Ballyduff, County Kerry
| Ballyduff An Baile Dubh | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
  Ballyduff Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 52°27′11″N 9°39′47″W / 52.453°N 9.663°WCoordinates: 52°27′11″N 9°39′47″W / 52.453°N 9.663°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Kerry |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Urban | 578 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | R746888 |
Ballyduff (Irish: An Baile Dubh, meaning "black village") is a village near Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland. Located on R551 between Ballyheigue and Ballybunion on hills above Cashen Bay where the River Feale flows to the sea at the mouth of the River Shannon.
History
Near Ballyduff at Rattoo, a round tower reaches a height of 28m, with a base circumference of 15m. This is the only complete round tower in Kerry, and possibly dates from the late 10th or early 11th centuries. In the mid-19th century, the tower sat on a raised earth causeway in what was then a swamp. The swamp was drained and the causeway removed in the late 19th century so the fields could be cultivated. On 1 November 1920, the Black and Tans shot local man, John Houlihan, dead and burned the creamery to the ground. Canon William Ferris, the author of "The Gaelic Commonwealth" and many other works, lived here
Sport
Ballyduff is successful in both Gaelic Football and Hurling. The club won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final in 1891, when the team was trained by James McDonnell. This is the only time that the title was won by a Kerry team. McDonnell also trained greyhounds and won the prestigious Waterloo cup. Ballyduff won the North Kerry Senior Football title in 2006, after defeating Listowel Emmets in the final. Ballyduff also won the County Senior Hurling Championship in the same year, defeating Causeway by 1-16 to 1-11 in the final.
On the 24th of November 2012 the senior hurling team played in the Intermediate Munster final against Silvermines from Tipperary in Semple Stadium, Thurles. The end resulted in a Silvermines win (0-14) to Ballyduff (0-8)
Ballyduff are the only Kerry club to have won a game in the Munster Club Intermediate Hurling Championship, securing 3 wins on their way to the Munster Finals of the last two seasons.[1]
Ballyduff is also home to the soccer team Rattoo Rovers who play in the Kerry District League.
Population
In 2006, the population of Ballyduff fell by 5.9% to 578, from the 2002 Census of 614.
