Mayfield, historically called Ballinamought , is an area in the northeast of Cork City, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

.

Geography

Mayfield is bounded to the north by the Glen River Valley, an aquiferous geological formation produced by a receding glacier during the last Ice Age

Ice age

An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...

. This area contains some unique habitats, flora and fauna, including the small cudweed and the sand martin

Sand Martin

The Sand Martin is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family. It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the whole of Europe and the Mediterranean countries, part of northern Asia and also North America. It winters in eastern and southern Africa, South America and South Asia...

, a migratory bird species that returns from North Africa each spring to breed in the porous sand cliffs along sections of the river valley north. In recent years, these endangered birds have been studied by the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 which found that the local planning authorities and the Irish Government

Irish Government

The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...

 had violated various EU Bird and Habitats Directives in 2004 following the destruction of nesting sites and ecosystems by building developers.

Residents

• Roy Keane
  Roy Keane
  Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
  
  —the footballer was born in Mayfield, and was married there.
• Dara Murphy
  Dara Murphy
  Dara Murphy is an Irish Fine Gael politician, who was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Cork North Central constituency at the 2011 general election. He is a former Lord Mayor of Cork in 2009–10. He was first elected to the Cork City Council in 2004, and served as Deputy Lord Mayor in 2005–06...
  
  —The 2009-2010 Lord Mayor of Cork
  Lord Mayor of Cork
  The Lord Mayor of Cork is the honorific title of the Chairman of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The incumbent is Terry Shannon of Fianna Fáil. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council.-History of office:In 1199 there...
  
   was born in Mayfield.

• Kieran Murphy (Sarsfield's)
  Kieran Murphy (Sarsfield's)
  Kieran 'Fraggy' Murphy is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Sarsfields and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since 2003. Murphy has been appointed captain of the team for 2010.-Club:Murphy plays his club hurling with his local club called Sarsfield's...
  
  - The current Cork Senior Hurling Captain, Kieran 'Fraggy' Murphy attended Mayfield Community School from 1996 - 2002

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland