Destruction of Irish country houses (1919–1923) April 1921, north Cork IRA leader, Liam Lynch, enraged by the destruction of several houses in reprisal for an IRA ambush declared, 'six big houses and castles of their friends, the Imperialists will go up for this.'" At least 76 country mansions were destroyed in the War of Independence; 30 "Big Houses" were burned in 1920 and another 46 in the first half of 1921, mostly in the conflict's Munster heartland, i.e. counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Clare and Limerick. Historian James S. Donnelly stated in a study of the burning of over 50 country mansions in County Cork in 1919–21
Irish road bowling The first World Championship was as part of Cork 800 in 1985. The Irish form of road bowling is concentrated in counties Cork and Armagh (especially south Armagh). It is also played in Mayo (Castlebar), Limerick, Waterford, Louth, Monaghan and more recently in Tyrone and Wexford and also in Dagenham, London, UK. Klootschieten is a similar game played in the Netherlands and northwest Germany (Friesland and Schleswig-Holstein) and international events have been staged between these regions and Ireland. The Irish game also has players in Boston, Massachusetts; Cambridge, New York, and Bennington, Vermont, vicinity; Middletown, Connecticut; Traverse City, Michigan; the