A key aspect of the new English policy of plantation in the 16th
century was the development of towns. These became not only centres of trade for the local area, they were also centres of administration, with court houses, barracks and gaols. In the Munster Plantation, some of these towns
developed existing settlements such as Mallow, and Youghal, Co. Cork. But others such as Bandon, Co. Cork were new towns. Many new towns were developed in the Ulster Plantation. These were planned towns with wide streets and a central market area, or diamond, as it was called. The towns were centres of English and Scottish culture. Over the centuries, Gaelic or native Irish people came to live outside the walls of some of towns. These suburbs were sometimes called ‘Irishtown’. There are examples in Dublin and in Bandon, Co. Cork
Plantation towns in Laois-Offaly, Munster and Ulster
How did Plantation towns influence identity in Ireland?
‘English’ and ‘Scottish’ influence in the main towns in Ireland in the middle of 17th
