Ballyvourney, Co. Cork

By Philip O’ Connor.

Ballyvourney is situated on the Cork-Killarney road about ten miles west of Macroom. It is the heart of the Muskerry Gaeltacht where the native Irish language is still spoken and in every day use.

Set in verdant slendor this bastion of native Irish culture has a history as old as time itself. It is also the reserve and home of many of the finest Irish Traditional Musicians in Ireland.

Once the stronghold of the O’ Herlihy Chieftains of the Southern Uí Eachach who ruled until the middle of the seventeenth century, it is now more famous for its devotion to two of the earliest Irish Saints, St. Gobnait and St. Abban. The lives they lived are interwoven even to this day into the very fabric of Ballyvourney culture. The ancient prayers and homages paid to these very special saints are preserved and practiced to this day and certain days throughout the year are set aside for pilgrimage to their burial sites where their intercession is sought for the healing of sick relatives and friends. The most popular and more famous of the two saints is Gobnait and over the centuries a very elaborate and complex ritual of prayer has evolved which are called patterns, these are performed at her shrine and holy well every February 11th which is her designated saintly feast day.

The shrine can be reached by taking the first left turn on the western side of the Parish Church. A most evocative statue, by Seamus Murphy dominates the landscape and the atmosphere of the whole area is one of intense peace. The custom of performing rounds has been established for centuries. The method was passed down from father to son , which accounts for some variation in the prayers. There are five Stations or Ulacha and each one has a particular significance.

Gobnait was a 6th century Irish Saint. Many traditions concerning her life have been documented among them is the story of her choosing Ballyvourney. It is said that she was told by an angel that the place of her resurrection would not be in the west,( meaning the west coast of Ireland )¨, and that she should travel until she found nine white deer grazing. She travelled southwards through Cork and Kerry and eventually found the nine white deer in Ballyvourney on the Cork-Kerry border. There she established a religious centre and house of healing., and cures have been attributed to her during her life and since then.

*** See other feature on this website which relates to her life story in more detail.