Ballymodan Parish and Townlands                                                   ballymodan google map

Baile Mhudain – Mudan’s habitation – Identified with Cell Mudan.  It is written Kilmodan in the Down survey map.  Mudan is supposed to have been a Bishop in St Finbars time.  Mudan was the grandfather of Eidersiel, progenite of the O’driscolls.  It was later used as a Christian name in the O’Driscoll families.  The parish was named Bandon Bridge – Droidead na Banndan by the early planters.

 Townlands

 Gaggin (600 acres).  Geaganach.  Branchy place.  At the south side is a rough copse called Black Brake.  Nearby is Knocknastoora – Cnoc na Stuaire (hill of the pinnacle).  There are remains of a ring fort with soutterrain.  It is written Gegganen in pettys map and Geganach in an inquisition of 1611.

Gurteenomahon (258 acres)  Goirtin O Mathghamhna – Little field of the O’Mahonys.  At the east side is Gurteen Bridge

Curravarahane (309 acres).  Coradh an Bhiorain – Weir of the pointed stake.  At the west side are traces of an old mill and mill race.

Killountain (500 acres)  Cill Fhionntain – St Fintans Church.  St Fintan was a disciple of St Finbar and is patron of the parish.  Part of the west side is called Brittas – Briotas (temporary wooden fortification)

Knockaveale (588 acres)  Cnoc a Mhil – Hare Hill.  At the south side is the very ancient Killhassin Church and burial ground.  It is mentioned in a decretal letter of 1199 as Cellmoesenoch.  Eason was, according to canon Lyons, a lay artisan of St Patrick.  Thomas Adderly came to Ireland as a colonist at the beginning of the 17^th century and was provost of Bandon in 1616.  He sold  his townland to Thomas Poole in 1628.  After selling Knockaveale, he moved to Innishanon.

Poole gave Father Donal O’Hurley, Parish Priest of Ballymodan and Desertserges, permission to build a mass house on his estate on the site of the historic church of Cellmoesenoch.  This was built about 1719 and extended in 1731.  It was straw covered.  The Pooles built a mansion called Mayfield and in 1800 a Poole married a Cork merchant named Morgan and on purchasing property in Ballinamought in Shandon parish transferred to it the old name of Mayfield which is still the name of a Cork residential suburb.

Knocknagarrane (463 acres)  Cnoc na nGearran – Nag  Hill.  At the east side are ruin s of old cotton mills erected by the Allmans in 1801 and which employed 300 men.  They ceased production about 1838 and it served as a hospital in 1847.  At the west side is Cross Mahon – Crois ‘Mathghamhna (Mahon’s Cross Roads)

Meelon (429 acres)  Maoileann – Bleak eminence.  At the south side is Curraghderg – Currach Dearg (red bog), and at the west is Foilderg – Faill Dearg (red cliff) which got its name from the blood shed in any engagement in 1642 between the McCarthys of Kilbrittain and the Bandon Militia

Roundhill (127 acres)  Cnoc Comhchruinn – All round, spherical hill. At the north side are traces of a chapel which was erected in 1744 and which served to 1796.  The cluster of houses which sprung up around it still bears the name of Old Chapel.  Here are two corn mills one of which is disused.  It is written Derresallagh – Doire Saileach (sally wood) in Pettys Map

Castlebernard (397 acres)  Caislean O’Mathghamhna – O’Mahony’s castle.  Here are the ruins of Castlemahon as well as those of the more modern castle of Castlebernard the erection of which was commenced in 1715 and completed in 1806.  Bernards were aa Westmoreland family.  In the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 Francis Bernard emigrated to Ireland and secured from Phane Beecher the castle and lands of Castlemmahon.  Here was a deer park four miles in circumference.

Gully (229 acres)  Cnoc na gCoillidhe – Hill of the woods.

In the parish registers it is written Knucguile.  Gully townland was in two parts, Cnoc gCoillidhe and Magh gCoillidhe.  A large portion of the town of Bandon standing on Inis Fraoich – Heather inch, is in this townland.  Bandon had a number of spinning mills, flour mills, breweries, distilleries and tan yards.  At the east side is Gallows Hill – Cnocan na Croiche where a gallows stood up to the beginning of the 19^th century.

Clancool More (375 acres)  Cluain Cuil – Meadow of the hill back.  Thomas Hewitt had lands here.  The Hewitts were a Yorkshire family which settled in Bandon about the middle of the 17^th century.  At the east side was a stone quarry.

Clancool Beg (537 acres)

Dangan Beg (181 acres)  Daingean Beag – Little fortress or stronghold

Cripple Hill (219 acres)  Cnoc a’Mhairtealaigh – Hill of the cripples or martyrs.  At the north side is Knockavackig – Cnoc a Bhacaigh (hill of the cripple or beggar).  At the extreme south are traces of old tuck mills.  It is written Knocknamortely in the 1659 census and Knockamurtela in the Books of Survey and Distribution.  On the southern border is Cloch a Tairbh – causeway of the bull at which in 1817 Father James O’Mahony PP, Bandon was accidentally killed by a fall from his horse as he returned from Kilbrittain after having administered the Last Rites to the aged parish priest.

Lissaphooca (513 acres)  Lios a Phuca – Fort of the sprite or pooka.  The ring fort of Lissaphooca is at the west side.  From it the townland derives its name.

Garanebeg (170 acres)  Garran Beag – Little grove

Curravreeda East (258 acres) Corra Bhraighde – Enclosure of the hostages.  At the south east is a dolmen.  It is written Curiefriday in 1659 census.

Curravreeda West (170 acres)  At the north side is a large standing stone called Clohfadda – Cloch Fhada (long stone)

Knockanreagh (140 acres)  Cnocan Riabhach – Grey or striped hillock.  At the east side are traces of Ballymodan parish church the graveyard attached to which is still occasionally in use.  The church was used for service by the first Protestant planters in Bandon and later its stones were used to build the old St Peters Church in 1614.

Cloughmacsimon (262 acres)  Cloch Mhic Shimeoin Pleimeann – Stone house of Mac Simon Fleming.  That portion of the town of Bandon embraced by this townland was known as the Irishtown by the first planters.  At the south side is the Glueyard Farm.

Clogheenavodig (69 acres)  Cloichin a Bhodaigh – Little stone house of the churl or landlord.  At the north side were woollen mills while at the south is a burial ground attached to the Cottage Hospital and known locally as Bradys Hole, probably from the first interment.

Moanarone (235 acres)  Moin Ruadhain – Bog of the reddishness or red colour, often a mineral scum which collects on water surface.  It might read Moinfhear Eoghain – Owen’s meadow or bog grass.  At the sout side is Carbury’s Well which derives its name from former owners of the land.

Ballylangley (291 acres)  Baile Langley – Langley’s homestead.  The name is supposed to derive from a Cromwellian soldier named John Langley who had settled there.

Clashafree (474 acres)  Clasa Fraoich – Heather hollows.  It is written Clashfree in Petty’s map and this might have been the original form.

Carrigcannon (59 acres)  Carraig Ceann Fhionn – White faced rock.  It is written Cloghnekeninmore – Cloch an Chinn Fhinn Mhor 9big stone of the white top) in Pettys map.