Millstreet

Millstreet is a town in north County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 1,722.

Millstreet is within the civil parish of Drishane, and within a Poor Law Union also called Millstreet. The Millstreet Union encompasses the civil parishes of Drishane and Kilcorney.

Geography
The town is at the foot of Clara Mountain, part of the Derrynasaggart range.

The townlands within Millstreet Poor Law Union were part of the barony of West Muskerry. Aubane was an area within Millstreet Poor Law Union, in the townlands of Tooreenbane and Tullig, and is outside the town itself.

History
Evidence of ancient settlement within the town include a ringfort and souterrain site within Coomlogane townland. A number of lintel stones, with Ogham inscriptions, were uncovered on the site in the 1980s. The ruins of Dromsicane Castle, dating to at least the 16th century, are located nearby.

A tower, dating to c. 1810, is within the enclosure of Millstreet's former Church of Ireland church. This church, built in the 1790s and dedicated to Saint Anna, was demolished (apart from the tower) in 1959.

The town's present Roman Catholic church was built in 1833 in a neo-classical style, and is dedicated to Saint Patrick. The building was enlarged and modified between 1931 and 1932, with the side walls moved out and the front moved closer to the entrance gate and given a new facade. A presbytery and the Presentation convent, which opened on 28 May 1840, were also built on the site.

Culture
The Green Glens Arena, an entertainment complex and large equestrian centre, is located in Millstreet. It has hosted a number of major events, including the Eurovision Song Contest 1993, with Millstreet being the smallest town to host the competition. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the arena was agreed to be used for temporary accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

Since 1961, Millstreet Town Park has been used for a 'Christmas meeting' of a local coursing club. In 2021, the controversial practice of live hare coursing was subject to protest by local residents.

Since 1985, the town has been twinned with Pommerit-le-Vicomte in Brittany, France.

Transport
The town is on the Mallow–Killarney–Tralee line of the Irish railway network. Millstreet railway station, which opened in 1853 and closed for some goods traffic in 1976, was refurbished in 1993 and remains open for passenger train services.

Bus Éireann provides bus service via the Macroom - Killarney route.

People

 * Timothy Carroll, Roman Catholic Bishop
 * Billy Coleman, rally driver
 * Mark Ellis, inter-county hurler
 * Joanne O'Riordan, activist, journalist and People of the Year Award winner