Kilmeen & Castleventry

Kilmeen Parish between Clonakilty and Dunmanway. Rossmore, Bealad and Ballygurteen

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Kilmeen & Castleventry - Nice to meet you!

Kilmeen parish lies northwest of Clonakilty and northeast of Rosscarbery. TY student and Kilmeen parishioner Ronan Scannell presents his parish here for summer visitors and would-be visitors from the other five parishes of our family of parishes.

This is the second in a series of brief articles by TY students in Clonakilty Community College presenting our six parishes in turn. (Ed.)

The present parish of Kilmeen has a territory that is filled with local history, with ruins (mostly unnamed) and memorials scattered throughout, and the occasional stone circle. In the heart of Bealad village there stands the Church of the Holy Trinity, a two-hundred-year-old successor to the pre-Reformation Castleventry parochial church. Opposite the present church is a former two-classroom national school opened in 1955 and painted a nice yellow with a red wrap around the edges, but that has long since faded to memory. Today the school serves as a community centre where a social was held after the last Saturday evening Mass before the summer schedule of Mass began.

If you turn back and head eastwards down the hill you will come across an old flax mill that has been converted into a grain silo used by a local farmer. Flax was an important and popular cash crop in the area until the 1950s. Down the road again and you will find yourself facing Kilmeen primary school. Just up past Rossmore church, dedicated to St Mary, you will find the local GAA pitch.

Right next to said pitch you will be able to find the old ruins of Ballinvard Castle which is within a working farm and understandably inaccessible to the general public. The following passage from castles.nl is relevant and interesting: ‘Ballinvard Castle, an O’Hurley stronghold, was built in the late 16^th century, most probably by Randal Oge Hurley of Ballynacarriga Castle. In the course of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, the castle was taken and forfeited in 1650. For a short time it was garrisoned with English soldiers. When they left, they largely destroyed the battlements, rendering the castle indefensible.’

Now back to Rossmore village you will also find the local theatre just below the church. It is commonly used as a community centre for local events and coffee days along with our local drama group which uses it quite often. You could probably find out if there was any event happening soon by asking around as the community is quite connected and friendly.

Nearby there is also our local strawberry farm known as Bushbys Strawberries. I would highly recommend going there as the Strawberries are delicious.

Now that’s a short presentation of the area of Kilmeen parish.

Come and visit us! During the summer, Sunday Mass is celebrated in St Mary’s church (P85 V832), Rossmore village, at 11.00am.