his release, Fr Kennedy was sentenced to another three months in jail. Due to his work, Fr Kennedy became a national hero amongst farmers and the poor, and attracted large crowds wherever he went. In 1891 Fr. Kennedy was transferred to Dungourney, in 1895 to Blarney and finally to Fermoy in 1901 where his concern for the poor and underprivileged endeared him to all. In 1911 Fr. Kennedy fell ill and was taken to Dublin for treatment. Sensing his time was up he requested to return to Fermoy to die. Hi final days were spent in the care of the Blue Nuns at Monument Hill. Fr. Kennedy died on 8th of March 1912. As a mark of honor Fr. Kennedys coffin was carried to through the town from St Patricks church and back again to the burial site. It was decided to erect a suitable memorial to Fr Kennedy after he died. This could not happen immediately due to the political dynamic of the time, through the Easter Rising, War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. It was only in the mid 1920's the statue was commissioned and given to Mr Doyle-Jones, who carried out stutes in of of John Mandeville in Mitchelstown and Canon Sheehan in Donerail. The Statue was unveiled on the 17th of October 1926.

The Great Famine of 1845-’51 was caused when blight destroyed the country’s potato crops on which the vast majority of the people depended for their food. In the famine years, Ireland’s population fell from eight million to six million. Half of that number emigrated, the other half died of starvation and disease. The Government‘s response to the calamity was minuscule compared to what was required to save the population. Local responses were equally limited although there were notable instances of efforts to both feed the poor and to provide employment. The lowering of Cork Hill and the building of ‘The Range Wall’ was conceived as one such employment project for the benefit of poor labourers. It was also seen as being beneficial to the wider population because it lowered the road, thereby making it easier for both horses and pedestrians to use. Between 1841 and 1851 the population of Fermoy fell from 7,513 to 6,731, but this latter figure includes 2,682 ‘paupers’ in the local workhouse most of whom had come from outside Fermoy and were not resident locally before 1845.

With the support of the Earl of Mount Cashel and Presbyterians in Kilworth, the new church was completed in 1839. The Presbyterian congregation in Fermoy has always been relatively small.

Fermoy’s Blackwater has had a weir for over 800 years, ever since the Cistercian monks built their abbey Sancta Maria de Castro Dei (Our Lady of the Camp of God) somewhere on what is now Ashe Quay. In 1791, centuries after the abbey was lost to history, the Scottish businessman John Anderson bought the old abbey lands and founded the modern town. To power the industrial base of his fledgeling town, Anderson built the modern weir, shaping the Blackwater, sculpting its flow and channelling its power down through the sluice gates and down to Mill Island. Anderson understood that salmon have travelled upstream along the Blackwater to spawn since time began. The centrepiece of Anderson’s weir is a tiered fish pass to the west of the bridge, a series of rectangular limestone pools designed to create at its base a turmoil in the water, to attract salmon and to draw them up the steps and further along their journey home to spawn.

The Carrickabrick Viaduct in Fermoy was used for scenes where Stachel and Von Klugermann flew several times under the railway bridge. The View from the 19th century railway bridge which spans the River Blackwater is spectacular and it was one of the reasons the producers of The Blue Max chose it as one of the locations for the film. The railway line linked Mallow to Rosslare and the line was closed by CIE in 1967.

In 2001 a sculpture representing the Cisctercian Monks was erected in Fermoy. This sculpture represents the history of the Cisctercian Monks who founded a monastery in Fermoy in 117O, and was known as The Abbey of Our Lady de Castro Dei. The central figure has the bible in his hands, the two outer figures are just 'empty' monk's habits. On the base if each statue is one of the three words forming the Irish name of the town: Mainistir Fhear Maí (= monastery of the Men of the Plain). The sculpture was crafted by Mick Davis.

The River Blackwater is 168km long and is Ireland’s fourth longest river. From its source in the Kerry mountains to the sea at Youghal, it passes through five major towns, numerous villages, and some of the most beautiful countryside to be found anywhere in Ireland.

Around 1170 a Cistercian Abbey was founded on what is now Ashe Quay. There the monks built the town’s first weir somewhere by Ashe Quay/Abbey Street. A settlement grew around the abbey, Sancta Maria de Castro Dei, or Our Lady of the Camp of God. The first settlement grew around the Abbey. From then the area was known as Mainistir Fhearmui (the Monastery of the Men of the Free Plain). History records that the Cistercians operated a ferry service across the river. At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540, the abbey and lands passed to various English landlords. There followed a succession of owners and leaseholds until about 1612 when only the ruins and about 30 acres remained. In 1791 the Scottish entrepreneur John Anderson purchased the Abbey property. He used the then hamlet as a staging point for the Bianconi coach system. He had been instrumental in bringing the first delivery of the Royal Mail from Dublin to Cork within 24 hours, on the 8th of July 1789. Anderson planned the layout of the modern town around the river and built the current weir, using the river to power the new town’s industrial base, a purpose-built mill to the east of the bridge. The house (Resource Centre) went through a number of tenancies before being leased to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in 1903 by the Meagher family. The RIC occupied the building until 1923. During this period the basement cells were used to hold various people, notable among them being the Kent brothers who were held there before being moved to a place of execution in 1916. These cells can still be accessed today through the basement of the building. Ownership passed from the Meagher family to the Office of Public Works and the Gardai occupied the building from 1924 to 1980.

Fermoy Railway 1844 – 1967. The Duke of Devonshire, along with Lord Mountcashel, Sir Richard Musgrave of Tourin, Co. Waterford, and Mr Briscoe of Clondulane, put forward a motion to put Steamboats onto the river Blackwater. The Steamboats were to carry goods and people up and down the Blackwater. The Blackwater Navigation Committee were asked to prepare a Prospectus relating to a clear waterway from Youghal to Mallow. There were various obstructions along the route including numerous weirs which Mr. Curry pointed out, as he had reservations to the viability of the plan. The idea was postponed and never came to fruition. As a result the idea of a railway incorporating Fermoy, Mallow, Cork, Youghal, Lismore to Waterford was put forward as an alternative. Numerous ideas for the new line were put forward, however finance was an issue. In the end the Fermoy to Mallow line was built, allowing connections in Mallow to take goods and people to onward destinations. The contruction process was slow and arduous and the project was taken over by the Great Southern Railways.The line from Fermoy to Mallow by contractor William Dargan cost £100,000. Once completed, four trains ran every week, with six during the summer months. The Railway was extremely important to the people of Fermoy as well as the the Military personnel. During fighting on the Western Front thousands of soldiers left Fermoy to take part in the Great War. Many of the injured personnel returned to recuperate in the military hospital in Fermoy. Once the Viaduct near Carrigabrick was completed the Fermoy to Rosslare line oopened along with a line to Glanworth which served Mitchelstown. Many emigrant trains left Fermoy heading to Rosslare to take the Irish to the far corners of the globe during the famine. The Fermoy Raailway provided the people of Fermoy with opportunity, by enabling the local businesses export goods to the UK. During the Second World War 1939-45, and for many years afterwards the export of Rabbits, Crab Apples, and Blackberries to England was a thriving business for Fermoy. Fermoy Railway Station closed on Saturday 25th March 1967.

Just at the foot of Windmill Hill you notice a small indentation where there are gardens. This was the site of yet another auxiliary workhouse. Each of these auxiliary workhouses catered for over 500 people.

Commandant Michael Fitzgerald, who was educated at the CBS in Fermoy before finding work at a local mill, joined the Irish Volunteers in 1914 and played an instrumental role in helping to build the local organisation, rising to the rank of Battalion Commandant, 1st Battalion, Cork No 2 Brigade of the IRA. On Easter Sunday, 1919 he led a small group of volunteers who captured the RIC barracks in Araglin. However, he was subsequently arrested and jailed for three months. He took up arms again following his release in August and was a member of the party that held up a party of British troops at the Wesleyan Church in Fermoy. Following the September, 1919 attack a number of local volunteers were arrested and detained. However, despite the threat of heavy penalties, no jury could be empowered to try the prisoners and they remained in custody at Cork Jail. On August 11, 1920 Michael Fitzgerald, together with a number of other untried prisoners, began a hunger strike for release, which ended in his death sixty-seven days later. When he died his remains were brought by his comrades to the Church of S.S. Peter and Paul in the city centre. His funeral next day was attended by an arrogant display of force and disregard by the British Military, for the people who had come to pay their last tributes. After the mass, British military wearing steel helmets and carrying fixed bayonets, invaded the church and walked over the seats to the altar rails. An officer with a drawn revolver handed a notice to the priest to the effect that only a limited number of persons would be allowed to take part in the funeral. A machine gun was mounted at the church gates and armoured cars toured the vicinity. Notwithstanding the threats and the menacing attitude of the military, thousands took part in the funeral procession. Armoured cars and lorries carrying heavily equipped forces shadowed the cortege to the city boundary.

After developing Fermoy at the beginning of 19th century, Anderson followed the lead of more liberal landlords when he gave land, rent free, for a new Catholic Chapel and also donated a large sum for its construction. It was built away from the town’s main thoroughfare to comply with the laws and in a particular poor area of the town. In 1836, the Pain brothers James and George Richard, prepared a revised design of Fermoy church. Following his appointment as parish priest in 1841, Fr Timothy Murphy had the building enlarged to its present dimensions of 140 feet from east to west and 100 feet from north to south. Fr Murphy was appointed bishop of the united Diocese of Cloyne and Ross in 1849. Choosing Fermoy church for his consecration as bishop, he was the first of three bishops for whom that church served as pro- cathedral. The building has a rich gothic interior.

Founded in 1858 as a second level college for the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne, St Colmans College is named after the patron of the diocese. Its first President was Rev. Thomas W. Croke, who was the firstpatron of the GAA. Among its first pupils was John Stanislaus Joyce, the father of the famous writer, James Joyce. The most notable teacher was Thomas McDonagh, the founder of the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and was on the secret Military Council, which planned the 1916 Easter RIsing. The college was designed by John Pyne Hurley of Cork and its one of the must see landmarks in Fermoy.

It was here on September 7, 1919, the first organised action against British military forces since the 1916 rising, took place. It was carried out by Cork No. 2 Brigade under the command of Liam Lynch. Their objective was an armed party of British soldiers who attended Sunday service at the church. About 10.30 on Sunday morning, September 7, 1919, fourteen soldiers and a corporal left their barracks and marched through the town towards the Wesleyan Church. Approximately twenty-five volunteers from Fermoy company, armed with just six revolvers between them, assembled in groups of two and three in the vicinity of the Church, remaining well spread out to avoid attracting attention. The main attacking party of which Larry Condon was in charge, included John Fanning Michael Fitzgerald, Patrick Ahern and James Fitzgerald. Another group was detailed to collect the rifles and transfer them to cars parked nearby, while the remainder were to close in from the rear when the attack began and prevent any attempt by the British to get back to their barracks. One of the cars, was halted near the Church, with two men attending to an imaginary breakdown. The second car, drove up Patrick Street behind the party of soldiers, timing it to arrive at the Church at the same time the British soldiers did. A whistle blast began the assault. Liam Lynch called on the soldiers to surrender but they immediately resisted. The attackers rushed them, shots were fired and for a minute or two, there was a confused struggle. When the soldiers were finally overpowered their rifles were taken from them and piled into the Buick driven by Leo O'Callaghan. Both cars headed out the Tallow road while the remaining volunteers scattered on foot. Shortly afterwards a bugle call at the barracks raised the alarm and within minutes two lorry loads of military were speeding out the Lismore road in pursuit. However, at Carrigabrick, a mile and a quarter from the town, two trees on the roadside had been partly sawn through and then held in position by ropes. The moment the cars carrying the rifles passed, the trees came down with a crash thereby forcing the pursuers to make a detour and lose the trail. At Kilmagner, five miles from Fermoy, the rifles were taken to a pre-arranged spot and safely concealed. The following night they were transferred to a dump in the Araglen company area. Much thought had been given to the selection of officers and men for the task. Those of them who were well known locally would thereafter have to evade arrest. Intensive searches by military and police continued throughout the day. all over the surrounding countryside, cars were held up and many people questioned. Two days later the district was proclaimed a military area. On the Monday night following the raid, a large party of soldiers from the British garrison at Fermoy entered the town. They smashed the windows in most of the shops in Pearse Square, MacCurtain Street and Patrick Street and looted the contents. The following night the troops were confined to barracks, but on Wednesday night, they assembled again but found a large crowd of residents waiting for them in Emmet Street. Armed with sticks, stones and other weapons, the local people attacked the soldiers so furiously that they were driven back to their barracks. Many citizens barricaded their homes and premises and prepared to defend them against further attack, but by Thursday the spate of lawlessness appeared to be over.

The Loreto Sisters under the invitation of Bishop Murphy, founded a school for girls in Fermoy in 1853. The first nuns arrived with 10 shillings to commence their work in Fermoy. The school opened on the 2nd of November, the Feast of All Souls. Upon arriving in Fermoy hardship and appalling living conditions faced the nuns. The building was cold, damp and unfurnished. The day the Sisters arrived the Galtees were covered in mist, the Blackwater was swollen with rain water, and this rainwater pored under the doors and floorboards of the school. The Loreto Sisters needed as much help as they could get and received much assistance from the Presentation Sisters. Even with the help the Sisters received they were still considerably short of funding at the outset. As time past and more and more pupils attended the school along with the help of local lay people the school improved, eventually building new dormitories. The Convents prosperity grew and eventually commissioned the renowned architect George Ashlin to design a new wing for the convent. The new wing was built just in time for the arrival of Prince Arthur Patrick, Duke of Connaught, third son of Queen Victoria who visited Fermoy and the convent in 1877.

The Famine Graveyard is located right next to the military graveyard, behind the grounds of the Fermoy Soccer Club.

The Fermoy Mill which was built in 1802, was described in 1811, as the largest Mill in Ireland. In a manner surpassing anything known in this this country, It annually manufactured flour from 12 to 15 thousand barrells of wheat.

Glenabo Wood – Gleann na Bó – The Glen of the Cow. The name is derived from the famous white backed cow who used to graze in the area. According to folklore, a monster used to waylay the cow and take her milk. The monster was eventually tracked down and killed by Fionn Mac Cumhaill’s famous hound, Bran. The wood lies in a narrow glen through which flows a small stream. This stream forms one of the many tributaries of the River Blackwater which flows through Fermoy. The mixed nature of the wood in terms of tree species makes this very pleasant for walking.

The steeple of Christ Church is one of the great landmarks of Fermoy. The church was completed in 1809. It reflects much of the architectural style of Church of Ireland churches, including several brass and marble memorial plaques. One of its unique features is a tall entrance door which was designed to facilitate the carrying of military banners into the church. Before 1921, military detachments held regular church parades, followed by band recitals outside the church.

The Most Rev. Dr. William Keane, Bishop of Cloynes from 1856 to 1874 invited the Christian Brothers to Fermoy. Two teaching Brothers and one lay brother arrived in 1863. Bishop Keane had the National School established by Bishop Murphy adapted to suit the Christian Brothers. Bishhop Keane had the parochial clergy move into his house and handed the vacant parochial house over to the Brothers. This school is now the Parish Centre (CYMS). On the opening day 200 pupils attended the school, rising to 230 which filled the school. Any further requested for admission had to be refused. By 1890 the numbers had grown so high that it was necessary to replace the lay Brother with a teaching Brother. The parish agreed to pay an annual stipend to provide for a fourth teaching Brother. The size of the school hindered the Brothers in their work from the outset. Due to this it was decided to build a new school and the foundation stone was laid by Dr. Robert Browne, Bishop of Cloyne. The school opened a year later. This school was built in 1904 and formally opened in 1905 by the Christian Brothers. April 28, 1963 was the centenary of the Brothers arrival in Fermoy. Dr. Paddy Hillery, Minister for Education and future President of Ireland attended and also a telegram from Pope John XXIII was read out giving his best wishes at the celebratory banquet. The Department of Education attempted to enforce a rationalization policy in secondary schools. The local community stood up to the Department and rejected this policy. However enrolments began to fall in the Secondary school as other schools enrolments increased. In 1976 the Brothers announced their intention to withdraw from Fermoy. This was the last year first year students were enrolled in the school. In 1980 with the closure of the Secondary School, the Brothers left the town after 118 years. The years of dedicated service to the people of Fermoy has not been forgotten, as still for many the Bishop Murphy Memorial School is fondly referred to as “The Brothers”!

Enjoy the River Blackwater and as you walk, listen to its whisper as you leave the town behind and follow the sounds of nature.

The Military Graveyard is located next to the Fermoy Soccer Club grounds. When you enter the Soccer Club gates, the Graveyard is directly at the top of the driveway through a metal gate. Adjacent to the Military Graveyard is the Famine Graveyard which displays a large respectable cross surrounded number of white crosses to make the graves of those who died in the Great Famine of the 1840s. Buried in the Military Graveyard is the one of the most popular men in Fermoy military history and in the Durham light infantry is Jimmy Durham. Jimmy was born in Sudan in 1885 where his Father and Mother were both killed. When the Durhams found him at a young age they named him Jimmy Durham. The soldiers grew very fond of Jimmy as he grew older. Especially Sergeant Stuart, who treated him almost like a son. When Jimmy reached the age of 14, he enlisted in the regiment as a bandman. He moved with the battalion to Fermoy in 1905 where he married a girl named Jane Green. At the time in Fermoy the sight of a young black man aroused considerable curiosity and interest. He featured in several contemporary articles including one which appeared in the military magazine The Bulge on June 14th 1894. Jimmy died of pneumonia in August 1910 and was laid to rest in the Military Graveyard Fermoy where his headstone is the only white marble one in the spread of grey and brown ones.

Markets and fairs were introduced to Ireland by the Normans in the 12th century. The grant of a right to allow them to be held was bestowed as a gift from the Crown and their introduction may be regarded as an important step in the development of any town or village. It was normal for thousands to attend markets and fairs. All kinds of produce were sold including pigs , sheep, cattle, chickens, houshold goods and farm implements. In the 19th century John Anderson built the Market House. Markets were held everey Saturday and Fairs were held on the 21st of June, 29th of August and 7th of November in the Queens Square which is now named Pearse Square, after Padraig Pearse.

In 1791, the lands around Fermoy were bought by a Scotsman, John Anderson. He was an entrepreneur who developed the roads and started the mail coach system in Ireland. He designed the town and the streets remain much the same as they were originally built. The two first mail coaches set out in the opposite directions on the Cork - Dublin route at 10pm on 5 April 1789 and reached their destinations about 31 hours later - an amazing achievement considering that previously took up to four days. The dream of getting the Royal Mail from Dublin - Cork within 24 hours was achieved on July 8th 1789. The system was fast and cheap and by 1790 Anderson has become the dominant partner in the Dublin/Cork turnpike and mail, which was extended to Limerick in 1793. Until 2002 Fermoy did not have a public monument to honour its connections with Anderson. The Site chosen for a sculpture was beside the gates to the Town Park, adjacent to the former Fermoy House where Anderson once lived.

In 1908, Queen’s Square (now Pearse Square), named in honour of Queen Victoria, was the scene of a massive fire which destroyed several buildings on its northern side. The rebuilding of the premises destroyed in that fire is noted by the date ‘1908’ on one of their facades. During British rule, Queen’s Square was often the scene of military parades and band recitals. After independence in 1921, the square was renamed Pearse Square to honour the memory of Pádraig Pearse (1879 – 1916), who was one of the most intellectual of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. He played a prominent and heroic part in those events but was arrested and executed on the third of May 1916, alongside others including Thomas MacDonagh, who had been a teacher at Saint Colman’s College, Fermoy.