Curraghbinny


Curraghbinny, also sometimes spelled Currabinny or Currabinney, is a townland in County Cork, Ireland. Located on Cork Harbour near Ringaskiddy and with an area of, it is a townland in the barony of Kerrycurrihy. As of the 2011 census, Curraghbinny townland had a population of 155 people. Lough Beg Bird Reserve and Curraghbinny Wood are located in the area. There is also a large pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, which was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific from GlaxoSmithKline for €90m in 2019, in the townland.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in Currabinny townland include a number of burnt spread and shell midden sites.
At the highest point on Curraghbinny Hill are the remains of a Bronze Age cairn which is known locally as the "giant's grave". The cairn, which was subject to excavation in the 1930s, was restored in the 1990s. There is some speculation that the name Curraghbinny derives from a legend of a giant named Binne whose burial chamber surmounts the hill.
A thatched cottage within the townland, dating to the mid-18th century, is described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as "an incredibly rare survivor" of its type in the area.

Woodland

Curraghbinny Wood is a forested amenity, of approximately, which is maintained by Coillte. The woodlands are home to a number of species of plants, trees, shrubs and wildflowers. A number of these were planted, with some identified as garden escapees. Downy birch, pedunculate oak, sycamore, and European beech are present in the canopy. The shrubs and hedges include a mixture of native and introduced plants. Bramble, woodrush, broad buckler-fern are the native ground cover, with cherry laurel and common rhododendron introduced via the gardens adjoining the woods.
The area is also home to several species of birds, including goldcrest, Eurasian wren, Common wood pigeon, Eurasian siskin, Eurasian blackbird, Great cormorant, Eurasian blue tit, European robin, and European herring gull.
There is a plaque to the Irish-Canadian politician, William Warren Baldwin, within the wood.