The Bog - A Geological History

The Bog as of 2026

Geographically nestled in between an elongated solitary limestone outcrop to its north-east ( The Mountain ) and a cluster of same to its south ( Quarry/The Heighties ) , the Bog sat silently for thousands of years. But human interference since the 19th Century has seen to its eventual transformation and ultimately its complete erasure. This article will detail its geological history up to present times.

 1830

The Bog - 1830s Map

 

The Bog - 1830s Ai reconstruction

 The Bog - 1830s Ground Level showing spring overflowing

 and willow in full bloom

The OS maps above ( 1830s ) and below ( 1880s - 1915 ) are the earliest examples of modern day mapping of The Bog. The article will treat each map with Ai to give a photo realistic view of the area from their aerial perspectives and even their ground levels. Of particular note is the changes in just a few decades! The Bog actually traverses 2 Townlands ; Clashduff and Deanrock. It was not in the classical sense of the word a true Bog but more a waterlogged wetland which acted as the Glasheen River's natural flood plain. It was fed by several underground streamlets which emanated from the high ground of Clashduff though limestone fissures. It contained a natural spring which flowed alongside an Osiery and into the nearby Glasheen River. The land itself sat 30 feet above sea level with a gently sloping gradient to its north west. In the 19th Century , the landowner in lieu of draining the Bog , had a drainage channel cut out at a downward angle to meet up with the flow of the spring and widened its natural channel to aid significantly in carrying away moisture and rainfall to free up a greater part of the Bog for grazing purposes. The spring was capped in the late 1970s and the entire Bog was leveled and covered in topsoil in the 1990s and is in use as a recreational park to date ( see below ).

1880s - 1915

The Bog - 1880 to 1915 map

The Bog - 1915 Ai reconstruction



The Bog - 1915 ground level from Summerstown Lane

Using the 1830s map ( earliest reference which will be used as a template ) as shown above , the article will now travel back Millions of years to highlight the creation of the area from its very beginnings through several important stages to bring the story up to more recent times.

 

 Stage 1 - Ordovician Period

 

 Stage 2 - Carboniferous Period

 

 
Stage 3 - Glacial Period ( Ice Age )

 
Stage 4 - Post Glacial Period

Stage 5 - Mature Prehistoric

Stage 6 - 10th Century 

Stage 5 & 6 Comparison Chart

Stage 7 - 1951

The Bog - Aerial photograph 1951

The Bog - Ai reconstruction of above

The stage was set in 1967 when Cork Corporation bought up huge swathes of land in the Togher region for social housing schemes. As part of the estate of Harry Hosford , the Bog fell into this category. Deemed to be unsuitable for the construction of houses due to its waterlogged condition , it became a de facto dumping ground for builders debris. Even the once proud Clashduff House was unceremoniously bulldozed into hollows. Of course local children would use it as an adventure playground where the land alternated from swampy bog to dry mounds of earth to trees and even an open drainage channel which flowed into the nearby Glasheen River. Circa 1976 and the Corporation began the job of capping the spring and flattening the entire area and coating it with hundreds of tons of topsoil to completely change it from a local wetland to a sparse tract of open barren land. But that too would undergo a miraculous transformation in  the 1980s. In the 1990s the Corporation finally began the process of turning the former historical wetland into a functioning recreational park by railing the entire perimeter and installing a football pitch , tennis court , children's playground and more recently a community garden and historical tribute peace park. It should be noted that the City Council yard is located in the corner of the former Bog next to the Glasheen River. *This will feature in a future article on this blog.

The Bog - 1967

The Bog - Aerial photograph 1967


The Bog - 1969

The Bog - Aerial photograph 1969


The Bog - 1971

The Bog - North view 1971

The Bog - South view 1971

The Bog - North West view 1971

The Bog - 1976

View from Deanrock Estate looking towards
Southside Shopping Centre & Five Star

 
The Bog - 2026

View from Deanrock Estate in modern times

Ancient Togher - Part 02 - Knocknamallavoge Castle

It is not generally known by historians but Togher once had a Castle! The following article shines the spotlight on the mysterious structure which has completely and utterly disappeared! However in order to uncover the mystery , it is necessary to look at another castle in the vicinity first as shown in the following article.

Knocknamallavoge Castle - Probable Illustration

Atypical depiction of Medieval stone tower with bawn

Cross section showing various stories

Schematic detailing various parts of castle

Rochfordstown Castle

Because the castle itself is no more , it is necessary to look across the Laune Valley at its sister , Rochfordstown , whose remnants as a castle are miraculously preserved as part of an outbuilding complete with Armorial Shield dating to 1630 still extant! But , in common with its Knocknamallavoge neighbour , the original castle dated back to the Late Medieval Period. Likewise , before the Norman Invasion , this townland was part of the lands of the Ui Mc Ceir and went under the original name of Ballinmollinhill or Settlement of the Mill , so anciently it would have tied to Togher and as such it is pertinent to include it here as a standing example. The Rochford family had a lineage with the townland going back almost 400 years at that point in time , meaning they were in situ since the 1200s! In 1630 , Sir Robert Travers purchased the castle and its lands from the Rochfords and incorporated his own Amorial Shield into the castle. Their tenure was however extremely brief as in 1659 , it was in the hands of Cromwellian adventurer William Hodder. By the 1770s , the White family were the new owners who quickly cleared away the old ruins to build their Georgian Castle White estate. Thankfully , they incorporated some of the old castle ruins into a stable and mounted the old Amorial Shield of the Travers family on its walls. The house itself was recently sold again on 18th October 2023.

Old castle walls converted into stables

Close up view of Old castle walls & Amorial Shield

Castlewhite House

** It must be mentioned that the Travers acquisition of Rochfordstown Castle was cursed by bad fortune!, They had not been long as owners when the Irish Rebellion swept over the estate as McCarthy and his rebel troops commandeered the location as part of their efforts to lay siege to Cork City. Enter one Murrough O'Brien a.k.a. Lord Inchiquin , an Irish Protestant , who under cover of darkness on 1st April 1641 left Cork City , with 200 Cavalry and 300 men on foot , and managed to navigate his way down Maher's Lane and completely take the rebel garrison by surprise , which then fled towards Ballincollig. Travers ( who was the nephew of the Elizabethan Poet Edmund Spenser! ) would later fight on the side of his rescuer , Lord Inchiquin at the Battle of Knocknanuss where he unfortunately died. His Estate and Castle , without a male heir to oversee its maintenance , fell into disrepair. Even though he had fought on the side of the Parliamentary Forces , his entire estate was deemed forfeit in the later Cromwellian Confiscations and proving bad luck follows bad luck , a doomed petition by his descendants to King Charles II in the 1660s , following the restoration of the Monarchy proved fruitless and the estate was , as mentioned previously , granted to William Hodder , who would later become Mayor of Cork City!

Murrough O'Brien , Lord Inchiquin
who led the attack on Rochfordstown Castle 1641

Knocknamallavoge Castle

When looking at Knocknamallavoge , it is also nesseasary to look at the original occupiers. Once part of the lands of the Ui Mc Ceir sept , following the Norman Invasion of 1177 , it among many other townlands fell under the direct control of De Cogan. Their stranglehold on the townland including many others was considerably lessened when the old De Cogan feudal ties were forever broken in a massive buy out by the Ronaynes in 1539. In regards to Togher , not only did they aggressively purchase Doughcloyne but also added Knocknmallavoge ( aka Knocknamullagh ) to their portfolio. This new ownership endured for almost 2 Centuries. However , following a strategic marriage by Dominick Sarsfield to one Catherine Ronayne ( the niece of Anthony Ronayne who then owned Doughcloyne ) in 1727 , ownership would once more change hands. When Anthony passed away , the property legally transferred to Dominick Sarsfield. Their son Thomas Sarsfield , many years later would secure a 999 year lease on Knocknamallavoge directly from his Brother-in-law Thomas Ronayne. This particular tenure lasted right up to 1947 when the Sarsfields liquidated their entire property portfolio to the S.M.A. and departed for the U.K. Generational tenant farmers such as the Coveney's continued to reside in the townland after their departure.

THE CASTLE

Chart detailing the probable stone Tower House

The article will now attempt to piece together the story behind the Castle. This phantom structure must have existed as even the 1842 OS maps mark its footprint as " Castle , Site Of ". In common with its neighbour across the Laune Valley , Rochfordstown ( see above ) Knocknamallavoge was once in the hands of the Ui Mc Ceir sept until their demise following the Norman Invasion of 1177. De Cogan , a Norman Knight , was given command of the townland amomngst many other tracts of land. It is thought that initially a Motte and Bailey would have been constructed followed much later by a stone fortification. The footprint which still exists to this day betrays its past. A roughly rectangular template still existed in the 19th Century. Undoubtedly , the oddly shaped ground to its immediate west would have been its bawn , which in 1842 was a tree enclosed space , perhaps still surrounded by the remnants of a wall. What must be clarified though is the terminology. It most probably was not a castle at all , at least not in the truer sense of a castellated structure and was most likely a stone Tower House , perhaps 3 to 4 stories high surrounded by a bawn and gardens enclosed in a low stone wall ( see chart above ) with smaller peasant holdings outside or nearby. These were built in their thousands all over Ireland during the Late Medieval Period ( c.1400s ) and their purpose suited the scenario at the time. In the event of a raid , all people and cattle could be quickly hoarded inside behind a big heavy wooden door which would be barred on the inside. The occupiers were thus safe until help could arrive the following morning. Evidence from the time also suggests that the habit of pouring boiling oil from the top of the tower house down onto its invaders usually resulted in the band of thieves fearing for their lives and rapidly departing! It was only the advent of gunpowder and cannons which rendered their usefulness null and void. And it is perhaps this later invention which saw its death knell? As to the question of who built it , there can be no question but that De Cogan's descendants built it. The previously shown remains of Rochfordstown Castle show the type of stone which would have used in its construction and give a good indication of what it would have looked like.

Access Roads

1840s OS map showing " Castle , Site Of "
* Note : Access route down to Waterfall Road
& extant access route off Spur Hill to west

Access route off Spur Hill

The " Castle " would have had several access roads or routes. One which is still in existence to this day , can be found on Spur Hill not far from Crossnacroha aka Lios Cross which is near to an ancient Ring Fort ( see here ). Another more ancient extinct route lead down from the Castle first heading west and then following a wooded area southwards to the Glasheen River where a timber bridge lead onto the Waterfall Road. Over time this area became subject to frequent flooding and eventually the route was abandoned altogether. It must be mentioned that a later trackway which followed the Glasheen River down through Morrison's Ravine later linked up at the termination point of the old castle route , which today is guarded by a steel gate which is visible from the road. Another secondary route lead directly south from the actual castle but this was most probably a cattle road.

Original termination of old castle route

Later map showing disruption of old castle route 
and Morrison's Ravine trackway linking up 

Gate leading to Morrison's Ravine off Waterfall Road

Close up of gate which also marks the original
 termination of old castle route

The following images show a sandpit located close to the old south facing castle road. This would have been used for tenants for building purposes and today is a deep pit surrounded by heavy vegetation.

Sand pit indicated by circular radiating lines
and interior hachured vertical lines
dug out in 19th Century near old access route

Google Earth 3d image of sand pit

Demise of Castle

The challenge now in the absence of any empirical proof or even local folklore is how to discover what actually became of the Castle in Knocknamallavoge! However its location might just betray the reason for its disappearance. Ireland during the 14th and 15th Centuries amidst the Black Death or Bubonic Plague ( which weakened English control over the region ) was subject to a Gaelic Resurgence and the McCarthy's of Muskerry were in a position to begin reclaiming land which had been lost to the Normans. In this scenario , the stone tower house would have undoubtedly come under attack. Even if it had survived all of that , there was then the Confederate Wars of 1641 , where initially the McCarthy's again may have attacked , but leaving all of that aside , the arrival of Cromwell's forces in 1649 coupled with the advent of gunpowder and cannon , a hypothetical attack would have easily destroyed the stone tower. Another avenue of conjecture rests on the simple act of the owners dismantling the stone tower so as to lessen any interest in their land! Whilst all of the preceding scenarios are historically pure conjecture , at least one may be the truth. One thing is for certain. The castle is no more! Two final lines of inquiry now present themselves : Archaeological excavation or Lidar.  

Land to left of cattle road shows a distinct square shape
with outline of bawn to its north

Lidar image shows faint outline
south of access road as shown above

Acknowledgements:

https://roaringwaterjournal.com

Togher's Financial Sector - 01 - Cork Savings Bank

This series of short articles  - Togher's Financial Sector - will look at all of the areas money based institutions , in no particular order , whether still extant or not. The blog will open with a very brief look back at the Cork Savings Bank.

Permanent TSB circa 2009
1 Clashduv Road

Sold sign circa 2011

The Cork Savings Bank originally opened in Cork City in 1817 and operated from Lapps Quay until 1986.  The Togher branch first opened in late 1974 or early 1975 as a branch of the Cork Savings Bank. This was part of its expansion plan given the rapid development in Togher at the time. It of course was also seen as a direct competitor to the nearby Bank of Ireland which had been in situ as part of the Southside Shopping Centre on Hazel Road since 1970. It was built on a piece of greenfield site directly in front of Owenacurra Court with the grandiose address of 1 Clashduv Park.

Future site ( 1971 ) bottom right of field
in front of Owenacurra Court

Over the decades, the branch changed names multiple times due to institutional mergers before it finally closed in 2010: 

1974–1986: Cork Savings Bank
1986–1992: Cork & Limerick Savings Bank ( following an amalgamation )
1992–2001: TSB (Trustee Savings Bank) ( following a nationwide merger )
2001–2010: Permanent TSB ( following the merger with Irish Permanent )

As of 2013 the bank now operates under the name PTSB.

Last logo used on Bank in Togher

Today the site is occupied by Abbeyville Vets who moved in circa 2011. All that remains of the old Bank is the low wall which encloses the building.

Abbeyville Vets

The Conjen Box

The Conjen Box

Side view showing teeth of insertion point
& keyhole

Children from the 1970s will well remember the Conjen Box! This was a metallic box in the shape of a bank book or post office box. The idea being that youngsters would deposit their pennies in the box and when full take them into the Bank where the cashier held the key to open it and add to your savings account or in most cases hand directly back to the child. Of course many kids from the 1970s had by then mastered the art of prizing back the teeth under the box to secretly free up some coins for sweets and comics! The Conjen Box was discontinued in the late 20th Century. The term is said to derive from returning Munster Fusiliers who coined the slang word from the Tamil " Kanji " which was a military lock up or Glasshouse for soldiers. 

PTSB connection to Togher

The old bank still has a ghostly connection with Togher to this very day! Their customer resolution offices are based at the Togher Sorting Office off the South Ring Road. So if you have any complaints and still hold a savings book from their time in Togher , then you can drop them a line!

PTSB Customer Care Centre
off South Ring Road
Togher Industrial Estate

Acknowledgements :

https://readingthesigns.weebly.com 

Devils Rock - The Heighties & The Grotto

A limestone outcrop ( one of 2 in the region - see The Mountain here ) ) stands guard over the Glasheen River in Togher. This article will highlight the rock itself , the area which surrounds it and its geological and historical background. 

 

Billy O'Brien in front of Devil's Rock 2015

Devil's Rock circa 1986

Throughout its immense geological history , Togher and the subject area under discussion ( The Heighties ) was part of several Super Continents moving from below the Equator to its present location traveling in the process thousands of miles over countless Millions of years. The illustrations below show The Heighties at 3 stages of development starting with the Ordovician Period when sandstone was first being formed to the Carboniferous Period when a layer of Limestone was laid down on top of it right through to the Triassic Period when it became a hot desert. Subsequent flooding would have washed this great mass of sand into the sea and the region entered the Last Ice Age when the land was pulverized by Glaciers measuring 2 - 3 Kilometers in height! When the Ice Age ended over 12,000 years ago , the resulting meltwater turned the area into  a wetland and eventually a bog. During all of this turbulence , The Heighties along with its sibling The Mountain managed to survive! However , a threat greater than nature would see its diminution and almost complete erasure by the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Ordovician Period (485.4 – 443.8 Million Years Ago)

Carboniferous Period (358.9 – 298.9 Million Years Ago)

Triassic Period (252.2 – 201.3 Million Years Ago)

The map below dating from 1830 predates the establishment of the Quarry. The ground shows established paths looping around a group of exposed limestone outcrops. The ground is heavy with vegetation and trees. There are three abodes , two smaller cottages and one long conjoined workmen's cottage running perpendicular to the road. Note the bridge is already in situ.

1830 Map from southward perspective
houses marked in yellow

Ai reconstruction of 1830 map

Pre-Quarry use

Ai reconstruction of 1830 map
from road side view

The maps below , consisting of actual , aerial and Ai reconstructions showcases The Heighties during the early 1910s , 1951 and mid 1960s. The abandoned quarry which became a children's adventure land ( reiterated more fully below ) was ultimately morphed into a modern housing estate.

1915 map from southward perspective
showing limestone mounds excavated
Note : Only one small cottage remains

Ai reconstruction of above 1915 OS map

The Heighties - centre - 1951

The Heighties restored to pasture 1960s

Actual photograph of The Heighties before
 building scheme late 1960s

Unike its lonely isolated cousin near Hazel Road - The Mountain ( see here ) , Devils' Rock was once part of a large quarry. Today , aside from a small remnant off Blackwater Grove , it is the sole surviving legacy. Its old address was Summerstown Lane but today it is Leamlara Close fronting onto Deanrock Avenue. Its footprint is 61.11 feet being its greatest length from rear to front and its greatest width is 45.79 feet. Extensively quarried during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries , it eventually fell into disuse and its pockmarked footprint served as a playground for generations of children from near and far. The various bumps and hollows left behind from the abandoned quarry provided endless hours of free entertainment. Devil's Rock had a far less sinister name back in the 1940s and 1950s when it was known as The Citadel.

Ai reconstruction of Devil's Rock & The Heighties
before housing scheme commenced late 1960s

Newly constructed Catholic Grotto 1988

As seen from Leamlara Close

Grotto as seen from Deanrock Avenue

Following the subsequent back filling of The Heighties , the land was CPO'd by Cork Corporation for the building of Deanrock Estate a.k.a. the N.B.A. named after the company tasked with the housing scheme. Devil's Rock was simply incorporated and continued to provide local children with a natural climbing apparatus for many years. In 1988 , the roadside portion was converted into a Catholic Grotto which it remains to this day. Despite all of the changing landscape over countless millions of years , Devil's Rock still takes pride of place.