Carrigtwohill

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Carrigtwohill (Carraig Tuathaill in Irish) is a town in County Cork, Province of Munster, Republic of Ireland with a population of 4,869 (2006). It is located east of Cork city alongside the N25 road and is part of Metropolitan Cork. Due to its rapid growth in recent years, a railway station is on target for a 2008 opening connecting the surrounding suburbs of Cork with the city centre through the development of the Cork Suburban Rail.

Many large corporations have premises in the I.D.A. Business Park to the west of the town, including GE Healthcare, Stryker, Sifco, Millipore and Proscon. However the town was dealt a major blow in October 2007 when the biotechnology giant Amgen scrapped indefinitely its partially constructed plant at Ballyadam on the outskirts of Carrigtwohill.^[1]

Many new housing developments are currently under construction in Carrigtwohill, including Castlelake to the west, and Cul Ard to the north.

Gaelic Athletic Association is very strong in Carrigtwohill. The GAA have excellent facilities in the town, with a modern gymnasium, added to three playing pitches, one of which is floodlit. Carrigtwohill have an intermediate premier hurling team. In 2007, they won the Cork County Premier Intermediate Hurling championship, leading to promotion to Senior grade next. The minor team also won the Minor 'A' Hurling championship that year in a double victory for G.A.A. in the town.

1 History
2 Places of interest
3 Transport
4 External links
5 See also
6 References

[edit] History

In his book Church and Parish Records (1903), the Rev. J.H. Cole of the Church of Ireland said that the name Carrigtwohill is derived from Thuahill meaning left handed, or North. It is so called because, whereas most of the rocks in that part of the country run east-west, the rocks at Carrigtwohill run north-south.

As early as 1234, Carrigtwohill appeared in written documents as Karrectochell and Carrigtoghill, and in 1289 as Carigthottel.

[edit] Places of interest

The huge rock from which Carrigtwohill derives its name is about half a mile north-eastwards of the village itself, and is in the townland of Carrigane. The rock is honeycombed with caves; some are very large and extend for miles underground where very beautiful stalactites are to be found. Tradition has it that a goat once entered one of these caves, emerging in the townland of Ballintubrid, a few miles southwards. The cave where the goat emerged is called Poll an Gabair, meaning The Goat’s Hole.

The village is the home of the ruins of Barryscourt Castle. The castle was originally built in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 16th century. The castle grounds house a cafe and a gift shop.