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County Kerry (Irish: Contae Chiarraí) is a county in the south west 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), and is bordered by County Limerick to the east and by County Cork to the south-east. The county town is Tralee. 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 westernly point in mainland Ireland.
Geography of Kerry
The Ring of Kerry on the Iveragh Peninsula is 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. Image:Dingle peninsula panorama crop.jpg Dingle Peninsula Kerry contains two of the three highest mountains in Ireland, Carrauntoohill, part of the Macgillycuddy's Reeks range and Mount Brandon, part of the Slieve Mish range. The Lakes of Killarney in the centre of the county are a scenic tourist attraction.
Kerry contains the extreme west point of Ireland Dunmore Head 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. Towns & Parishs in KerryImage:PIA01848 SpaceRadarImageOfCountyKerry-NASA.jpg 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 KerryIn 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. Climate of KerryThe 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 KerryAs 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 KerryKerry 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 (closed January 1st 1959), 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 regional harbour capable of handling ships of up to 17,000 tonnes. Large container cranes from Liebherrs in Killarney are regularly exported worldwide. A rail-link to the port was closed in the 1970s. The harbour at Dingle is one of Ireland's secondary fishing ports.
GAAKerry is also known for its senior gaelic football team which is the most successful Gaelic footballing team in Ireland winning the Sam Maguire cup 34 times, with the next nearest team Dublin on 22 wins. See also the List of Kerry All-Ireland Football Finals. Local mediaThe 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 in 1990. Septs, families and titles of KerryA number of Irish surnames are derived from septs who hail from the Kerry area, such as Falvey, McCarthy, O'Connor, O'Moriarty, McGrath, O'Carroll, 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 British 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 KerryKerry, 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, or Associated with, County KerryHistorical figures Associated People Political Figures Sporting figures Literary and Musical figures
PoliticsKerry is currently represented by six TDs returned from two constituencies. The currently elected (2002 General Election) TDs are:
WildlifeFloraThe herbarium DBN (Herbarium National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin). [[1]] contains specimens from the Kerry coast. A list of algal records from County Kerry is giver in (Cullinane, 1973 p.58 - 83).[2] References
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