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County Kerry

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The Lakes of Killarney.

County Kerry (Irish: Contae Chiarraí) is a county in the southwest of Ireland, in the Munster province of the Republic of Ireland, informally referred to as The Kingdom. It has an area of 4,746 km² (1,832 square miles). The county town is Tralee. The county is bordered by County Limerick (east) and County Cork (South-east).

One of Ireland's most famous towns, Killarney, is located in Kerry. The county has two national parks, the Killarney Lakes and Dingle Peninsula. The tip of the Dingle Peninsula is the most westerly point in mainland Ireland.

Kerry has the highest mountain range in Ireland: Macgillycuddy's Reeks.

The county is bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the north by the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland.

Kerry's coast is a series of peninsulas and large bays. As well as the Dingle Peninsula there is the Ring of Kerry on the Iveragh Peninsula, a popular route for tourists and cyclists The pedestrian version is the scenic Kerry Way which follows ancient paths generally higher than that adopted by the Ring of Kerry.

Just off Kerry's coast are a number of islands, including the Blasket Islands and the Skelligs. Skellig Michael is a World Heritage Site, famous for the medieval monastery clinging to the island's cliffs.

The county has three local newspapers: The Kerryman and The Kerry's Eye, published in Tralee, and The Kingdom, published in Killarney. The county has a commercial radio station, Radio Kerry which commenced operations on 14th July 1990 having replaced Kingdom Radio.

GAA

Kerry is also known for its senior gaelic football team which is the most successful Gaelic Footballing team in Ireland winning the Sam Maguire cup 33 times, with the next nearest team Dublin on 22 wins. See also the List of Kerry All-Ireland Football Finals.

Towns in Kerry

 
Space Radar Image of the Iveragh Peninsula

The towns of Tralee, Killarney and Listowel are administered by their respective Town Councils and are separate administrative entities from Kerry County Council. However each town elects representatives to the County Council.

Other places in Kerry

History of County Kerry

In the 15th Century, the majority of the area now known as County Kerry was part of the County Desmond, the west-Munster seat of the Earl of Desmond, a branch of the Hiberno-Norman Fitzgerald family, known as the Geraldines.

In 1580, during the Second Desmond Rebellion, one of the most infamous massacres of the Sixteenth Century, the Siege of Smerwick, took place at Dún an Óir near Ard na Caithne (Smerwick) at the tip of the Dingle Peninsula. The 600-strong Italian, Spanish and Irish papal invasion force of James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald was besieged by the English forces and massacred.

In 1588 when the fleet of the Spanish Armada in Ireland were returning to Spain during stormy weather, many of their ships sought shelter at the Blasket Islands and some were wrecked.

Geography of Kerry

Kerry, on the south-west of Ireland, faces the Atlantic Ocean and typical of the Atlantic coast, features many peninsulas and inlets, principally the Dingle Peninsula, the Iveragh Peninsula, and the Beara Peninsula, shared with neighbouring County Cork. It has been the site of a lighthouse to aid Atlantic shipping for many centuries.

Kerry contains two of the three highest mountains in Ireland, Carrauntoohill, part of the McGillyCuddy Reeks range and Mount Brandon, part of the Slieve Mish range.

The Lakes of Killarney in the center of the county are a scenic tourist attraction.

Many islands lie off the coast of Kerry, the most notable being the Blasket Islands, the Skellig Islands and Valentia Island.

Kerry contains the extreme west point of Ireland Garraun Point on the Dingle Peninsula, or including islands, Tearaght Island, part of the Blaskets. The most westerly inhabited area of Ireland is Dunquin, on the Dingle Peninsula.

The River Feale, the River Laune and the Roughty River flow through Kerry, into the Atlantic.

Climate of Kerry

The North Atlantic Current, part of the Gulf Stream, flows north by Kerry and the west coast of Ireland, resulting in milder temperatures than would otherwise be expected at the 52 North latitude. This means that subtropical plants such as Arbutus and tree ferns, not normally found in Northern Europe, thrive in the area. There are a number of gardens in the county, open to visitors.

Because of the mountainous area and the prevailing south-westerly winds, Kerry is among the regions with the highest rainfall in Ireland. Due to its ___location, the area is the site of a weather reporting station on Valentia for many centuries. The Irish record for one-day rain-fall is 243.5mm, recorded at Cloore Lake, in Kerry in 1993.[1].

In 1986, the remnants of Hurricane Charley crossed over Kerry as an extratropical storm causing extensive rainfall, flooding and damage.

Culture of Kerry

As a region on the extremity of Ireland, culture of Kerry was less susceptible to outside influences and is principally associated with Irish traditional music, song and dance.

Transport in Kerry

Kerry is accessible by road, rail, sea and air. The main National Primary Routes into Kerry are the N21 road from Limerick and the N22 road from Cork both terminating in Tralee. The N23 road from Castleisland to Farranfore also connects these roads. Within Kerry, the well-known Ring of Kerry follows the N70 road, a National Secondary Route which circles the Iveragh Peninsula and links at Kenmare with the N71 road to west Cork. Bus Eireann operates an extensive bus service network on routes throughout the county with connection hubs in Killarney and Tralee.

A rail service from stations at Tralee, Farranfore and Killarney serves Cork and Dublin, via Mallow. During the rail rationalisations of the 1950s and 1960s branch-line services to Kenmare - from Headford, to Dingle (the Tralee and Dingle Light Railway, a narrow-gauge railway) and to Valentia from Farranfore (a reminder is the distinctive Gleesk Viaduct near Kells) were ended and the lines closed. Passenger service on the North-Kerry line, from Tralee to Limerick via Listowel, survived to the 1970s but it too was ended, although the line was used by a freight service from Foynes on the Limerick border until 2000. Also in the Listowel area, operated one of the experimental Lartigue Monorail services from 1882 to 1924, a 500m section was re-established in 2003. A road-car route, the Prince of Wales Route, was a link from Bantry to Killarney, operated by the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway as a service for tourists.

Kerry Airport is located at Farranfore in the centre of the county and has operated scheduled services since 1989. Destinations served as of 2006 are Dublin, London, Manchester, Lorient and Frankfurt-Hahn Airport operated by Aer Arann and Ryanair.

Fenit harbour near Tralee is a secondary sea-port in Ireland having facilies for import and export and fisheries. A rail-link to the port was closed in the 1970s. The harbour has also been used in the past for gun-running by the IRA. Nearby Foynes in County Limerick is a major freight port. The harbour at Dingle is one of Ireland's secondary fishing ports.


Clans, Families and Titles of Kerry

A number of Irish surnames are derived from clans who hail from the Kerry area, such as Falvey, McCarthy, O'Sullivan, O'Connell, O'Donoghue, O'Shea, Quill, Stack, Sugrue, Tangney and Walsh.

The area was also home to the Hiberno-Norman families, the FitzMaurices and the Desmonds, a branch of the FitzGeralds.

Titles in the Peerage of Ireland with a family seat in Kerry are

Viscount Valentia appears to have been associated with lands in County Armagh, rather than Kerry

Attractions of Kerry

Kerry, with its mountains, lakes and Atlantic coastline is among the most scenic areas in Ireland and is among the most significant tourist destinations in Ireland. Killarney is the centre of the tourism industry, which is a significant element of the economy in Kerry.

The Kerry Way, Dingle Way and Beara Way are walking routes in the county.

Attractions include:

Historic sites of Kerry:

Famous people from County Kerry

Historical figures

Sporting figures

Literary and Musical figures

Politics

Kerry is currently represented by six TDs returned from two constituences. The currently elected (2002 General Election) TDs are:

Kerry North:

Kerry South:

References

  1. ^ http://www.met.ie/climate/rainfall.asp
 
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