About Fountainstown

HOW FOUNTAINSTOWN GOT ITS NAME

                      
The name Fountainstown is an anglicisation of the Irish ‘Baile Mhóinteán’ or ‘Baile Mhóntáin’, meaning the town of the moorland.  The Irish word móinteán, meaning moorland, is usually pronounced ‘manntán’ in Co. Cork, so mhanntáin would be pronounced ‘vountáin’, which approximates as ‘fountain’.

                                                                       Courtesy of Diarmuid O Murchadha, Crosshaven

Fountainstown House

                                    
Fountainstown House was originally built by the Roche's, a Norman family who appear to have acquired the lands of Fountainstown in the 15th or 16th century. In the early 17th century, the lands of Fountainstown came into the ownership of the Hodder family from Dorset in England.  William Hodder acquired over 7000 acres in Co. Cork, which incorporated 432 plantation acres (700 statute acres) at Fountainstown, including a grist mill.  He also obtained land at Kilmichael West and Gortnanoon.

 Fountainstown House became the seat of the Hodder family in Cork.  Samuel Hodder, the son of William Hodder, and his wife Elizabeth, nee Boles, extended and completed the building of Fountainstown House in 1699.  The older, back, part of the house is the original Roche farmhouse.  The house is still preserved in its original form and is inhabited by the Hodder family to this day.
                                                                                  Courtesy of Kae Lewis PhD, Tennessee

FOUNTAINSTOWN SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB

In 1936, the first pitch and putt course in Ireland was opened in Fountainstown.   The nine-hole course was an immediate success and enthusiasm for this popular new game led to many more pitch and putt courses opening in the country. Click here for further information about Fountainstown and it's links to the foundation of Pitch and Putt in Ireland.  In the 1930’s, tennis courts, a children’s play ground and a club house were established adjacent to the pitch and putt course. 
Today, Fountainstown Sports and Social Club continues to be a focal point in the area and Mass is celebrated each Sunday in the club house, which has retained its original character and is a “landmark” in the locality. A more detailed history of the club is available in The Club page.

THE MINANE RIVER DAM

                                   
In the early 1900’s the village of Minane Bridge was subject to frequent flooding from the Minane River.   Flood relief measures were first proposed by the British government prior to the First World War. It was intended to construct a dam and causeway approximately 100m upstream from the sandbar. However, after independence the scheme was shelved and it was not until the 1950’s that a reinforced concrete dam was constructed on Ringabella Creek, some 600m upstream of the location originally proposed.   The dam has twelve sluice valves which open automatically when the tide recedes and close when the tide is advancing.

RINGABELLA CREEK

                                          

The village of Fountainstown looks out onto Ringabella Creek, a sandy estuary at the mouth of the Minane River.  The channel was navigable to a distance of about 5kms, as far as Minane Bridge in the 1800s. Cargos of sea coal and sea sand for use as fertilizer were transported up to Minane Bridge by this route during the 1700s and 1800s when transportation by sea for heavy goods was easier than by road.    Wooden mooring posts, about 300mm in diameter and approximately 1m high, used for mooring the boats, are still to be seen on both the Fountainstown and Ringabella sides of the estuary.

Across the Creek from Fountainstown, the rolling landscape of Ringabella can be seen.  Extensive galena lead mines were worked here from the 1680’s to the 1840’s, employing up to 400 people at their peak.  The ore from the mines was probably also transported by sea.  A ferry boat operated on demand between the ferrypoint at Fountainstown and the quay at Ringabella up until the 1960’s.  A rowing boat, capable of holding about five people went back and forth between the end of the spit in Fountainstown and the mooring point at Ringabella.  

THE GEOLOGY OF THE FOUNTAINSTOWN AREA

                        

The rocks in the Fountainstown area are approximately 353 million years old.  They belong to a rock unit called the Courtmacsherry Formation, which consists of calcareous mudstones, siltstones and muddy limestones and extends from Fountainstown/Ringabella to Courtmacsherry.
The Courtmacsherry Formation has two divisions called 'Members'. The oldest division is the Fountainstown Member, which is dominated by mudstone and is best seen along the coast between Fountainstown and Myrtleville. The younger Ringabella Limestone Member is best seen between Ringabella Point and Ringabella Beach.


The Fountainstown member is up to 264m thick.   It is folded and forms part of the southward dipping limb of the Ringabella Syncline. Minor folds and cleavage planes are evident along the coast east of Fountainstown Beach.
Ice age deposits overlie the rocks in the Fountainstown area and form the soft unconsolidated cliffs which are being rapidly eroded along the coastline.  These deposits include a ‘raised beach’ which formed when sea levels were higher, about 130-160 thousand years ago.  This raised beach is exposed on the south side of Myrtleville Bay.




Some interesting fossils can be seen along the rocks at Fountainstown, including the one pictured on the left - the cast of a Brachiopod Spirifer, a type of shellfish which attached itself to the bottom of the seabed about 350 million years ago. On formation, the interior of the shellfish filled with silt, with the outline of the shellfish being imprinted onto the silt. Over time it transformed into the rock.

fishing in Fountainstown

Rock Fishing

The rocks between Fountainstown, Poll Gorm and Fennell's Bay provide
excellent summer fishing for pollock, mackerel and dogfish. Occasional
thornback ray and sea bass can also form part of the angler's quarry.

The best bait is sand eel fished behind a float for pelagic species or on the
bottom for rays and dogfish.

Spring tides and warmer weather are the best conditions to fish.

Beach and Estuary Fishing

The beach is best fished on spring tides in the early morning or evening.

 Big flounder and dab are caught along with whiting and coalfish in the winter. Sea bass and the occasional large thornback ray are caught here in the summer and autumn.

Fresh lugworm is the best bait with peeler crab a close second. Fresh sand eel is also an excellent bait for sea bass especially in late August.

 Thick lipped grey mullet and golden grey mullet can be also caught further up
the estuary during the summer months. Light line of 4-5lb breaking strain used with small harbour ragworm as bait are the best tactics for mullet species in Fountainstown.

                                                                                                                                                                            Text courtesy of Ross Macklin

the flora of fountainstown

The range of ecological habitats found in Fountainstown supports a corresponding diversity of interesting plant species. The environs of Fountainstown are species-rich botanically and are home to regional and national plant rarities. 

In particular, Fountainstown sandspit, situated on the northern bank of the estuary of Ringabella Creek, this finger-shaped, calcareous (i.e. lime-enriched) sandspit protrudes into the estuary, and supports a very interesting mix of plants.

The locally dominant hybrid grass, Sand Couch (Elytrigia pungens) and Sea   Couch (Elytrigia atherica), whose extensive root-system helps to consolidate the sand, thus reducing erosion of this habitat.


The pink-flowered Restharrow (Ononis repens) also helps in a minor way to           stabilise the habitat

photos courtesy of Jenny Seawright

The main visual floral spectacle is provided by the spectacular, lemon-flowered colonies of the sweet-scented Sea Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum ssp. maritimus) – a rare species in Cork Harbour.                                                                  photo courtesy of Zoe Devlin

The equally spectacular Asian Rose (Rosa rugosa) has long been naturalised at this site, and now locally dominates the habitat. This densely prickly rose species bears large, potently scented, red or white blooms which, later in the year, give way to lustrous, tomato-like hips.                                          photo courtesy of Gardenworld, Ballyphillip, Co. Wicklow

Other interesting, colourful, established aliens recently found on the sandspit include: Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Tree-mallow (Lavatera arborea), sea thrift (Armeria maritima), sea mayweed (Matricaria maritima) and Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum), in addition to two, native, annual species:  Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima) and Round-leaved Crane’s-bill (Geranium rotundifolium). The very distinctive (and nationally rare) alien annual, Bristly Oxtongue (Picris echioides) has been established here since at least 1978.                                                                                                                                             Text courtesy of Tony O’Mahony Photos courtesy of Zoe Devlin

                                                                                                                                            

butterflies in fountainstown

The townland of Gortigrenane or Gort an Grianan (the field of the sun), immediately to the west of Fountainstown, is noted for its rich native flora and fauna. The townland has a south-facing aspect and steep slopes of unimproved grasslands.  This habitat hosts a large variety of plants and insects and, consequently, is very attractive to butterflies.  Of the thirty-one species of butterfly to be found in Ireland, eighteen have recently been sighted in Gortigrenane.  

Below is a selection of butterflies photographed in Gortigrenane.

Birds of ringabella creek & bay

Ringabella Creek is an estuarine habitat supporting a wide range of water birds especially during the winter months. East of the sandbar, the topography gradually becomes more maritime in appearance as it opens out into Ringabella Bay and the invertebrate-rich, fluvial mud of the estuary is replaced by less productive sand. There is a noticeable change in the variety of bird species as the estuary meets the sea. The surrounding fields provide a different range of habitats for other species but some of the estuary birds can also occasionally be seen using the fields especially at high tide.

                                                                                                                                                         Text courtesy of Tony Nagle, photos courtesy of Birdwatch Ireland

Red-throated Divers can be seen in the bay but their numbers fluctuate in response to weather conditions. 4 or 5 birds can usually be seen feeding on small fish and crabs. These birds arrive in October from Greenland, Iceland and Scotland and leave again in March, by which time they tend to have attained their bright red-throated summer plumage.

Little Grebes are found in the upper estuary and in the Minane River. They are our smallest grebe and they feed largely on small fish and molluscs. They breed in ponds, lakes and slow-flowing rivers. 

The Shag is a close relative of the Cormorant. The Shag is smaller and slimmer with a thinner bill and it has a noticeable crest on its head during the summer months. Shags tend to breed low down on cliffs. Shags rarely enter estuarine or river environments and tend to remain in the bay and along the coast.  

The Little Egret is a recent colonist of Ireland and until the early 1990s it used to be a rare vagrant. Since then, numbers have increased substantially and they may now be seen all year round in the area. Watch as they use their yellow feet to flush out small fish and shrimps.  

Grey Herons are commonly seen feeding in the channels of the estuary and occasionally in rock pools. They are larger relatives of the Little Egret. Herons nest in colonies on trees (known as heronries).  

The Mute Swan is Ireland’s largest bird. One or two pairs nest in the Minane valley most years and family groups may be seen in the estuary later in the year. They feed largely on aquatic vegetation.  

The Shelduck is the largest species of duck in Ireland and in many ways bears more resemblance to a goose. The largest numbers (up to 50) tend to be seen in February. Two or three pairs remain in the spring using rabbit burrows for their nests.

  
A small flock of up to 25 Wigeon use the bay each winter. The male has a distinctive whistling call. Most of our wigeon come from Iceland and northern Europe.

The most common species of duck in the estuary is the Teal and up to 170 of these small ducks can be seen each winter as they feed on marine invertebrates and molluscs.  

 

The familiar Mallard occurs throughout the year with a small flock of up to 26 birds in the winter and several pairs remain to nest in the Minane valley.  

Cormorants are commonly seen in both the estuary and the bay. These birds lack the oils of other water birds and they spend long periods “drying out” after each fishing trip. Cormorants breed in colonies along the coast.

Oystercatchers are one of the most familiar waders using the estuary and their fondness for mussels allows them to utilise the rockier shores in the bay area. About 40 birds use the estuary and bay area.  

Ringed Plover favour the sandbar at Ferrypoint but here they are subject to regular disturbance by walkers and their dogs. A small flock of up to 8 birds spend the winter months in the area.  

A fairly large flock of up to 220 Lapwing uses the estuary each winter and they can sometimes be seen in fields along the valley especially at high tide. 

The tiny Dunlin, one of our smallest wading birds, visits the estuary in varying numbers each winter but some years up to 130 have been seen on the mudflats.  

The Black-tailed Godwit is one of the most important birds of the estuary as it regularly occurs in nationally important numbers. On some occasions as many as 334 of these Icelandic visitors make use of the estuary and the surrounding pastureland where they hunt for worms at high tide.  

 

Curlews with their familiar plaintive call occur in good numbers in the estuary and surrounding fields and up to 270 birds have been seen here.  

The Redshank is a common sight on the mudflats and along the channels and its bright red/orange legs help to identify it from the other waders. A maximum of 125 Redshank have been seen in the estuary.  

The Greenshank is a much paler bird than the Redshank and it does have green legs as its name suggests. Up to 15 of these Scottish visitors use the estuary channels and shores each winter.  

A small flock of around 8 Turnstone can often be seen around Ferrypoint as they busily feed by turning over small stones in search of crustaceans.  

The Chough is another very important inhabitant of the area and can occasionally be seen (and heard) flying around the coastal fields. In the winter months, a few pairs wander inland for a mile or two and return to the coast in the evening.  

The wonderfully bright and cheerful Yellowhammer can be seen and heard singing its familiar song during the spring and summer months “a little bit of bread and no cheese” especially near corn fields. This little bird has declined greatly over much of the country but still occurs around the Fountainstown area in good numbers.  

    Text courtesy of Tony Nagle, photos courtesy of Birdwatch Ireland