Donoughmore (spelt Donaghmore by Ordnance Survey Ireland; Irish: Domhnach Mór) is a civil and Catholic parish in County Cork, Ireland. This rural district lies 25 km west-northwest of Cork city. Donoughmore is part of the Cork North-Central (Dáil constituency).
Geography
The area of Donoughmore is stated as 22309 acres or 9028 hectares.
Donoughmore is subdivided into 40 townlands in total. Some are divided into north–south or Lower/Upper, etc.; counting the townlands without dividing them there are 32 townlands in total. Some townlands are under the care of Rylane Post office and as such have Rylane as a postal address instead of Donoughmore. The following list is from largest to smallest (spelling follows the Ordnance Survey, local spellings may differ): Barrahaurin, Gowlane North, Pluckanes North, Meenahony, Kilcullen South, Coolmona, Kilcullen North, Ahadillane, Garraun North, Ballygirriha, Fornaght, Ballycunningham, Derry, Gowlane South, Coollicka, Garraun South, Killeenleigh, Lackabane, Rathcoola East, Rathcoola West, Garraunredmond, Commeenaplaw, Bunkilla, Monataggart, Kilmartin Lower, Pluckanes East, Pluckanes West, Knockanare, Kilmartin Upper, Knockarourke, Curragh, Ballykerwick, Firmount, Ballycraheen, Scarteen, Knockane, Monavanshere, Pluckanes South, Ballyhennessy, Ballyvodane. The village of Stuake lies at the north end of the parish.
Donoughmore is, like most of County Cork, in the South Western River basin district. Within this district it is in the Lower Lee–Owenboy Water Management Unit.
Donoughmore lies partly in the Boggeragh Mountain range. Uctough, Toureen and Knockagoun are the only three mountains from the range that are in Donoughmore. Uctoughs peak at 358 m lies within the parish bounds, along with Toureens peak at 379 m. whilst Knockagouns peak is outside the parish bounds, but within the parish it reaches between 342 m and 386 m. Other less prominent peaks such as Mossy Bed 348–383 m, Bert Hill 365 m, Cummeen 359 m, Barrachauring 383 m, Kilcullen Hill 235–309 m,Knockyrourke 258 m, Rathcoola Mountain 242m, Ahadillane Hill 235 m, Pluckanes 224 m, Hurley or Gowlane Hill 233 m, Meenachoney 368 m
Donoughmore's Garda jurisdiction is the Stuake Sub-District, of the Macroom District, in the Cork West Division of the Southern Region.
Population
In the Irish census system, parishes do not have data collected for them as such. Instead, a unit of area called an electoral division is used. In rural contexts, such electoral districts are usually calculated by grouping townlands together. Donoughmore consists of 3 electoral divisions: Firmount, Gowlane and Kilcullen. At the 2011 census, the Donoughmore population surpassed the population of the parish that existed before Irish independence and in 2016, it reached its highest level since the turn of the 20th century.
Politics
Donoughmore is in the Macroom Electoral Area in the Cork County Council. Donoughmore consists of 3 electoral divisions and they are called Firmount, Gowlane and Kilcullen. Currently this area is served by three Fine Gael, two Fianna Fáil and One independent .
Education
Donoughmore currently has two primary schools. Scoil Iósaif and St. Lachteen's. There used to be more schools within the parish, including Rathcoola School.
Transportation
Donoughmore was formerly linked with Cork City by the narrow gauge Cork and Muskerry Light Railway. There were stops at Burnt Mill, Fox's Bridge, Knockane, Firmount and Donoughmore. Donoughmore railway station opened in 1893 but closed in 1934. It was situated at the bottom of New Tipperary.
There are two Regional roads in Donoughmore, the R619 and the R579. During the 18th century and 19th century specialist roads were built for various reasons. Cork city had a thriving butter market at the time and roads were built to places in Kerry to better facilitate this trade. One of these, locally called the 'Old Kerry Road' was one such 'Butter Road'. It consists of the largest section of continually straight road within the parish.
Religion
Donoughmore civil parish is coterminous with the Roman Catholic parish which has two functioning churches: St. Josephs and St. Lachteen's. These churches are in the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne. A Church of Ireland church existed in the parish until the 1960s, when it was de-consecrated. The building was a garage until recently, and a plaque in the garage commemorated this fact. Although the Church of Ireland church is now gone, the title of Prebendary of Donoughmore still exists. The current prebendary is The Revd Dennis MacCarthy, rector of Bandon union of parishes.