'Faeries, Felons and Fine Gentlemen' all to be found in the Glen 

A new book celebrating the history of Glen is due to be launched in Mayfield Library next month for Culture Night.

Faeries, Felons and Fine Gentlemen by Gerard Martin O'Brien looks at the history of what is now Cork’s Glen River Park. The book traces the area’s progression from being a proto-industrial zone in the early eighteenth century to becoming the public amenity space it is today.

Six mills once punctuated the valley that is the Glen River Park today: four corn mills, a flax mill, and an iron mill. In 1803, a distillery was added, and it later became Goulding’s first fertiliser factory in 1856.

Gerard O’Brien’s new book rediscovers these lost buildings and their owners, from the Dodge family in the 1700’s to Sir Basil Goulding, who donated the Glen to be used as a public amenity.

Fortunes were made and lost along the way: the hapless Humphreys Manders went bankrupt, Daniel Callaghan became the richest self-made man in Cork, and Anthony Perrier patented one of the first continuous whiskey stills in Europe.

Gerard O’Brien left Cork many years ago, but his father worked for Goulding Fertilizers when the firm was still located in the Glen, and his family lived in one of the just three houses that were located in the Glen’s idyllic setting.

Mayfield librarian Richard Forrest said Mr O’Brien’s new book Faeries, Felons and Fine Gentlemen : A History of the Glen 1700 to 1980 combined well-researched history with personal recollection and it was excellently illustrated.

“Gerard’s recent walk through the Glen for Heritage Week was a wonderful blend of historical interpretation and personal recollection, and his book is really recommended to all those who enjoy the Glen’s tranquil setting,” Mr Forest told The Echo.

Faeries, Felons and Fine Gentlemen by Gerard Martin O'Brien is published by Blue Horse Press and will be launched at Mayfield Library on Culture Night, September 23.