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In Mallow. Road bridge (long axis N-S) over River Blackwater; c. 200m SW of Mallow Castle (14347). Four wide low segmental arches (span c. 10m) span river; string course over arches. Parapet wall of large coursed limestone blocks. South arch on W side fans out to accommodate road approaching from W. This was built in 1856 to replace an earlier bridge, built in 1712 (O'Keeffe and Simington 1991, 170). Inscribed stone dated 1856, possibly recording construction of bridge, found c. 500m to NW (Crowley 1994, 115-7) is now in wall of shopping centre near where it was found. However part of 1712 bridge survives, at N end of present bridge, spanning ground which occasionally floods. That earlier bridge had 15 arches of which 4 survive (Wth 11.08m; span 6.14m): segmental arches; constructed of random roughly-shaped stonework; cut-stone voussoirs; bluntly pointed cutwaters. Later parapet of iron railing between chamfered stone piers. Inserted stone on pier under N arch bears inscription: 'M: OS: D: OS: A: M/ POS'; only surviving stone of 9 noted in 1810, all inscribed, one with date '1631', (O'Reilly 1989, 19-24)- style of lettering on surviving stone is 16th/early 17th century and may have come from an earlier bridge. According to local tradition stones came from monastery in Ballydaheen (Kavanagh 1988, 41). Road continues N from river over short causeway and crosses smaller bridge over tributary of Blackwater: two segmental arches of mid-19th-century appearance; well-dressed voussoirs, random, roughly-shaped stone construction, parapet of iron railing between chamfered stone piers.
In 1628 a bridge at Mallow was swept away by flood; by 1650 there is reference to a bridge here which was too delicate to take weight of two siege guns (O'Sullivan 1985, 7). A bridge is indicated here on Down Survey (1655-6) barony map.
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009
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