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 arry is a very common Cork name nowadays. The first Barrys
were Anglo-Norman de Barry, who established here on MacCarthy lands about the 13th
Century. 'Boutez-an-avant' was their war cry, and some say that the name of the town came
from that. More sober historians primly explain that it comes from
botavant, Norman-French
for an advance rampart.
The first ever steeplechase took place here in the year
1752, from the Steeple of Buttevant Protestant Church to that of
Doneraile, 4.5miles (7km)
away. The town was always involved with horses. Cahirmee Horse Fair has been a lively
annual event every summer for centuries and it is claimed that Napoleon's horse, Marengo,
was bought at this fair from a Kerryman named O'Connor.
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