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Stories / myths in Cork?

funnydoggy

Has anyone heard any myths/conspiracy theories/stories about people in Cork, or about Cork itself?

For instance -- there's a story that my grandad likes to tell that there are underground IRA tunnels throughout the city. Not sure if fact or what but always fun to think about !

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saabsaab

Article below claims that Cork is the most haunted county in Ireland!

https://www.irelandbeforeyoudie.com/the-five-most-terrifying-ghost-stories-from-cork/

[Deleted User]

Gallows green in Greenmount, known as the 'Dia field' was a place for hangings in days gone by. There's houses there now but it was a field in the 90s.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/looking-at-places/cork-city/a-school-in-cork-city/gallows-green/

A friend maintains one of his dogs refuses to go anywhere near the Lough Community centre area.

User142

Step on the UCC Crest under the Archways and you'll end up pregnant. Always wondered what the origin of it was.

I don't know the exact details but back pre independence some republicans went around Queens College Cork(UCC) and defaced British identifiers at the college. If anyone could shed any light on that it would be appreciated.

A statue of Queen Victoria was buried under the Presidential Gardens in the 1930s and was only recovered in 1995. https://www.ucc.ie/en/news/archive/2014andbeyond/2011pressreleases/queen-victoria-statue-at-tyndall-national-institute-ucc.html

The property of the chapel at UCC is not owned by UCC. Interesting history on wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honan_Chapel#Background_and_construction

Patrick Street is built on a river. Le Chateaus current main entrance is where boats used be able to pull up.

The story of the missing fountain on Shandon St. https://www.thejournal.ie/cork-fountain-missing-red-fm-3385197-May2017/

The Grand Parades name in Irish is Yellow Horse Street. There used to be a horse of King George down where pedestrian bridge is now.

https://www.irelandsown.ie/the-demise-of-king-george-ii-in-cork/

In 1760, Cork Corporation, headed by Mayor Thomas Newenham, thought it was a good idea to erect a statue of the British King George II in the centre of the rebel city. They commissioned Dutch sculptor John van Nost to carry out the work and the statue was executed in a foundry in Kifts Lane off South Main Street.

Two years later on July 17th 1762 the statue of the British King on his horse was unveiled on Grand Parade near where today’s Berwick Fountain stands. 100 years later the statue ended up at the bottom of the River Lee!

saabsaab

Large rodent spotted in the river Lee (four years ago)

'The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has trapped 10 coypus in the Curraheen area of Cork since a sighting of the rodent two years ago.'

byhookorbycrook

Doneraile has an abundance of stories , from a widow’s curse , to a Lord Doneraile being smothered as he lost his mind due to being bitten by a rabid fox, to the Devil himself being seen at the “ Big House .”

Annesgrove near Castletownroche has buried treasure protected by the ghost of a servant girl . A huntsman also haunts the grounds , he fell into the hound yard whilst feeding the hounds and all that wax found ware the brass buttons of his hunt coat .

Buttevant , being a walled town had enjoyed peace for many years , but news of an upcoming attack saw the chalices and other precious artefacts being
Melted down to make a missing gate . The attack was repelled but the gate went missing to this day .

byhookorbycrook

We grew up with this about the castle .
https://buttevantheritage.ie/poi/barrys-castle/

[Deleted User]

discostu1 wrote: »

I might be dreaming or maybe its a myth but thought when they were working on the ring road around where the ESB is that they found the bones of a Giant Deer could be bull

Giant deer were once native to Ireland, a long long time ago.

byhookorbycrook

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Giant deer were once native to Ireland, a long long time ago.

Mammoth bones were found in Castlepook caves between Doneraile and Buttevant
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25522968?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

the beer revolu

Meatloaf played at Conna Castle.

[Deleted User]

Pavarotti was in Cork when he was a young man and sang in The National Tavern in Dillon's Cross.

discostu1

Deleted User wrote: »

Pavarotti was in Cork when he was a young man and sang in The National Tavern in Dillon's Cross.

Never heard that is it myth or true

[Deleted User]

discostu1 wrote: »

Never heard that is it myth or true

I'm from the area, it's probably bollox. Maybe some Italian fella was in there singing and they later mistook it for him?

whisky_galore

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'm from the area, it's probably bollox. Maybe some Italian fella was in there singing and they later mistook it for him?

An italian singer with no bollix.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-40235672.html%3ftype=amp

Yester

50 Cent was in Reidys one night, about 15 years ago. He didn't sing though. He was just hanging out in the beer garden.

BionicRasher

The ghost on Fota Road
Various versions of the story but the one I am familiar with is that of a small girl who was knocked down by a horse and cart where she exited the gate on Fota road to cross to the houses to the other side.
Supposedly her ghost appears between 11.30 and midnight on dark moonless night’s and if you do not salute her she will appear in the backseat of your car as you pass by

Hangdogroad

discostu1 wrote: »

Never heard that is it myth or true

He performed in the Opera House in the 60's, remember it being mentioned a few times in media time of his death.

Be right back

BionicRasher wrote: »

The ghost on Fota Road
Various versions of the story but the one I am familiar with is that of a small girl who was knocked down by a horse and cart where she exited the gate on Fota road to cross to the houses to the other side.
Supposedly her ghost appears between 11.30 and midnight on dark moonless night’s and if you do not salute her she will appear in the backseat of your car as you pass by

Anyone know why there is giant rosary beads hanging on a door in the walls of Fota house as you drive along the Fota road?

Be right back

Be right back wrote: »

Anyone know why there is giant rosary beads hanging on a door in the walls of Fota house as you drive along the Fota road?

Edit, these ones.

BionicRasher

Be right back wrote: »

Anyone know why there is giant rosary beads hanging on a door in the walls of Fota house as you drive along the Fota road?

That’s where the ghost appears. She was supposedly crossing the road to go to the cottages on the opposite side of the road from that gate

byhookorbycrook

The only Protestant the banshee was supposed to have cried for was a rector called Bunworth, in Buttevant. He was a great supporter of the Irish harpers during the penal laws and was bequeathed many beautiful harps. As he was dying, the banshee was heard. You may be are familiar with "The Ballybeg bends" on the road between Mallow and Buttevant (around where the old lime quarry business was and the site of the Augustinian about 1 mile on the Mallow side. We were told that a servant who went to Mallow for help, heard the banshee all through that part of the road and up to where the rectory was (close to the primary school)
This is a link to a version of the story:
https://buttevantheritage.ie/poi/rev-charles-bunworth/

Another North Cork one- and more recently . Cíodhna was queen of the fairies. There's a rocky feature called after her near Glantane (close to Mallow,not a million miles from the former sugar factory. )

Anyhow, there was a quarry opened nearby and machinery refused to work there, go on fire etc. for no apparent reason. Things were moved around at night as well. It didn't stop until a mass was said there, according to the locals. There's no date given for this, but from what I've heard it was around the 1940s

.https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lagan+Cement/@52.0648256,-8.6956388,459m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x4844bfb9ad61d5fb:0xeaf879d6ea2f1dd5!2sLagan+Cement!8m2!3d52.0648256!4d-8.6934501!3m4!1s0x4844bfb9ad61d5fb:0xeaf879d6ea2f1dd5!8m2!3d52.0648256!4d-8.6934501?hl=en

There's another legend linked to her around Glandore. Every so often, a particular sound is associated with a wave breaking on the shore and it's known as Clíodhna's wave. It foretells a tragedy. A man I know lives locally and swears it was heard shortly before the Tit Bonhomme fishing tragedy that happened off Glandore on January 15th, 2012.

Itssoeasy

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm from the area, it's probably bollox. Maybe some Italian fella was in there singing and they later mistook it for him?

Of course it rubbish because even I never ventured near the place before it closed and I’m from the general area.

Itssoeasy

the beer revolu wrote: »

It was certainly bold and modern at the time.
I think it has aged beautifully and still looks great - and modern.

Our lady crowned Church in mayfield for a church built in the early sixties is not only a massive building with no columns down the middle(like Christ the king) but I couldn’t swear that it’s not brick built in some parts but it looks similar on first glance.

Does anyone know the real story about the woman who used to be stating at her gate in carrigtohill for years with a old type pram ? I heard it was because she had lost a child but that was well over twenty years ago and I honestly hope it’s wrong but I’ve always wondered.

[Deleted User]

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Of course it rubbish because even I never ventured near the place before it closed and I’m from the general area.

Yeah, but this thread is the place for such nonsense.

whisky_galore

Supposedly Napoleon, Wellington, basically anyone famous with a famous war horse had that horse purchased for them at Cahirimee fair.

All bollocks of course.

macraignil

whisky_galore wrote: »

Supposedly Napoleon, Wellington, basically anyone famous with a famous war horse had that horse purchased for them at Cahirimee fair.

All bollocks of course.

Heard that story about the Bartlemy bred horse of Napoleon from a few people and with the amount of horse breeding in the area I think there could be some element of truth to it.

saabsaab

Hangdogroad wrote: »

He performed in the Opera House in the 60's, remember it being mentioned a few times in media time of his death.

He was.

'The celebrated Italian Tenor was born in Modena 12 Oct 1935 and died there on the 5th September 2007. He participated in the Cork International Choral Festival in 1957, which marked his first appearance in Ireland, singing as a member of the Societa Corale Gioacchino Rossini from his home town; his father, Fernando, was also a member of the Corale.
Prior to his first Dublin appearances in May 1963 he had sung the role of Lieut. B.F.Pinkerton in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” at Belfast’s Grand Opera House for the local Grand Opera Society.'

whisky_galore

macraignil wrote: »

Heard that story about the Bartlemy bred horse of Napoleon from a few people and with the amount of horse breeding in the area I think there could be some element of truth to it.

From History forum, don't know how to link and not bothered to learn.
Needs evidence, not the word of a local "historian".

Two towns in Cork claim to be the birthplace of Napoleon's favourite horse but there seems to be no solid evidence for either.

The Cahirmee Fair is a horse fair held annually just outside Buttevant and it has a long history. No doubt it supplied many horses used in the Napoleonic Wars but it seems fanciful to claim that Marengo was bought there, especially as Britain was at war with France since 1793, the year Marengo is believed to have been born.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-40229498.html

As a bonus, it is claimed that Wellington's horse Copenhagen was also bought at Cahirmee Fair. Although more plausible, that claim too is unsupported by historical evidence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_(horse)

Sorry to spoil a good yarn. Marengo deserves to be remembered - here he is crossing the Alps in probably the most famous equestrian painting. Has there ever been a more dramatic image of man and horse. Contrast Marengo's wild stare with Napoleon's calm determination. Once he crossed the Alps, Napoleon looted the finest art and sent it to the Louvre.

opus

saabsaab wrote: »

Large rodent spotted in the river Lee (four years ago)

'The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has trapped 10 coypus in the Curraheen area of Cork since a sighting of the rodent two years ago.'

Those things got around, a friend of mine sent me a pic of one taken in his garden in Passage at the time. I often jog along the Curraheen River so spent weeks peering along the banks to see if I could spot one but sadly no.

discostu1

The they were building the Viaduct one of the workers fell to his death there are rails on it and the workers made one of them into a cross at the spot where he fell. I was told that by a man whose people worked on it and who lives very close to it......no idea if its true

the beer revolu

Once my dad was on the viaduct with his brother and they heard a train coming. They climbed under the tracks and hung from the struts while the train passed overhead.

Pretty sure this one isn't true!