| Fountainstown | |
| Native Name Lang: | ga |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Ireland |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Ireland |
| Coordinates: | 51.7758°N -8.3114°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Ireland |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Munster |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cork |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Elevation M: | 30 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population: | 993 |
| Population Note: | (includes the nearby village of Myrtleville) |
| Timezone1: | WET |
| Utc Offset1: | +0 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | IST (WEST) |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +1 |
| Blank Name: | Irish Grid Reference |
Fountainstown (historically anglicised as Ballymontane)[2] is a coastal village in County Cork, Ireland, situated approximately 23 km south of Cork city. A seaside village, it is separated by small promontory headland from the nearby village and beach at Myrtleville.
Fountainstown is a seaside village and its beach received Blue Flag status in 1991.[3] It overlooks Ringabella creek to the south.[4] [5]
Close to the village centre is Fountainstown House, a stately home which was originally built in 1699[6] by the Roche family - a Norman family who may have acquired lands at Fountainstown in the 15th or 16th century.[5] The house has 12 bedrooms and was restored in 1995.
Fountainstown's pitch and putt club, established in 1936,[7] is sometimes considered to be the home of the sport's first course,[8] [9] and described by the European Pitch and Putt Association as the origin point of "modern day organised competitive Pitch and Putt".[10] The club was initially established by "Fountainstown Developments Limited", a company with most of the town's residents as shareholders.[11] This club, known locally as "Fountainstown Sports Club",[12] declined in the 1950s and 1960s, due to a "lack of interest and insufficient willing hands", before being revived in 1973.[7] New rounds of funding helped revitalise the club grounds in the 2020s. Adjoining the pitch and putt fields are tennis courts, with the tennis club having been established at the same time as the pitch and putt one.[13] The Fountainstown Developments company has also organised sailing, swimming and fishing activities. The clubhouse has been used for social activities including dancing and Catholic masses.[14]
The coast road between Fountainstown and nearby Myrtleville is used as a walk or promenade.[15] Near the start of this road, on the Fountainstown side, is Angelas Shop & Coffee Dock. This small shop has been operation since 1989 with beach and angling supplies, sweets and coffee, and was named one of Cork's "iconic business" by Evening Echo in 2022, with its owner receiving the Cork Person of the Year award.[16] The shop owner also sponsored local annual road bowling tournaments.[17]
Fountainstown is served by a number of bus routes, with 12 services a day to Cork, each operating via Carrigaline and Douglas, and several services operating via Crosshaven.[18] [19]
The nearest airport is Cork Airport.