Ballinora Heritage Trail
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Ballinora heritage trail By Michael O'Connor Ballinorna and District www.ballinora.com Community Association Ltd 2 3 Hello and welcome I have been asked several times, why heritage? What good is there in knowing all about the past. All I could do was quote Cicero "to die not knowing what happened before you were born, is to remain perpetually a child" I believe there is a connection between happiness and heritage. If you learn from the past, and appreciate where you are living now, where you have put down roots now, you create well-being within yourself. It doesn’t have to be where you were born. If you reminisce with laudable pride, not egotistical pride, about your own life’s journey, you will buy into the concept that part of the past is always alive. You almost get in touch with unknown people who lived and died, and felt all the same emotions and feelings as yourself - be it going to church, singing in the choir, tending your garden, playing for the local GAA team of your day, or any team of any sports code, or laughing with friends, or minding your cat or dog, or grandchildren. When you stand at the front door of the church after mass, and gaze for a moment down towards the Mass rock in the forest by the stream, or lean over the gate and gaze at the ruins of Ballymacadane Abbey out in the field over from Old Abbey bridge, your head would shake, and you would ask the question, why? Man’s inhumanity to man. Likewise, at the monument of Leo Murphy in Waterfall village, you could weep along with sighing, when you think of what the Black and Tans did to him. After they shot him, they tied him to the back of their lorry and dragged him along as they sped off to their Barracks in Ballincollig. The raw material of life is in our heritage. Living in the presence of tangible parts of our heritage, can enable us to overcome our mortal anxieties. Our heritage makes sense of our brief existence upon this earth. Our heritage can make us acutely aware that "we belong - we know who we are" Michael O'Connor www.ballinora.com 1. ST JAMES’ CHURCH good place to start our light is there in every one, to keep journey is at the front door our hope alive, until we get to the A of our recently refurbished 15th station, where he is recognised church. Imagine our parish priest Fr. at the breaking of bread, even Declan Mansfield standing there with though HE had been explaining you. It is Sunday just after midday, everything as he walked with the two he is still dressed in his full Mass disciples on the road to Emmaus. attire, chatting with members of his congregation, who are making their Another amazing feature is the way home for Sunday dinner, just like grave of Fr. Michael Prior who died all our ancestors who equally made suddenly in the churchyard in 1847, their way home for Sunday dinner with the famine raging. He had been in those years following 1821 when attending an old lady who lived in the church was built. (This Church a hut opposite the church. Railings replaced one built on a ledge half are around his grave to this day. way down the steep hill known Equally amazing and wonderful as “Boithrin an tSeipeil – church to have is the tablet of marble in road). It has magnificent glass memory of Rev. Canon Mc Carthy paintings on the windows behind who was parish priest from 1889 to the altar, all done around 1860 for September 1901. It states clearly, he the Glory of God. On the left is the had a noble character, distinguished last supper in great detail. On the ability, an untiring zeal, and his love right is the Immaculate conception, of the poor won the admiration of his and directly behind the altar, up parishioners. The people of Ballinora high, is a wonderful painting of the and Ballincollig placed this tablet of garden called Gethsemane, where marble in his honour, above the side his disciples fell asleep, and where door on the left as you walk up the Judas the traitor betrayed Jesus. church. That speaks volumes for the That same message faces us today, people of Ballinora and Ballincollig. as it faced the congregations away In 1986 Ballinora was decreed a back, 155 years ago, as it will face parish in its own right and the is now the people who will attend 155 years known as the Church of St James. to come. A rather unique feature In 2010 it was refurbished and re- is the Stations of the Cross. They dedicated by Bishop John Buckley. are oil paintings, projecting a dark mood, showing us the horrendous sufferings of Jesus Christ, but a little 6 7 2. SCOIL BHAILENORA - BALLINORA SCHOOL fire downstairs, often used to dry for the celebrations associated with the coats in winter time. That was the new school coming of age in our central heating system. Big long May 1984. desks about two feet apart filled On a final comment, the old the floors upstairs and downstairs. school which had been opened Each desk had inkwells, and we in 1848 had a robbery in 1849. had pens with nibs at the top to dip Patrick Cushion and Michael into the inkwell, so that we could Doody stole seventy books out of learn to write, and it worked. Donal Ballinora National School. They O'Scannail who was principal during were sentenced to 12 months’ my time, gave us a love of hurling imprisonment and hard labour. The and a love for our native language heading in the Cork Examiner on Irish. He was President of the most 26 September 1849 relating to the famous organisation in the parish, incident appeared as “sacrilege “. Ballinora GAA, from 1950 until he Interviews for vacancies the school died in August 1987. The school is were held at the mechanics library, the cradle for our National Games, Cook Street, Cork back then, and and has been since away back in on 2 December 1874 the Very Rev. 1848. The very anthem of Ballinora ext door to the church is the school, when I attended between 1951 and 1958, Cannon Maguire returns his very GAA – “The Boys of Ballinora” built and opened in 1962. It is but with the arrival of the 1960s and sincere thanks in the local press to – was composed by a previous presently being extended to cope more government expenditure conditions John Dunlea esq. of Carrigrohane N principal, Jimmy Long, another with the increasing numbers – over 300 improved dramatically. We played hurling Mills for his annual generous present principal that I knew was Vincent pupils and 16 teachers. It is a state of the art out on the road, that had no tarmacadam. of 5 tons of Coal for the Ballincollig Cronin, who was equally steeped in building, with all the modern conveniences. Imagine the stones and dust rising, because and Ballinora National Schools. The current principal’s name is Michael the hurleys we had were weapons of mass Gaelic games, and he had played in O'Draighneain, a man with team spirit and destruction compared to the refined camans Croke Park as a minor, no need to huge commitment along with his staff, to of today. It was a two story building and say anymore. Vincent was present educate and develop the skills of all the you were upstairs until you got your first pupils under their care. Holy Communion, then you went down stairs with the big boys and girls until you But the school prior to that was built got your Confirmation and did the primary beside it in 1848, famine times to put it school Certificate. There was a big open mildly. The facilities were primitive, even 8 9 3. THE MASS ROCK 4. THE GAA HALL he hall has long since been existence of the hall in 1928 got a further note demolished, concrete posts surround of approval, in the way it was contributing to Ttoday where once the GAA hall stood. a strong and focused community, Ballinora Not long after Ballinora GAA club was hurlers for the first time won the Mid Cork founded in 1924, it was decided to build a Junior title. There was dancing in the new hall to cater for all the needs of the parish. It hall well into the dawn, while bonfires burned was a community hall in many ways, catering down the glen. Glory of the little parish. The for Irish dancing, GAA meetings, adult hall got a further boost in 1932 when the education provided by the Cork County VEC, hurlers won the County Intermediate title dramatic productions etc. It cost about 115 and the Mid Cork Senior title. For nights like euro by todays money, around 90 pounds that and for many more down the years the in 1927 in old money. The Gaelic League hall was the place to be in Ballinora. Many a took off and there were strong attempts to heart was broken there and many a marriage revive the language and Irish dancing. Old made. Bicycles lined the ditches on both Time Waltzing was banned for years. From sides for hundreds of metres as locals played a GAA point of view the club was formed to the banjo and accordion inside. From a safety promote our games and encourage more to point of view, by today’s standards it left a lot become active members of the club, which to be desired.