mallow

Any plant of the family Malvaceae, especially the genus Malva, including the North American rose mallow Hibiscus palustris and the European marsh mallow Althaea officinalis. Most have showy pink or purple flowers. See also hollyhock, cotton, okra, hibiscus.

Mallow

Town in County Cork, Republic of Ireland; population (2002) 7,100. Mallow is situated on the River Blackwater, 35 km/22 mi northwest of the city of Cork, and is an important rail and distribution centre. It has computer-components manufacture, electrical engineering, and small-scale plastics, aluminium, and stainless-steel manufacture. There is a racecourse, and Mallow is a popular fishing centre.

The remains of Mallow Castle, built in the 16th century, and of Mourne Abbey, founded before 1216 by the Order of St John, are on the river here. During the 18th and 19th centuries Mallow was a spa town.

Mallow was the birthplace of the nationalist leader William O'Brien (1852–1928) and of the novelist Patrick Sheehan.