About

View of Millstreet from Clara Mountain

Millstreet Town (Sráid an Mhuilinn in Irish) is a town in north-west County Cork, Ireland. It is situated in the very south of the barony of Duhallow, nestled between the Derrynasaggart Mountains and the Boggeragh Mountains, with the river Blackwater running nearby, to the north of the town.

The town has a population of approximately 1,400, and the surround countryside and villages add on another 3,000 to that number, made up mostly of locals and some non-natives who have arrived here in the last 10 years.

The town of Millstreet grew up in the 18th century – as its name implies – around the little mill situated on the Station Road and it became the center of parish life.  As the town grew, it became the center of local market activity and the town grew.

“Before 1736, the place consisted only of an inn, a mill, and five small cabins: it has now one long street, with several smaller ones diverging from it, and contains 312 houses, the greater number of which, though small, are neatly built. It is situated on the south side of the Blackwater, amidst the lofty mountains of Muskerry, and derives its principal support from being a great thoroughfare.” – [Lewis 1837]

Millstreet became internationally famous when it staged the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest at the Green Glens Arena, after which everyone in Ireland knew where Millstreet was.

There have been many other events at the Green Glens, including: various large showjumping competitions, music festivals, concerts, caravaning conventions, national dairy shows, Disney on Ice, boxing contests, a European juggling convention, gymkhanas, amongst others.

Millstreet has been twinned with Pommerit-le-Vicomte in Brittany, France since 1985, and there are regular trips in both directions.

Millstreet Country Park was founded in 1995 and has developed into the top local tourist attraction. 500 acres of parkland can be explored on an open-top bus from where you will be able to enjoy the scenery. There are lots of other attractions to see locally, which are detailed here:

It is served by a train station on the Tralee – Mallow line, and also regular busses from Cork to Kerry.

Where are we?

View the map of Ireland below to see where Millstreet is located. Use the zoom function to see us in more detail.


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22 thoughts on “About”

  1. I corresponded with Kathleen Moynihan for several years, and who told me she volunteered at the Millstreet library. My E-mails have gone unanswered and I am concerned. Could you help?

  2. please go back to your old website this new site is not is not user friendly eg cant go to death where as the old site i would click on deaths and go straight to this site

  3. hi tim, thanks for your comment. the full list death notices is in the same place as before:

    http://www.millstreet.ie/blog/category/news/death-notices

    what’s different is that previously there was a link at the top of each page for “Death Notices” under the “News” dropdown, but that is now in the sidebar (on the right of the page) or near the bottom if you’re on a mobile device. also there’s a link to the Death Notices list just under each death notice

    i suppose the new format has offered us many more positives than negatives to go back at this stage.
    michael (one of the admins)

  4. Looking for information on 1901 census about Building 20 Upper Mill Lane, Drishane, Millstreet. My father’s uncle James Dineen was a tailor in Millstreet until his death in 1915. His wife Nora (Casey)Dineen was a dressmaker and they had a Jeremiah Riordan,age 15,living with them. He might have helped them with their business. Our family will be visiting Millstreet this summer and would like to visit their home at Building 20 but it,doesnt appear on Google maps. Does anyone know where Upper Mill Lane is ? Also would LOVE to chat with any Dineen, Casey or Riordan Family !

      1. Hello Lucy and thank you for contacting me !
        I just sent Michael an email requesting him to forward my email to you containing my Lehane family information. I also included my personal email address if you would prefer to communicate through that.

  5. I’m looking for information about Drishane Convent – any history from around the years 1940-1960.

  6. My maternal grandparents — Dennis Anthony Lucey and Nora O’Connell — were born in County Cork. Dennis’ birth may be August 1, 1869 at Horsemount, Kilcarney in Millstreet while Nora’s birth is approximately 1871 in Macroom. Dennis’ parents may be John Lucey and Hannah Toomey. I will be coming to Cork this June and it would be a pleasure to discover family connections, so any suggestions, clues or leads in this search will be greatly appreciated.
    Dennis and Nora met in San Francisco, California and married in approximately 1900. Thanks, Brian Hassett, Auburn, California.

  7. Good Day,
    I am searching for information about my great grandfather Cornelius Buckley (1844-1915) and his wife Margaret O’Connell (1860-?) from Millstreet, Co Cork family
    My grandfather Patrick C Buckley 1872-1948 and three siblings all from Millstreet went to Alaska to mine gold. One sibling Timothy Cornelius Buckley return to Ireland 1926 opened a pub in Cork called Alaska,near Opera house
    Plan on visit to Millstreet in June would love to meet relatives with more stories

    1. Hi Brian,
      You had just missed out on a Buckley family reunion in Millstreet in July. That’s a shame. My husband’s family are Buckleys here in CT. Eily Buckley of Millstreet, among others, could definitely help you with your family tree. I will pass your request on to Jim (my husband,) perhaps he might have some info for you.
      Best,
      Robin Buckley

  8. Hope to be visiting Millstreet this summer. My father, brothers and I are doing a visit to our family’s hometowns. My father’s great grandmother was Margaret Corcoran was born abt 1860 in or about Millstreet, to Andrew Corcoran and Nora Lynch. Until we meet, best regards to all.

    Colin Murphy

  9. Hello,
    I am searching for information about my father’s maternal family.
    Patrick Corcoran (1830-1888) and his wife Mary Elizabeth Williams (1835-1896)
    from Millstreet, Co Cork family
    Patrick’s son John Simon Corcoran (1860-) was my great grandfather from Millstreet and settled as a farmer in Vallejo, California. John Simon Corcoran’s brother Thomas Corcoran was a priest.
    I’ll be visiting Millstreet with my wife and 3 teenage sons near the end of June. We would love to learn some local history and learn of any resources for genealogy. We especially are interested in recommended things to visit.
    Regards,
    Todd Adam Plesco

    ====
    https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/49236/person/140174401614/facts

  10. I am looking for information about my great-great grandfather, Patrick Forde , born around 1820 who married a woman named “Anne.” Any leads would be appreciated!

    1. There was a Patrick Forde that married a Johanna (Anna) Kelleher
      Name Patrick Forde
      Spouse Johanna Kelleher
      Children John
      Birth 1815 Ireland
      Death 03/1892 Millstreet Cork Ireland

  11. Hi
    I have hit a brick wall in the search for my 2nd Great Grand mother!
    Can any one help in my search!
    Julia/ Juliet Sullivan
    Born Circa 1863, stated Millstreet as birth place in later census
    Married in Dec 1881 in Millstreet to John W Winter who was serving in the 80th foot stationed at the local barracks!
    Father Named Daniel, mother either JOHANA or Honora
    Sister Mary, born 23 Mar 1862, again I think in Millstreet, married Stephen Manning.
    Both sisters moved to stoke on Trent, England. Circa 1883.
    Many Thanks for reading
    Regards
    Phil

  12. My husband’s great grandfather was James Connell born 1842. When he married Ellen Crowley the 02Jun1864 cullen-millstreet, Caherciveen, the marriage record shows his father as Daniel. They immigrated to Canada on the SS Corean June 1883. He died in Penetangishene, Ontario in 1910.
    Could someone please help me with a Birth certificate for James and/or a marraige record for Daniel.

  13. I am wondering if anyone can help with the townland in Clondrohid my Kelleher might originally have come from. To date this is the information I have. 2 brothers;
    John Kelleher born abt. 1865 lived in North Horsemount, Kilcorney (a carpenter) known apparently as John Sean Nora (or maybe Johnnie of John Sean Nora). He married Margaret Cronin from Knopogue, Ballinagree in 1893 (I think she had a limp). His son was known as Timmy the Joiner. Both are buried in Kilcorney.

    John had a brother Daniel J (born about 1849) who also married a woman from Ballinagree in 1891 (Catherine Kelleher). He died Oct 10th, 1930 in Kilcorney at 81 years of age but was buried in Clondrohid. His son Daniel fell from a Horse and Cart in 1938 and was also buried in Clondrohid.

    Can anyone remember where in Clondrohid these men might be buried? Whether or not they had any siblings (they are born 16years apart!!) and who their Mother was?
    Any little information remembered might help – Many thanks!
    Liz

  14. Hello

    I’m looking for any historical information or thoughts on Union Workhouse in 1900.

    To my families surprise we recently found out my Great Grandmother was an orphan in Mallow, so I decided to do a bit of digging to find out why. We’ve since found my Nanna was born in Union Workhouse Sep’ 1900.

    We have her mother’s name & occupation only and nothing else. On the birth certificate it states John Murphy ‘occupier’ as witness. Would he be a local, worker at the workhouse or another poor soul living there? Possibly the father?

    There’s zero trace of the mother and my Nanna after that. Neither seem to appear on the 1901 & 1911 census. We know my Nanna survived obviously (to a few months shy of 100) in Lisgriffen.

    Even marriage records are proving difficult to find, I wonder if that has anything to do with the black and tans heavy presence in the area at the time?

    Any info on what life was like in that situation or leads on names, please do get in touch!

  15. Hello,
    I’m enquiring about a business in Millstreet in the 1910’s, M.J. Flavin, Ironmonger, Furniture, Seed, Oil and Color Merchant. I’m looking for a photo of the shop, ideally from this period or thereabouts. The context is that Liam Lynch, Chief of Staff of the IRA worked there for a period for about 6 months in 1914. At this stage he came and returned to work in Mitchelstown before heading to work in Fermoy and then went on the run after joined Cork No.2 Brigade and the rest is history.
    Thanks,
    Neil Donovan, Ballyporeen, Co. Tipperary

    1. Hi Neil
      I have no record of MJ Flavin in Millstreet, but my notes do say that he stayed at J.J. O’Mahony’s General Provision and Hardware Merchant, which is across from the church in Millstreet.

      “In 1910 he moved to Mitchelstown Co.Cork, to take up a three year apprenticeship with P’ONeill Hardware Store, Baldwin St.  He remained at O’Neills with the exception of a brief spell in Millstreet – until the summer of 1915. This was at the West End, above the hardware store of J.J. O’Mahony’s.”

      It would be good to know what the connection to here was, and why he was here for a short while.

      Liam lynch also spent some time hiding out from the auxiliaries in the hills around Millstreet during the war of Independence .

      A photo on O’Mahony’s with some notes are here:
      http://www.millstreet.ie/blog/archives/98313

  16. i am not very good on the web so i am grabbing the chance as i can message my name is andrew sheehan i am partof the lehane family please e mail me at <email> i was brought up in the cottage at railway bridge down from ballydaly chapel dan guerins,kielys, i lived at the cottage until i was 9 years old then mum moved to england with me. leaving mums sister nora lehane at the cottage behind Mums maiden name pauline lehane i remember granda michael lehane worked for the council i vaugely remember granma passed before granpa please help me with the family history thank you andrew

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