75-618: The Kerry District League (known as the Denny Kerry District League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league featuring amateur and junior clubs from County Kerry . The KDL is a winter league run by Adrian Casey. Its top division, the Premier A, is a seventh level division in the Republic of Ireland football league system . The league is regularly featured in the local newspapers – The Kerryman and
150-508: A Crossley tender were sent from Dublin. Listowel would remain a base for those supporting the treaty throughout the conflict. The town was eventually overcome by superior numbers of anti-Treaty forces belonging to the Kerry No. 2 and 3 Brigades in June 1922. In the ensuing civil war between pro- and anti-treaty elements, Kerry was perhaps the worst affected area of Ireland. Initially the county
225-700: A Hiberno-Norman lord in Southwest Ireland, and it was held by his descendants until 1583 when they rose against the English crown in the Desmond Rebellions . Following two short-lived recreations of the title in the early 1600s, the title has been held since 1628 by the Feilding family of Warwickshire , England. The current holder is Alexander Feilding, 12th Earl of Denbigh and 11th Earl of Desmond (4th creation) . The Munster Desmonds were
300-538: A Protestant - and James died a year later in obscurity. The third creation was in 1619 for Richard Preston , a favourite of James I : Preston had married the daughter and heiress of the 10th Earl of Ormond , neighbour, relative and enemy of the Munster Desmonds. Preston died without male heir and - before Preston's death - James I decided the Desmond title should be subsequently awarded to George Feilding,
375-618: A cadet (junior) branch of the powerful FitzGerald dynasty who came to Ireland from Wales as part of the 12th century Anglo-Norman invasion . Over the following centuries, the FitzGeralds famously assimilated themselves in Ireland, and, in the late 16th century Tudor conquest of Ireland , they took arms against the Protestant English Crown in the Desmond Rebellions . As a result, the family's estates were confiscated,
450-792: A commercial radio station, Radio Kerry , which commenced operations in 1990. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta has a studio in Baile na nGall in the west Kerry gaeltacht . Spin South West has a studio in Tralee , which commenced operations in 2016. The main National Primary Routes into Kerry are the N21 road from Limerick and the N22 road from Cork , each terminating in Tralee. Kerry Airport
525-427: A native of Listowel , is considered one of Ireland's greatest playwrights and is known for his works such as The Field , Sive and Big Maggie . The annual Listowel Writers' Week Festival serves as a celebration of Irish writers past and present. Kerry is known for its senior Gaelic football team . Gaelic football is by far the dominant sport in the county, and Kerry has the most successful of all football teams;
600-479: A nephew of another of the King's favourites. The idea was that George would marry Preston's daughter Elizabeth and thereby inherit lands in Ireland. Charles I confirmed George Feilding as Earl of Desmond on Preston's death in 1628 (the fourth creation) but George never got to marry the independent-minded Elizabeth. Since 1675 the title, shorn of its traditional Irish estate, has been held by Feilding's descendants as
675-466: A region on the extremity of Ireland, the culture of Kerry was less susceptible to outside influences and has preserved the Irish language , as well as Irish traditional music , song and dance . The Sliabh Luachra area of northeast Kerry, that borders Limerick and Cork, is renowned for its traditional music, dance and song, especially its slides, polkas and fiddle playing. The Siamsa Tíre centre in Tralee
750-475: A saltire gules"). The crest shows a man in armour on horseback, facing to the right. The motto appearing beneath the Desmond arms was "Shanid abu" (Shanid to victory) a reference to the Desmond stronghold of Shanid Castle . The third creation was in 1619 for Richard Preston, 1st Lord Dingwall , who was also created Baron Dunmore. The fourth creation happened while Preston was still alive, in 1622 for George Feilding, 1st Viscount Callan , second son of
825-628: A secondary title to that of the Earl of Denbigh . Desmond (Irish: Deasmhumhain, meaning 'South Munster') was a historic kingdom in southwestern Ireland, founded in 1118. It comprised all of what is now County Cork and most of County Kerry . The eastern half of Desmond was conquered by the Anglo-Normans and became the Earldom of Desmond, but the western half of Desmond lived on as a semi-independent Gaelic kingdom until 1596. The House of Desmond
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#1732773390693900-820: A separate shire in 1232, and was at that time part of a royal grant given to the Earls of Desmond . The present-day county was divided for centuries between the Gaelic Kingdom of Desmond , ruled by the Mac Cárthaigh dynasty , and the Anglo-Norman Earldom of Desmond, ruled by the Geraldines . These two regions were merged in 1606 in the aftermath of the Nine Years' War . Kerry has two official Gaeltacht regions, Gaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh on
975-484: A series of massacres of republican prisoners by National Army soldiers, in reprisal for the ambush of their men—the most notorious being the killing of eight men with mines at Ballyseedy , near Tralee. The internecine conflict was brought to an end in May 1923 as the rule of law was re-established following the death of IRA Chief of Staff Liam Lynch , and the order by Frank Aiken to dump all arms. The local authority for
1050-808: A shoot-out in Castleisland on the day of the truce itself, indicating the bitterness of the conflict in Kerry. Following the Anglo-Irish Treaty , most of the Kerry IRA units opposed the settlement. One exception existed in Listowel where a pro-Treaty garrison was established by local Flying Column commandant Thomas Kennelly in February 1922. This unit consisted of 200 regular soldiers along with officers and NCOs. A batch of rifles, machine guns and
1125-623: Is a developing greenway network, known as the "Kingdom of Kerry Greenways", across the county. The North Kerry (part of the Great Southern Trail ), South Kerry and Tralee-Fenit greenways are under-development or in the planning phases. Kerry is served by rail at Tralee railway station , Farranfore railway station , Killarney railway station and Rathmore railway station which connect to Cork and Dublin Heuston , via Mallow . Branch line services existed to each of
1200-577: Is a hub of traditional Irish pastimes. Corca Dhuibhne and Uíbh Ráthach are considered Gaeltacht regions and Irish culture is also very strong in these areas. The Blasket Islands off the Dingle Peninsula are known for their rich literary heritage; authors such as Peig Sayers , Muiris Ó Súilleabháin and Tomás Ó Criomhthain have all written books about life on the islands, which were evacuated in 1953 due to increasingly extreme weather conditions that made them uninhabitable. John B Keane ,
1275-638: Is characterised by bays, sea cliffs, beaches and many small offshore islands, of which the Blaskets and the Skelligs are the most notable. The county's peninsulas have a hilly to mountainous topography, with the MacGillycuddy's Reeks on Iveragh rising to over 1,000 m (3,300 ft). By contrast, its interior regions are mostly flat, interspersed with low mountain ranges such as the Stacks and
1350-514: Is found in various -ry place names in Ireland, such as Osry — Osraighe Deer-People/Tribe . The county's nickname is the Kingdom . On 27 August 1329, by Letters Patent , Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond was confirmed in the feudal seniority of the entire county palatine of Kerry, to him and his heirs male, to hold of the Crown by the service of one knight's fee. In the 15th century,
1425-674: Is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, where official Irish names of baronies are listed under "Administrative units". Kerry faces the Atlantic Ocean and, typically for an Eastern-Atlantic coastal region, features many peninsulas and inlets, principally the Dingle Peninsula , the Iveragh Peninsula , and the Beara Peninsula . The county is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on
1500-589: Is one of Ireland's most famous tourist destinations. The Lakes of Killarney , an area of outstanding natural beauty, are located in Killarney National Park . The Reeks District is home to Carrauntoohil , Ireland's highest mountain at 1,039 m. The tip of the Dingle Peninsula is the westernmost point of Ireland. There are nine historic baronies in the county. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for many administrative purposes. Their official status
1575-596: Is served by Farranfore railway station . 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. In the north of the county, a ferry service operates from Tarbert to Killimer in County Clare . Hospitals in Kerry include
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#17327733906931650-855: Is situated on the N23 road between Castleisland and Farranfore which connects the N21 and N22. Within Kerry the main National Secondary Routes include the well-known Ring of Kerry which follows the N70 road that circles the Iveragh Peninsula and links at Kenmare with the N71 road to west Cork . The N86 road connects Tralee with Dingle along the Dingle Peninsula, while the N69 road from Limerick links Listowel and Tralee through north Kerry. There
1725-553: 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. 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. Kerry has an abundance of archaeological sites. The earliest evidence of human settlement dates to
1800-473: Is the fifth largest of Ireland's 32 traditional counties by area and the fifteenth largest by population . It is the second largest of Munster's six counties by area, and the fourth largest by population. Uniquely, it is bordered by only two other counties: County Limerick to the east and County Cork to the south-east. The county town is Tralee although the Catholic diocesan seat is Killarney , which
1875-559: Is the home ground of Kerry F.C. in the League of Ireland First Division . A senior Kerry League representative team regularly competes in the Oscar Traynor Trophy, playing against teams representing other leagues. In recent seasons they have also competed in the League of Ireland Cup . In 2016 a Kerry League U17 team will play in the League of Ireland U17 Division . Kerry now have both U17 & U19 teams competing in both
1950-562: The Kerry's Eye . Killarney Celtic FC recently won the Premier A for a fifth successive season. The league was formed in 1971 with eight teams competing in its first season. Its founding members included Tralee Dynamos and Killarney Athletic, both of whom had previously played in the Limerick Desmond League . Other founding members included St Brendan's Park. Tralee Dynamos were the inaugural champions and subsequently became
2025-670: The 2014 local elections held on 23 May 2014, Killarney , Listowel and Tralee each had town councils . They were abolished under the Local Government Reform Act 2014 . Following boundary changes in 2016, Kerry is represented in Dáil Éireann by five TDs returned from a single Dáil constituency of Kerry . The TDs elected to the 33rd Dáil at the 2020 general election were Pa Daly ( SF ), Norma Foley ( FF ), Brendan Griffin ( FG ), Danny Healy-Rae ( Independent ) and Michael Healy-Rae ( Independent ). As
2100-652: The A Championship , while they and Killarney Celtic also competed in the Munster Senior League during the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2023 Kerry F.C. entered the League of Ireland First Division for the first time. Cricket is played in County Kerry by County Kerry Cricket Club. They play their home games at the Oyster Oval near Tralee . In 2011 there were 6,083 Irish language speakers in County Kerry, with 4,978 native speakers within
2175-471: The Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway as a service for tourists. Bus Éireann operates an extensive bus service network on routes throughout the county, with connection hubs in Killarney and Tralee. Various local link services also run throughout Kerry such as the soon to be launched 274 from Tralee to Tarbert via Ardfert, Ballyheigue, Ballyduff and Ballybunion. Note that this new Local Link 274 will replace
2250-458: The Gulf Stream , flows north past 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 the strawberry tree and tree ferns , not normally found in northern Europe, thrive in the area. Because of the mountainous area and the prevailing southwesterly winds, Kerry is among
2325-585: The House of Plantagenet by his queen, Eleanor of Castile of the House of Burgundy . Over time, according to English sources, the FitzGerald family became highly assimilated to the local Irish culture. The final Earl of Desmond of this creation was Gerald FitzGerald , the 14th Earl. The FitzGeralds and Fitzmaurices had resisted the Protestant Reformation of King Henry VIII and, after
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2400-632: The Institute of Technology, Tralee , is the main third-level institution in the county. It was established in 1977 as the Regional Technical College, Tralee but acquired its present name in 1997. The Institute of Technology, Tralee, merged with Cork Institute of Technology in 2019 to form the Munster Technological University. It has an enrolment of about 3,500 students. The institute has two campuses:
2475-541: The Kerry Gaeltacht . This does not count the 1,105 attending the four Gaelscoils (Irish language primary schools) and two Gaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary schools) outside the Kerry Gaeltacht. Kerry, with its mountains, lakes and nearly 1,000 kilometres of Atlantic coastline is among the most scenic areas in Ireland and is among the most significant tourist destinations in Ireland. Killarney
2550-605: The Mullaghareirks . The climate of Kerry is dominated by the North Atlantic Current and is usually mild and humid, with abundant precipitation. This allows for the growth of a wide variety of temperate and sub-tropical plants not typically found at such northerly latitudes. The county is named after the Cíarraige people, who were the region's dominant pre-historic sept. County Kerry first appeared as
2625-516: The Súgán (Irish: straw , i.e. pretender) Earl, attempted, but failed, to regain the title during the Nine Years War .James's claim was based on the fact he was the eldest grandson of the 13th Earl , but he was illegitimate by descent. The 13th Earl's first marriage had to been to his own great-niece: the marriage had been declared invalid due to consanguinity and James's father, the child of
2700-403: The Súgán (pretender, see below) Earl but the people rejected the new Protestant Earl. James was not restored to the lands associated with the title, and was only given the right to the title of Earl of Desmond for life; he was also created Baron Inchiquin with the right to pass that title to his successors, but he did not have heirs and died in obscurity in 1601. James FitzThomas FitzGerald ,
2775-605: The de facto 12th Earl (died 1536) and James FitzGerald, de jure 12th Earl of Desmond (died 1540), are both numbered 12 or are numbered 12 and 13. Misplaced Pages numbers the earls 1 to 14 omitting the "idiot" and numbering John de facto and James de jure both as 12, following Cokayne (1916) and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004). Burke (1866), Webb (1878) and the Dictionary of national Biography (1889) admit 15, and Bagwell (1885) 16 earls of
2850-619: The 1,000 O'Sullivans who set out reached their destination. In the aftermath of the War, much of the native owned land in Kerry was confiscated and given to English settlers or 'planters'. The head of the MacCarthy Mor family, Florence MacCarthy was imprisoned in London and his lands were divided between his relatives and colonists from England, such as the Browne family. In the 1640s Kerry
2925-472: The Duchess of Ormond ). George Feilding's eldest son, the second Earl of Desmond, also inherited the title of third Earl of Denbigh after his uncle, the second Earl of Denbigh , died childless. The title Earl of Desmond has descended subsequently with the title Earl of Denbigh and the current holder is the twelfth Earl of Denbigh and eleventh Earl of Desmond. For subsequent Earls of Desmond (title held with
3000-560: The Earl of Denbigh and nephew of James I's favourite and lover, George Villiers. The eight-year-old Feilding was given the right to the title Earl of Desmond as and when Preston died without a male heir. Preston had also been a favourite and probably lover of James I; he had a daughter who, the plan was, George Feilding would marry, but this did not happen. In 1628 Preston died and George was made Earl of Desmond by Charles I (Preston's Scottish Lordship of Dingwall passed to his daughter Elizabeth,
3075-538: The Iveragh Peninsula and Gaeltacht Corca Dhuibhne on the Dingle Peninsula , the latter of which is the only Gaeltacht in Munster where Irish is the daily spoken language of the majority of the population. In the county as a whole, 40.2 percent of residents were able to speak Irish as of 2022. The regional dialect is Munster Irish , exemplified by the influential works of Blasket Islanders such as Peig Sayers , Muiris Ó Súilleabháin and Tomás Ó Criomhthain . Kerry
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3150-575: The Kerry footballers have won the Sam Maguire cup 38 times, with the next nearest team Dublin on 30 wins. Hurling is popular at club level in north Kerry, although the county has only won one All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship , in 1891. The senior team currently compete in the Joe McDonagh Cup . The Kerry District League is the main competition for association football in the county. Tralee Dynamos have represented Kerry in
3225-587: The Mesolithic period. The county has a notably high concentration of open-air Atlantic rock art , which is believed to date to the Late Neolithic / Early Bronze Age period (2300-1500BC). This rock art is scattered throughout the county and exists in dense clusters on the Iveragh and Dingle peninsulas. These carvings form part of a tradition which stretches across Atlantic Europe and are distinct from
3300-464: The North Campus (opened in Dromtacker in 2001) and the South Campus (opened in Clash in 1977) approximately 2.4 km (1.5 mi) apart. A number of Irish surnames are derived from septs who hail from the Kerry area, such as Falvey , Foley , McCarthy , Murphy , O'Connor , O'Moriarty , Clifford , Kennelly , McGrath , O'Carroll , O'Sullivan , O'Connell , O'Donoghue , O'Shea , Quill , Scannell , Stack , Sugrue and Tangney . The area
3375-405: The SSE Airtricity National U17 & U19 respectively. As of 2015, clubs included: County Kerry County Kerry ( Irish : Contae Chiarraí ) is a county on the southwest coast of Ireland , within the province of Munster and the Southern Region . It is bordered by two other counties; Limerick to the east, and Cork to the south and east. It is separated from Clare to
3450-427: The county is Kerry County Council . The council provides a number of services including planning, roads maintenance, fire brigade, council housing, water supply, waste collection, recycling and landfill, higher education grants and funding for arts and culture. The county is divided into five municipal districts with local responsibility: Corca Dhuibhne–Castleisland, Kenmare, Killarney, Listowel, and Tralee. Prior to
3525-399: The earl beheaded and the title suppressed. The English government imprisoned James FitzGerald , the eldest son of the last earl, in the Tower of London for decades. However, in 1600, during the Nine Years War , in an attempt to pacify the people of Munster, James was freed and title recreated for him though without right of inheritance. The people of Munster refused to accept the new Earl -
3600-430: The failure of the first and second Desmond Rebellions , the 14th Earl was defeated and killed by forces loyal to Queen Elizabeth I on 11 November 1583. His title, along with the enormous estates of his family, were forfeit to the English Crown . Authors have numbered the earls of the first creation from 1 to 14, 1 to 15, or 1 to 16, depending on whether Nicholas, an "idiot", is included as 3rd Earl, and whether John,
3675-440: The father of John's wife Margery FitzAnthony. The title Earl of Desmond was first created for Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Baron Desmond in about 1329. Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond , married Eleanor Butler . Through her, John FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Desmond and all subsequent Geraldine earls of Desmond could trace descent through Eleanor de Bohun to Elizabeth of Rhuddlan , daughter of King Edward I of England of
3750-426: The first creation. The second creation was in 1600 for James FitzGerald the "Tower Earl", son of the last (14th Earl) of the first creation. He spent much of his life in captivity in the Tower of London , and was obliged to convert to Protestantism. He was temporarily, but unsuccessfully, restored to the earldom in 1600–01 by the English in an attempt to pacify Munster during the Nine Years War, and to combat rise of
3825-406: The island's cliffs. The county 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 Dún Chaoin , on the Dingle Peninsula. The River Feale , the River Laune and the Roughty River flow through Kerry, into the Atlantic. The North Atlantic Current , part of
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#17327733906933900-436: The league's most successful team. The KDL purchased Mounthawk Park in Tralee in the mid-1990s. It now serves as both the headquarters of the league and as home ground for the Kerry League representative teams. Several KDL clubs, especially those in the greater Tralee area, also use Mounthawk Park as their home pitch. In August 2015 a new all-weather pitch was opened at Mounthawk Park by Martin O'Neill and John Delaney . It
3975-417: The majority of the area now known as County Kerry was still part of the County Desmond , the west Munster seat of the Earl of Desmond , a branch of the Hiberno-Norman FitzGerald dynasty , 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
4050-422: The male heirs of the four eldest sons of Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond : this was the effective extinction of the line of the Fitzgerald House of Desmond. The coat of arms of the Geraldine Earls of Desmond, blazoned ermine a saltire gules , where the ermine tincture is a mark of cadency relative to the senior Kildare branch of the Geraldines (whose arms are more simply blazoned " argent ,
4125-565: The megalithic art of the type found at Newgrange. Kerry has many Bronze Age monuments including standing stones, wedge tombs, boulder burials, and stone circles, along with Iron Age forts. Like the rest of Ireland, Kerry has large numbers of monuments from the Early Christian period, such as ring forts, churches, cross-inscribed stones, holy wells, saints' graves, and ogham stones, along with Medieval castles and churches. Attractions: County Kerry has two local newspapers, The Kerryman and Kerry's Eye , both published in Tralee. The county has
4200-487: The night before. On 10 December 1920 Martial law was declared in the Counties of Kery, Cork and Limerick. Another incident was the Headford Junction ambush in spring 1921, when IRA units ambushed a train carrying British soldiers outside Killarney. About ten British soldiers, three civilians and two IRA men were killed in the ensuing gun battle. Violence between the IRA and the British was ended in July 1921, but nine men, four British soldiers and five IRA men, were killed in
4275-425: The north by the River Shannon . Kerry is one of the most mountainous regions of Ireland and its three highest mountains, Carrauntoohil , Beenkeragh and Caher , all part of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks range. Just off the coast are a number of islands, including the Blasket Islands , Valentia Island and the Skelligs . Skellig Michael is a World Heritage Site , famous for the medieval monastery clinging to
4350-435: The north by the Shannon Estuary . With an area of 4,807 square kilometres (1,856 sq mi) and a population of 156,458 as of 2022, it is the 5th largest of Ireland's 32 counties by land area, and the 15th most populous . The governing local authority is Kerry County Council . Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean , Kerry is Ireland's most westerly county. Its rugged coastline stretches for 886 kilometres (551 miles) and
4425-402: The older spelling Ciarraighe ) means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the 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 describing a dark complexion. The suffix raighe , meaning people/tribe ,
4500-411: The peninsulas (Beara, Iveragh and Dingle) and also to the north of the county. They were closed during the rationalisations of the 1950s and 1960s. Listowel to Ballybunion had the distinction of operating 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
4575-451: The public University Hospital Kerry which is the second-largest acute hospital in the Health Service Executive South Region. It serves as the main hospital for County Kerry and also serves the people in parts of north Cork and west Limerick. Other hospitals include the private Bon Secours Hospital in Tralee and community hospitals in Cahirciveen, Dingle, Kenmare, Killarney and Listowel. The Munster Technological University (MTU), former
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#17327733906934650-444: The regions with the highest rainfall in Ireland. Owing to its location, there has been a weather reporting station on Valentia for many centuries. The Irish record for rainfall in one day is 243.5 mm (9.59 in), recorded at Cloore Lake in Kerry in 1993. In 1986 the remnants of Hurricane Charley crossed over Kerry as an extratropical storm causing extensive rainfall, flooding and damage. Kerry ( Irish : Ciarraí or in
4725-479: The return journey on the Bus Eireann 274. See Local Link Kerry for all buses operated by them throughout the county. Kerry Airport is located at Farranfore in the centre of the county and has operated scheduled services since 1989. Destinations served as of 2014 are London ( Stansted & Luton ), Frankfurt-Hahn Airport , Faro, Portugal and Alicante all operated by Ryanair . Aer Lingus Regional also operate an all-year-round service to Dublin. The airport
4800-540: The senior branch, the House of Kildare, was founded by Thomas's younger brother Gerald, 1st Lord of Offally . Thomas, Lord OConello was a key supporter of the Lord of Pembroke known as ("Strongbow") in his 1169 invasion of Ireland. Thomas's son, John FitzThomas , became the first Baron Desmond upon receiving, for his homage and service, a grant in 1259 of the lands of Decies (today's County Waterford ) and Desmond from Prince Edward of England. Before passing to Edward, these lands had been held by Thomas FitzAnthony,
4875-412: 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 its ships sought shelter at the Blasket Islands and some were wrecked. During the Nine Years' War , Kerry
4950-411: The union, had been declared illegitimate (the 14th Earl was the child of a second, legitimate marriage). James had not joined the rebellion of the 14th Earl and following the 14th Earl's death, James lobbied the English - at first with some success - to be restored to the title. When that failed in 1598 he joined the rebellion and assumed the title of Earl of Desmond, leading eight thousand clansmen. He
5025-400: The war of Independence, the Irish Republican Army fought a guerilla war against the Royal Irish Constabulary , and British military. One of the more prominent incidents in the conflict in Kerry was the siege of Tralee in November 1920, when the Black and Tans placed Tralee burned many homes, and shot dead a number of local people in retaliation for the IRA killing of five local policemen
5100-423: Was Ross Castle , near Killarney. In the 18th and 19th centuries Kerry became increasingly populated by poor tenant farmers, who came to rely on the potato as their main food source. As a result, when the potato crop failed in 1845, Kerry was very hard hit by the Great Irish Famine of 1845–49. In the wake of the famine, many thousands of poor farmers emigrated to seek a better life in America and elsewhere. Kerry
5175-399: Was a branch of the famous FitzGerald Dynasty (Geraldines) in Ireland which had been founded by Maurice FitzGerald , Lord of Lanstephan in Wales ( c.1105 – c.1176). Maurice was of Anglo-Norman and Welsh descent. Though the House of Desmond branch was founded by the eldest of Maurice FitzGeralds's sons, Thomas FitzMaurice, Lord OConnello , it became the cadet or junior branch of the family:
5250-407: Was again the scene of conflict, as the O'Sullivan Beare clan joined the rebellion. In 1602 their castle at Dunboy was besieged and taken by English troops. Donal O'Sullivan Beare, in an effort to escape English retribution and to reach his allies in Ulster , marched all the clan's members and dependants to the north of Ireland. Due to harassment by hostile forces and freezing weather, very few of
5325-422: Was also home to the Hiberno-Norman families, the FitzMaurices and the Desmonds , a branch of the FitzGeralds . Earl of Desmond Earl of Desmond ( Irish : Iarla Dheasumhan meaning Earl of South Munster ) is a title of nobility created by the English monarch in the peerage of Ireland . The title has been created four times. It was first awarded in 1329 to Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Baron Desmond ,
5400-730: Was captured in 1601 and is believed to have died in the Tower of London in 1608. James's younger brother John had joined him in rebellion but escaped to Spain. Following the Súgán Earl's death John and his son Gerald continued the pretence to the title. John died in Barcelona and Gerald - Conde de Desmond in Spanish - entered the service of the Emperor Ferdinand , and was killed in 1632. As Gerald left no issue, with him ended
5475-619: Was engulfed by the Irish Rebellion of 1641 , an attempt by Irish Catholics to take power in the Protestant Kingdom of Ireland . The rebellion in Kerry was led by Donagh McCarthy , 1st Viscount Muskerry. His son the Earl of Clancarty held the county during the subsequent Irish Confederate Wars and his forces were among the last to surrender to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1652. The last stronghold to fall
5550-696: Was held by the Anti-Treaty IRA but it was taken for the Irish Free State after seaborne landings by National Army troops at Fenit , Tarbert and Kenmare in August 1922. Thereafter the county saw a bitter guerilla war between men who had been comrades only a year previously. The republicans, or "irregulars", mounted a number of successful actions, for example attacking and briefly re-taking Kenmare in September 1922. In March 1923 Kerry saw
5625-514: Was to remain a source of emigration until recent times (up to the 1980s). Another long term consequence of the famine was the Land War of the 1870s and 1880s, in which tenant farmers agitated, sometimes violently, for better terms from their landlords. In the 20th century, Kerry was one of the counties most affected by the Irish War of Independence (1919–21) and Irish Civil War (1922–23). In
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