Castlegregory
Encyclopedia
Castlegregory is a village
in County Kerry
, Ireland
. It is situated on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula
, halfway between Tralee and Dingle
. Castlegregory has a population of 205 (CSO 2006).
Castlegregory was named after a castle built by Gregory Hoare in the 16th century. It is the capital of Lettragh, whose population is now a quarter of what it was before the Great Irish Famine, and it remains the only place in the area which resembles a real village.
The village is located at the foot of a sandy peninsula called the Maharees
separating Brandon Bay to the west from Tralee Bay on the east. Off the peninsula are a number small islands, called the Seven Hoggs, or the Maharee Islands. A small fishing harbour is located at Fahamore
on Scraggane Bay, about 5 km outside the village at the tip of the Maharees peninsula. The village is surrounded by the mountains of the Dingle peninsula
and overlooked directly by Beenoskee
and Stradbally Mountains. To the west is Brandon Mountain. Castlegregory is also the name of the parish which includes most of the north east area of the Dingle Peninsula. The village is renowned as a tourist destination as it is near to spectacular beaches located on the Maharees peninsula. Castlegregory Golf and Fishing club, a nine hole links golf course is also located nearby, to the west of the village on the shores of Lough Gill, a freshwater lake.
Oileán tSeanaigh), the ruins of a 7th century monastic site founded by St Senach, stand containing:
. The club took part in the first Kerry County Championship played in 1889. For well over 40 years football was played on a pitch with a 21 feet gradient from top to bottom, however a new ground was opened on 17 May 2003.
and Kilshannig villages.
O'Connor, Moriarty, Fitzgerald, Spillane, Courtney, Kennedy, Sullivan, Flynn, Ashe, O'Donnell, McCarthy, Murphy, O'Neill, Connor, Shea, Maunsell, Harrington, Deen, Egan, Kelliher, Kenny, Mahony, Crean, Farrell, Griffin, Hoare, Lynch, McKenna, Moore, O'Flaherty
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is situated on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula
Dingle Peninsula
The Dingle Peninsula is the northernmost of the major peninsulae in County Kerry. Its ends beyond the town of Dingle at Dunmore Head, the westernmost point of Ireland.-Name:...
, halfway between Tralee and Dingle
Dingle
Dingle is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about 49 kilometres southwest of Tralee and 71 kilometres northwest of Killarney....
. Castlegregory has a population of 205 (CSO 2006).
Castlegregory was named after a castle built by Gregory Hoare in the 16th century. It is the capital of Lettragh, whose population is now a quarter of what it was before the Great Irish Famine, and it remains the only place in the area which resembles a real village.
Geography
Maharees
Maharees or Magharees is a 5 km long ayre located on the northern side of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. Fenit Harbour, the main port of County Kerry is sheltered from large Atlantic swells by the Maharees...
separating Brandon Bay to the west from Tralee Bay on the east. Off the peninsula are a number small islands, called the Seven Hoggs, or the Maharee Islands. A small fishing harbour is located at Fahamore
Fahamore
Fahamore is a small hamlet/village on the Maharees peninsula in County Kerry. It consists of about 50 houses and one famous pub Spillane's . Fahamore was historically much larger than it is now as evidenced by two old schoolhouses in the village, one dating from 1843 and the other from 1911...
on Scraggane Bay, about 5 km outside the village at the tip of the Maharees peninsula. The village is surrounded by the mountains of the Dingle peninsula
Dingle Peninsula
The Dingle Peninsula is the northernmost of the major peninsulae in County Kerry. Its ends beyond the town of Dingle at Dunmore Head, the westernmost point of Ireland.-Name:...
and overlooked directly by Beenoskee
Beenoskee
Beenoskee or Benoskee is a 826 m mountain on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. Part of the Dingle Mountains, it is the highest of the "Central Dingle" group and the 28th highest in Ireland....
and Stradbally Mountains. To the west is Brandon Mountain. Castlegregory is also the name of the parish which includes most of the north east area of the Dingle Peninsula. The village is renowned as a tourist destination as it is near to spectacular beaches located on the Maharees peninsula. Castlegregory Golf and Fishing club, a nine hole links golf course is also located nearby, to the west of the village on the shores of Lough Gill, a freshwater lake.
History
On the largest of the Magharee islands, Illauntannig (IrishIrish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
Oileán tSeanaigh), the ruins of a 7th century monastic site founded by St Senach, stand containing:
- two oratories
- three beehive (or ClochanClochanA Clochán is a dry-stone hut with a corbelled roof, dating from the early Middle Ages or earlier. Most archaeologists think these structures were built on the southwestern coast of Ireland since the Bronze Age. They are most commonly round beehive huts, but rectangular plans are known as well....
) huts - three examples of a leacht (or altar)
Local events
- Castlegregory Pattern Day is celebrated on 15 August, when the tradition is to eat locally-made mutton pies. The event is known for attracting several celebrities each year. Colin FarrellColin FarrellColin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
and Cathal Lafferty attended in 2007.
Sport
Castlegregory GAA Club was first known as Castlegregory Allen, named after William Allen, one of the Manchester MartyrsManchester Martyrs
The Manchester Martyrs – William Philip Allen, Michael Larkin, and Michael O'Brien – were members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, an organisation dedicated to ending British rule in Ireland. They were executed for the murder of a police officer in Manchester, England, in 1867, during...
. The club took part in the first Kerry County Championship played in 1889. For well over 40 years football was played on a pitch with a 21 feet gradient from top to bottom, however a new ground was opened on 17 May 2003.
Common surnames in Castlegregory
According to Irish Census 1901 & 1911. Included surrounding area with FahamoreFahamore
Fahamore is a small hamlet/village on the Maharees peninsula in County Kerry. It consists of about 50 houses and one famous pub Spillane's . Fahamore was historically much larger than it is now as evidenced by two old schoolhouses in the village, one dating from 1843 and the other from 1911...
and Kilshannig villages.
O'Connor, Moriarty, Fitzgerald, Spillane, Courtney, Kennedy, Sullivan, Flynn, Ashe, O'Donnell, McCarthy, Murphy, O'Neill, Connor, Shea, Maunsell, Harrington, Deen, Egan, Kelliher, Kenny, Mahony, Crean, Farrell, Griffin, Hoare, Lynch, McKenna, Moore, O'Flaherty
Transport
- Castlegregory was the terminus of a branch line of the Tralee and Dingle Light RailwayTralee and Dingle Light RailwayThe Tralee and Dingle Light Railway and Tramway was a , 914 mm gauge narrow gauge railway running between Tralee and Dingle, with a branch from Castlegregory Junction to Castlegregory, in County Kerry on the west coast of Ireland. It operated between 1891 and 1953, the Castlegregory branch...
. The railway station opened on 1 April 1891, closed for passenger and goods traffic on 17 April 1939, and finally closed altogether on 10 March 1947.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland