Pub sign of O‘Donnabhain’s, one of several traditional Irish pubs located in Henry Street in the little town of Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland
Some background information:
O’Donnabhain’s is a historic inn that dates back to the 18th century. Aside from Irish hospitality and charm, it offers local craft beers, a great selection of Irish whiskeys, good food and traditional Irish live music. And if you need to stay overnight, you can even book one of the 15 rooms there, which are set away from the noise of the pub.
Kenmare is a small town with about 2,400 residents in the south of the Irish County Kerry. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of Ceann Mara, meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay. The town is located at the head of Kenmare Bay, where the Roughty River flows into the sea. At the same time, Kenmare is also the spot of the junction of the Iveragh Peninsula and the Beara Peninsula. Nearby mountains like the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Mangerton Mountain and the Caha Mountains make Kenmare a popular hillwalking destination.
In 1656, the entire area was granted to the English economist and scientist Sir William Petty by Oliver Cromwell as part payment for completing the mapping of Ireland. It was Petty, who laid out the modern town around 1670. Before him, the lands where owned by another Englishman, Sir Valentine Browne, who was granted some estates during the so-called Munster Plantation in 1583.
However, Kenmare definitely has more ancient roots. One of the largest stone circles in the south-west of Ireland is close to the town, and shows occupation in the region going back to the Bronze Age, when it was constructed. The circle has 15 stones around the circumference with a boulder dolmen in the centre. Furthermore, it is said that Vikings raided the area around the town in the Early Middle Ages.
In 1861, a convent of the Poor Clare Sisters (officially known as the Order of Saint Clare), was founded in Kenmare, after five nuns had moved there from their old convent in Newry, County Down. Under the guidance of Mother Abbess O'Hagan a lace-working industry was established in 1864, and Kenmare lace became noted worldwide. However, the convent no longer exists and its former site is now occupied by a secondary school. By the way, 1864 was also the year, when Kenmare’s Holy Cross Catholic Church was consecrated.
In 1918, the town library opened, which is one of the Carnegie Libraries funded by the famous Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist, who, among others, also funded Carnegie Hall in New York City. The library building is now home to the Carnegie Arts Centre and theatre, hosting a local drama group and a number of travelling productions each year, as well as music and comedy nights.
During and after the Irish Civil War (1922 to 1923), there were a number of incidents in Kenmare, including the killing of O'Connor brothers in September 1922 by anti-treaty forces of the Irish Republican Army, and an attack on the daughters of a local doctor in 1923. During the Civil War, Kenmare was briefly held by the anti-treaty forces, before being retaken by National Army troops in December 1922.
Today, Kenmare is a popular tourist destination. It lies on two noted Irish tourist routes, the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara, approximately 32 kilometres (20 miles) from Killarney. Many of Kenmare’s businesses cater to tourists and the town is particularly noted for its food and pubs. Since the late 1990s the tourism industry has driven local construction work, with land being sold at high prices to developers wishing to build estates of holiday homes. This has led to an increase in the town's population, particularly during the peak tourist season.
Kenmare is also very neat and tidy. In 2000 and 2013, the commune was a winner in the Irish Tidy Towns Competition, while having been a runner-up in 2003 and 2008. While being on our holiday in Ireland, we had a holiday home in Kenmare and used the town as a basis for our excursions to different places in the Irish County Kerry and the western part of the County Cork. For these purposes, Kenmare was the perfect spot.
