Club History - History of Ballygarvan Area

St. Garvans Abbey in Ballygarvan was founded by St. Garvan who later went to Dungarvan, Co.
Waterford and founded an Abbey there. According to our Irish Martyrologies, St. Garvan
was born in the 6th century and his feast day is March 26th. He is thought to have
received his religious training from St. Finbarr in the monastery of Loch Eire. This is the
site of the present Cork City. Here Garvan became distinguished for piety and learning.
Only the East gable of St.Garvan's Abbey remains and it stands unprotected in a narrow
triangular field about 400 yards from Bowens Cross on the main Cork - Kinsale Road.
The church or abbey had dressed quoins and was built of sandstone ashler. There is an
ogee-headed window in the remains 6' high and 9" wide on the outside. It has limestone
dressings and the top curve is cut from the stone. There is also a piscina 2' by 2' 6" and
to the right of the altar an alcove 6' high with pointed head and projecting over the lower
ledge. The ruin is almost completely covered with ivy.

Liscleary, a parish, in the barony of Kerrycurrihy, county of Cork, on the south side of the
Owenabue River; containing 2,804 inhabitants. The surface is undulating, and the soil in
general good. The remains of the church in the parish of Liscleary are situated between
Fivemilebridge and Ballygarvan to the south of the River Owenabue . Portion of the
north wall is still to be seen, but the other walls are only indicated by the grass grown
ridges which cover the foundations. Traces of a chancel wall may also be seen. The
chancel was built with sandstone and clay, and there seems to have been no cut stone
used. Many of the large stones have been used to mark the graves of the dead. The
length of the church inside is 60 feet, while the breadth is 20 feet. The thickness of the
walls accurately measured, is three feet. The church was built before 1291, as the
Taxation of Pope Nicholas shows. The date of the disuse is fixed by two records given
by Brady, of 1639, when the church was returned to the Visitation Book as:- "Ecclesia
bene, desunt ornamenta," and of 1693, when the state of the Diocese was reported,
Liscleary was mentioned as:- "Ecclia in ruina lapsa." Smith's History of Cork has the
following note on the old Parish of Liscleary:- "A prebend (ancient name Sanctae
Brigidae de Lisly Clerrigy). Made prebend in 1332 by John de Balyconningham, Bishop
of Cork. Ruins. One Meagh or O'Midi anciently presented." But while this record shows
the patron saint to be St. Brigid, there is a record among Trinity College manuscripts
which refers to the "Rector Scti. Nichi. de Lilclery. The record is dated. The change of
dedication may be due to the fact that the names of Irish saints were replaced after the
Reformation by scriptural names. To the north of the graveyard in an adjoining field is to
be seen a gallaun over six feet in height which may have had some connection with an
early ecclesiastical building in the neighbourhood.

Killanully, or Killingley, a parish partly in the barony of Kerrycurrihy, County of Cork, and
partly in the county of the city of Cork, 5 miles from (S.) Cork on the road from
Carrigaline to Fivemilebridge. The soil is good and chiefly under tillage, and the system
of agriculture is improving: there is plenty of good limestone. Here are the Kilnahow
(Kilnahone) flour-mills. The present remains of the church at Killanully consist of the
whole of the east and west and part of the north and south walls. The church is 90 feet
by 20 feet. There is a door in the centre of the south wall. It forms a gothicarch on the
outside, and a square arch formed by an uncut lintel on the inside. There are remains of
one window also in this wall. There is a very old double -light window in the east well.
The arch of this window is very crude on the inside, and has a cut-stone facing on the
outside, the arc being formed by one stone. There is a square slit window in the western
wall also. The inside of the wall was constructed with dressed stone. The north wall
stands its full height and has no window. The eastern portion of the church seems much
older than the other, and there is a curious addition in the south-eastern end. The east
wall, extending about 10 feet outside tha churchmay have formed a vestry at one time.
The walls are built of sandstone and clay. The oldest tombstone decipherable bears the
date 1779, and is inside the church. In the church also near the door, is the grave of
Father Florence McCarthy, Parish Priest of Ballygarvan, at whose grave rounds are
paid. The tombstone has been erected by the parishioners, and is worn awaywhere
people have made the sign of the cross on it. There is a fine vault to the north of the
church belonging to the Busted family and bears the date 1790. Situated in the south-
west corner of the enclosure is a watch-house, now almost in ruins. In the adjoining field
stands the present Protestant church of Killingley, built in 1865 (by the wife of Lord
Muskery). In 1291 (the date of first mention of the church) it is included in the taxation of
Pope Nicholas:- "Eccia de Kyllynelith VIII. mr." The church was in ruins in 1615, as the
Royal Visitation shows. We also learn from this entry that there was chancel in the
church. In the succeeding fifteen years the church must have been restored for service,
for we find a Visitation Book returning it as "Ecclia bene, desunt ornamentas." From
1687 there was no churchwarden or parish clerk, so that we may take it as certain that
the date of final disuse was in this year or perhaps a few years before it.

Lios Rata Diarmuda (Lios of the Fort of Dermot) is a splendid circular lios near thecross-
roads.It is 96' in diameter and has a single deep fosse between double embankments, of
which the outer is 18' and the inner about 5' in height. Five Mile Bridge Droichead Dún
Aodha The Bridge of the Fort of Hugh It is said that Hugh O'Neill camped here on his
march to Kinsale.

Other townlands within the clubs hinterland.

Meadstown, Baile an Mitig
Ballinphelic, Baile an Peilice,
(The Homestead of the Hide-covered Hut)
Ballinrea, Baile an Ráide,
(The Homestead of the Mountain Plain)
Shanagraigue, Seana Gráig,
(Old Village)
Ballea, Baile Aodha,
(Hughs Homestead)
Ballyduhig, Baile Uí Dubtaig,
(O'Duffy's Town)

Áth na Lice, Annalicky Bridge
(The Ford of the Flagstone)
(It was on this spot that Tadhg Gaodhlach wrote "Nora Ní hAinle" after receiving a
gratuity from Liam Hanley, Nora's father