Castleisland
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| Castleisland Oileán Chiarraí |
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WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
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| Irish grid reference Q998099 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Munster | |
| County: | County Kerry | |
| Population (2006) | 2,170 | |
Castleisland (Irish: Oileán Ciarraí) – pronounced "castle island" – is a busy market town and commercial centre in county Kerry in southwest Ireland. The town is renowned for the width of its main street — the second widest in Ireland and second only to the famous O'Connell Street in the capital city, Dublin. Castleisland has a population of 2,170 (CSO census 2006).
Castleisland was described by one of its most famous citizens, Con Houlihan, as 'Not so much a town as a street between two fields'.
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[edit] History
Castleisland was the centre of Desmond power in Kerry. The town got its name; Castle of the Island of Kerry from a castle built in 1226 by Geoffrey Maurice (or de Marisco), who was the Lord Justice of Ireland during the reign of King Henry III[1]. The island was created by turning the waters of the River Maine into a moat around the castle. Sometime in the 120 years after its construction the castle was taken by the forces of the Earl of Desmond. It is known that in 1345 the castle was being held for the Earl of Desmond by Sir Eustace de la Poer and other knights when it was captured by Sir Ralph Ufford, Lord Justice of Ireland. Sir Eustace and the other knights were captured and executed[1]. Little is known of the further history of the castle, few ruins are left of it today. The main ruin is de Marisco tower, located behind some private houses at the western end of the town, on the Killarney Road.
The Black and Tans and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were active in Castleisland during the Irish War of Independence in the 1920s. On 9 May 1921, two Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) men were shot by the IRA outside Castleisland Parish Church [2], one of the men died. On 10 July in the same year, five IRA men and four British soldiers were killed during a gunfight in the town.
[edit] Geography
- Castleisland is often considered the Gateway to Kerry, as the main road to all towns in Western and Southern Kerry passes through here - the N21 from Limerick continues on to Tralee while the N22 goes to Killarney and other towns in Southern Kerry.
- The Glenaruddy mountains to the north and the Stacks to the west define the beginning of the 'Vale of Tralee', at the mouth of which Castleisland is situated. Most of the land around Castleisland is pasture for dairy stock, with bogland located at various locations around the town, particularly to the east and south.
[edit] Buildings of note
- The Gothic styled Church of St. Stephen and St. John was designed by Doolin.
- The Carnegie Trust Library Building which was designed by R.M. Butler in 1920 was located at the eastern end of Castleisland's main street and burned to the ground in the same year. It was subsequently rebuilt on the same site and still functions as the town library.
[edit] Places of interest
- Crag Cave opened in 1989 and is one of the most extensive cave systems in Ireland open to the public. It runs for 3.8 km under the town starting at Glounsharoon and ends on the far side of the town on the Killarney road, though not all of this is open to the public. The caves are a very recent discovery, discovered in 1983. They were developed as showcaves by locals, Dr. Donal and Mrs Margaret Geaney, under whose land the caves were first discovered. The cave attracts thousands of visitors every year. The tourists are given a guided tour of the cave which takes a half an hour. They are taken underground and through 400 metres of the cave, they are told the history of the Crag Cave and how the caves have formed over the past million years, as well as some imaginative stops for entertainment. There are many beautiful caverns in the cave includeding the Cathedral and the aptly named Crystal Gallery. The tourist centre contains a gift-shop, coffee shop and a children's play area. As Crag Cave is located at a higher elevation than its surroundings, it offers a spectacular view of the McGillicuddy Reeks and Tralee Bay.
[edit] Transport
- Castleisland railway station opened on 30 August 1875, closed for passenger traffic on 24 February 1947 and for goods traffic on 3 November 1975, finally closing altogether on 10 January 1977.[3]
[edit] Sport
- Castleisland Desmonds is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.
[edit] People
- Mick Doyle Irish rugby international player and coach.
- Charlie Nelligan who was the Kerry Goalkeeper for many years during the 1970s and 1980s. He won All Ireland Football medals playing with Kerry and he has also trained the Kerry Minor Footballers in recent years. Charlie played his club football with the Castleisland Desmonds who won the All Ireland senior Club Championship in 1985. Charlie now runs a coffee shop in Tralee and Castleisland.
- Mike McAuliffe, son of well known business man Jack McAuliffe, operates one of South West Ireland's largest and longest running transport companies McAuliffe Trucking from a depot outside the town. He hails from Currow and he was part of the legendary Munster team that beat the All Blacks in 1978.
- Joe Vinten Irish soccer international player: Joe 'the poutist' Vinten, the superstar Queens Park Rangers and World Cup winning Irish International regular hails from Castleisland.
- Denis O'Connor - well known painter in the Boston area is from Castleisland.
[edit] Twinning
Castleisland is twinned with the town of Bannalec in France.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Castleisland
- ^ Rhyno history
- ^ Castleisland station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-09-16.
