Fermoy
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Fermoy (Mainistir Fhear Maigh in Irish) in County Cork, Republic of Ireland is a tow, of some 4,800 inhabitants, environs included (2002 census), situated on the River Blackwater in the south of Ireland. The name of the town comes from the Irish, and refers to a Cistercian abbey founded in the 12th centuryand a ford on the Blackwater, around which the town grew up. The modern town was planned and built by John Anderson in 1791. John Anderson is also known for developing the mail coach system in Ireland. A plaque and bust in his honour were unveiled by the town park in 2001. During the War of Independence, Fermoy was the scene of the first of the British government reprisals, when British soldiers looted and then burnt the main shops of the town, after one soldier had been killed and his companions relieved of their weapons by the local IRA not long before.
Fermoy is in a very scenic location, in the Blackwater valley, nestled at the foot of the Galtee mountains. The Blackwater river is the town's major tourist attraction, attracting fishermen, mainly from England. The town is also on the main N8 Cork–Dublin road. The bridge in the town is a major bottle neck on the Cork–Dublin route, and work is in progress to build a bypass including a new bridge to the east of the town. The town used to be connected to the Irish railway system, on a line from Mallow to Waterford, with a junction to nearby Mitchelstown (see Irish railway history).
- See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland