placenamesFermoy
Mainistir Fhear Maí
Castletownroche’s river landscape supplied materials for building and farming.
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
- Mainistir Fhear Maí · Irish · main form · validated name
- Fermoy · English · main form
Place & story
Clay, stone and corn
Samuel Lewis’s 1837 description of Castletownroche records two large flour mills below its bridge. Nearby, small-scale brickmaking used clay from the Awbeg’s banks on the Annsgrove estate. Abundant limestone was quarried for construction and for burning into lime. His account also describes extensive tillage, sheep and cattle fattened for surrounding markets, and cattle generally kept under cover for feeding. These activities place manufacturing alongside agriculture in this part of Fermoy barony. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Fermoy. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Castletown-Roche: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis
- Mill-race footbridge at Castletownroche illustration: based on a Mill race Castletownroche by Gordon Hatton. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-09-19. How this page was prepared.