placenamesButlerstown
Baile an Bhuitléaraigh
Schooling, parish games and local music connect Butlerstown with a wider West Cork world.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Baile an Bhuitléaraigh · Irish · main form · validated name
- Butlerstown · English · main form
Place & story
A schoolboy becomes county surveyor
Jeremiah Thomas Murphy was born at Ardcoolig, Butlerstown, in 1882 and attended the village national school before continuing his education in Cork. He studied engineering at Queen’s College and graduated in 1904 with a gold medal. After work on water and sewerage schemes, he became Mid-Cork county surveyor in 1909. A reorganisation in 1926 placed him in charge of the county’s southern division. [2]
The parish league of 1962
Barryroe GAA’s account of its 1962 revival records a parish league involving Butlerstown, Lislevane, Courtmacsherry and Ahamonister. Butlerstown defeated Lislevane in a final played in Dan Coleman’s field, with Jack Madden refereeing. The record preserves a local competition organised through neighbouring village teams and a playing field supplied within the community. [3]
Songs and the variety stage
Butlerstown songwriter Michael O’Brien recalled learning fiddle from his father before taking up the accordion himself. In the 1960s he played guitar with the Concordes at weddings and socials. When Butlerstown Variety Group began in 1978 as a fundraiser for Barryroe GAA, he became a scriptwriter and performer. A 2026 interview records how his songs and stories preserved memories of village work, music and events along the coast. [4]
Farewells before emigration
O’Brien also described a village custom surrounding departure for America. An all-night gathering with music and dancing preceded an emigrant’s journey, sometimes spanning Butlerstown’s three public houses. The traveller could leave directly from the gathering to catch a ship at Cobh. A farewell fire at the old coastal watchtower marked the departure. His account connects the custom with the memory of his uncle leaving in 1924. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Cork
- Barony
- Ibane and Barryroe
- Civil parish
- Lislee
- Within
- Butlerstown
- Coordinates
- 51.60146, -8.72172 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1416966 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Butlerstown. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Jeremiah Thomas Murphy, 1882–1929 · Irish Architectural Archive, Dictionary of Irish Architects
- 1962: A Club Reborn · Barryroe GAA
- The bard of Butlerstown, July 2026 · Mary O’Brien, interview with Michael O’Brien, West Cork People
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.