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.

The Mountain

In Togher , in the townland of Deanrock , there lies a geological natural feature known as " The Mountain ". This article will look at it's story which spans millions of years and thousands of miles , including what was there before , how it was formed and how the surrounding landscape changed over time.

Billy O'Brien - The Mountain - 2014

Today , the rocky limestone outcrop which is situated off Clashduv Road and Hazel Road and known affectionately by locals as The Mountain is one of the areas natural wonders. Before the blog delves into the story of The Mountain , it is first necessary to to uncover what was there before it even existed! In other words , what does it actually rest on. For that ( see graph below ) , a journey back in time and thousands of miles south reveals the answer. During the Ordovician Period ( 450 Million Years Ago ) , the region was hundreds of miles below the Equator and submerged in a shallow sea.

Location of Ireland circa 450 MYA
Note : Submerged in shallow sea

Granite rocks from higher levels of dry land were worn down by the elements into fine grains of sand which were then deposited at the site. A process called lithification over millions of years turned the sand into hard rock. They were helped by natural minerals such as silica , iron oxide or calcium carbonate which acted like a glue to hold everything together. This then became the sea floor for what was to come next!

Sandstone plain exposed from shallow sea

The Mountain hides many secrets in plain sight! It was originally twice the size extending out onto the present day access road off Clashduv Road and exponentially higher! However this will be explored in more detail later in the article. How the natural feature came into existence will now be examined. Many could be forgiven for believing that it is just a simple mass of rock. But that couldn't be further from the truth! It is in fact the remains of sea animals which swam in the ocean over 359 Million years ago! This occurred during the Carboniferous Period ( see graph below ). 

Location of Ireland circa 100 MYA
Note : Submerged in warm tropical sea

As they died , their skeletal remains ( Chrinoids , Corals and Brachiopods - see below ) drifted to the bottom of the sea and over millions of years were joined by more remains. These eventually solidified under enormous pressure to form limestone circa 360 - 330 Million Years Ago! Thus The Mountain was born! It was and is quite literally an open tomb! In other words a mass grave exposed from an ancient seafloor! What is seen today is only a fraction of its overall mass. A typical limestone outcrop resting on a sandstone base can be anywhere from 10 to 50 Metres deep! However , as the Island of Ireland was pushed further north by plate tectonics it entered a period of extreme heat which turned the landscape ( see below ) into an arid desert!

Illustration of shallow sea prior to forming limestone

Brachiopod in its natural environment

Crinoids in their natural environment

The Mountain when it was surrounded by desert
 ( Ai reconstruction )

Over many millions of years Ireland went from a sub-tropical climate to a more temperate one ( as it quite literally crashed into another landmass thus forming the Island of Ireland ) and this transformation which arrived at the end of the Neogene Period ( 2.58 Million Years Ago ) saw a prolonged period of intensive weathering culminating in the last Ice Age which gouged the entire landscape beyond all recognition and heavily wore down any exposed rock formations , including The Mountain which may have been hundreds of feet high. This would have taken place between 27,000 and 20,000 Years Ago and was known as the Last Glacial Maximum. As it retreated , this 1 Kilometre thick ice sheet ( which covered over 99% of Ireland ) scoured and polished anything that lay in its path giving us the feature more or less that we have today.

View from The Mountain during Last Ice Age
Glaciers retreating leaving meltwater
( Ai reconstruction )

In tandem with this massive erosion event was the ever changing landscape which The Mountain oversaw. When the Ice Sheet retreated , it left behind a deep depression leaving a flat valley floor. Countless ancient short lived streams quickly flooded this plain as a result of the colossal meltwater produced by the shrinking glaciers before settling into their present flows which mirrored the fault lines in the bedrock ( North to East ). Today , Togher contains a mere 3 main watercourses , Glenmore , Liberty/Tramore and Glasheen , which date back to the end of the last Ice Age making them at least 10,000 years old!
 

The Mountain surrounded by a swamp
( Ai reconstruction )

As time wore on , the meltwater slowed and the valley floor became stagnant which encouraged the appearance of water lilies , sedges and reeds in the shallow water. The Post Glacial Period ( c. 9,000 Years Ago ) saw the valley floor develop into a peaty fen as a result of the decomposition of these plants. This mass of nutrient rich ground ushered in the Wet Woodland Intrusion ( c. 6000 B.C. ) when it became solid enough to support Alder , Willow and Birch trees. The dense canopy took over the valley floor of Togher. The vantage point if seen from The Mountain would have been a huge swamp woodland as far as the eye could see! An event known as the Raised Peat Accumulation ( c. 3000 – 1000 B.C. ) saw the trees die off due to the acidity of the groundwater.
 

The Mountain surrounded by bog formation
( Ai reconstruction )

In its place grew Sphagnum moss which thrived in the acidic conditions. It quite literally soaked up all of the groundwater to form a dome-like structure or raised bog for miles around. By the time of the arrival of our ancestors towards the end of the Bronze Age ( c. 1200 B.C. ) they were forced to construct a causeway ( An Tóchar - Togher ) nearby to traverse the dangerous uneven ground to secure a footing onto the higher land , thereby giving the region its name! As the Millennia wore on  , the area succumbed to human intervention when much of the land was drained for agricultural use.

OS map 1830 showing track over The Mountain

The legacy of a bog near The Mountain persisted right up to the 1970s when it was back-filled to form the modern day park that exists today. Sadly The Mountain has been subject to modern human intervention over the last 2 Centuries. At one point , the owners of Clashduff house had a cattle track hammered through the centre of The Mountain to gain access to another field. This would have facilitated the movement of cattle and also farm hands with horse and cart delivering manure and feed ( see map above ). 

OS map 1880 - vertical lines indicating uneven terrain

Aerial photo 1951

Once the land was CPO'd in 1967 , a French explosives expert was hired by Cork Corporation to quite literally blow up The Mountain. However after several attempts , it was deemed too dangerous to continue given the close proximity to neighboring housing schemes. Nonetheless much of The Mountain was now permanently gone. In its place a shadow of its former self now stood like a silent sentinel over the growing Neighborhood. Once the planned complete demolition was cancelled , the builders tore down the stone wall exposing for the first time to the general public , The Mountain , which would not have been visible from the main road outside.

September 1968 - View of The Mountain
in background behind boy and trees

Aerial photo 1971 - * Note : Fencing along brow of outcrop

Aerial photo 1971 - Frontal view of The Mountain
from Clashduv Road

Aerial photo 1971 - Alternate view showing builders offices

The photos below from different timelines show the footprint of The Mountain over successive years as it quietly disappears from view as outlined in the closing paragraphs of this article.

Early 2000s - * Note worn track on right

Circa 2005 - Note encroachment by ground cover at rear

Circa 2010 - Note coverage of top soil and grass to rear

3d view of The Mountain showing its full length

* In more modern times , tons of topsoil were deposited to cover over the sharper more craggier parts of the base of The Mountain. This can be seen nowadays in the upward curve of the grassy base which has succeeded in hiding about half of the west face of the limestone outcrop , the whole of which was visible to children of the 1970s and 1980s. The exposed greatest length of The Mountain in modern times from north to south is 198ft while its greatest exposed width from west to east is 57ft. As demonstrated by the photos below soil coverage and introduction of bushes and trees have served to soften its appearance. In more modern times The Mountain is flanked to its north and east by Hazel Road , to its west by Elm Road and to its south by Clashduv Road.

 

 

1973 local protest concerning driving test centre
* Note : original height of The Mountain in background

North Face - * Note : rough grass covering outcrop

South Face - * Note : introduction of bushes & trees

West Face - Most iconic view from Elm Road

East Face - Car Park on Hazel Road
* Note : rough grass covering outcrop

 

Conclusions :

While it is commendable from a health and safety view that this natural feature has been softened so as not to endanger children , it is felt that another approach can be taken. This could take the form of re-exposing the limestone outcrop and erecting a gated fence around its perimeter. School tours could be undertaken by interested parties including tourists ( this is a golden opportunity ) and a storyboard stand put in place showcasing its fascinating geological history as detailed in this article. From a shallow tropical sea to a desert to glaciers to swamp and bog , The Mountain has witnessed it all!

Ai construction of gated fence

Acknowledgements :

 

media.hhmi.org

https://www.fossilera.com
https://www.manospondylus.com 
https://dalesrocks.org.uk