a small village which grew up around the mill. Called 'Blackpool', this settlement consisted of sixty or so small cabins. In 1837, the mill was reported by Samuel Lewis to be: "situated in a deep and well-wooded glen; the buildings are of handsome appearance, and the works afford employment to a number of persons, varying from 70 to 100, in the manufacture of large quantities of paper for the English market." Passing through a number of owners, the paper mills closed in 1864. Dripsey Woollen Mills Dripsey Woolen Mills was founded in 1903, when businessman Andrew O'Shaughnessy purchased a pre-existing flour mill on the banks of the Dripsey River. It provided significant employment in the area, with woollen goods such as cellular blankets, bed-spreads and tweeds being exported to the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. As with the paper mill, a workers' settlement grew close to the mill, with approximately 70 houses becoming known as the 'Model Village'. O'Shaughnessy later purchased a number of other mills (including Sallybrook Woollen Mills in Glanmire and Kilkenny Woollen Mills), establishing one of the leading woollen manufacturing businesses in the country. Dripsey Woollen Mills operated until its closure in the late 1970s. The 'Model Village' and mill buildings are still present, adjacent to the River Dripsey. Dripsey Ambush There is a monument erected on the road from Dripsey to Coachford to the men who died after a failed ambush against the British Army during the War of Independence. On 28 January 1921, in an area known as Godfrey's Cross, approximately half-way between the villages of Coachford and Dripsey, an Irish Republican Army (IRA) ambush party lay in wait for a convoy of British troops that regularly used the road when travelling between Ballincollig Barracks and Macroom. News of the planned ambush became common knowledge in the area, and one resident - a Mrs Mary Lindsay - travelled to the barracks at Ballincollig and advised of what she knew. The commanding officer, Colonel Dowling, decided to launch an attack against the IRA. Between 3pm and 4pm, a column of British troops left the barracks, and dismounted from their lorries at Dripsey before dividing into groups to surround the ambush party. The IRA had scouts posted, and one raised the alarm. The IRA officer in charge of the ambush ordered a withdrawal, but firing broke out. Eight members of the IRA (five