Knocknaheeney is a suburb in Cork

Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

 located north of the River Lee on hills overlooking the city. Knocknaheeney consists mainly of terraced Council housing

Public housing

Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...

.

Apple Computer

Apple Computer

Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...

's European base, located between Knocknaheeney and Hollyhill is a large local employer.

History

Knocknaheeney is a relatively new community: today some 4,500 people live in the area, but less than a quarter of a century ago it consisted of rolling countryside bordering on the Gurranabraher

Gurranabraher

Gurranabraher is a suburb, located on the northern side of Cork City. It borders onto Fairhill, Shandon, and Knocknaheeny....

, Churchfield and Farranree areas. Cattle grazed on what is now Harbour View Road and a Windmill stood on the site of Killala Gardens. The older townlands were named after plants at the time for instance Knocknaheeney (the Hill of the Rushes), Knocknacullen (Hill of Holly), Knockfree (the Hill of Heather) and Shanakiel (Old Wood or Foxes Wood).

In 1862 Griffith's Land Valuation Survey reported that fifteen families formed the lands of Knocknaheeney, Knocknacullen. They paid rent to the Lord of Cork. One family, Forrest, still farms land near to Clogheen. Having constructed the road system which serves the area the corporation had to name the terraces and avenues of modern Knocknaheeney.They decided to name the individual roads and streets after harbours and coastal areas around the country.

Many of the houses in Knocknaheeney have run into neglect. However over the past few years Cork City Council

Cork City Council

Cork City Council is the local authority which is responsible for the city of Cork and its immediate hinterland in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment...

 have made efforts to improve this situation and the area apprears to be going through a revitalisation. Development and improvement is now visible all over the area with a new Town Centre currently under construction on Harbour View Road. Residential areas are also popping up with housing now erected at the Reservoir (Rezza) stretching down to Nash's Boreen and the New affordable housing located on Hollyhill Lane and the Shanakiel Development at the top of the Blarney Road.

Schools

Knocknaheeney's primary school is St. Mary's on the Hill which admits both boys and girls. The Secondary School is Terence MacSwiney Community College (formerly Scoil mhic Shuibhne), while it has a Learning Institute in both Saint John's Northside Campus, and the Terence MacSwiney Community College.

Sport

Sporting activities in Knocknheeney are the ever popular GAA

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

 sports of Hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 and Gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

. In 1943, St Vincent's Hurling and Football club was founded to promote Gaelic games in the Blarney Street and Sunday's Well area, and later expanded to encompass Knocknaheeney, Gurranabraher

Gurranabraher

Gurranabraher is a suburb, located on the northern side of Cork City. It borders onto Fairhill, Shandon, and Knocknaheeny....

 and Churchfield. The club has won numerous honours: in 1946 the club won the Junior Football County Final; in 1968 the intermediate hurling county title; and a senior hurling league in 1972.

Recent years have brought success at underage level with various teams winning at the premier and A grades. The highlight of this has been the winning of the Minor Premier County in 1998. Some of these players joined with members of other successful underage teams from the 90's to help the club win its first intermediate football title in 2006 and has ensured that the club retained Senior status for the first time since the 70's.

Soccer is a big part of the community, and the local teams are "Knocknaheeney Celtic" (Club colours: Blue/White & Blue) Club Ground: Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeney, and "Grattan United" (Club colours: Blue/White & Blue) Club Ground: O’Neill Park, Knocknaheeney.