Welcome to
County Kerry.
Video's of County Kerry.
 

County Kerry from Samuel Lewis' Topographical Directory of Ireland 1837

Kerry is one of the counties in the province of Munster, the name comes from the Irish Ciarraigh, an ancient tribal group which occupied the area. It is situated on the south west corner of Ireland it shares a county boundary on the east with Cork and Limerick, the Atlantic coast forms its boundary to the west and north, with Slea Head on the Dingle peninsular being the most westerly point in mainland Ireland. The county has a total land mass of 4,701 sq. Km (1,815 sq mi).

The highest mountain in Ireland Carrantuohill, (1041 m 3414 ft.) in the Macgillicuddy's Reeks (Na Cruacha Dubha, meaning 'The Black Tops') which are glacial carved sandstone and are situated on the Iveragh peninsula near the Lakes of Killarney.

There are over 100 other mountains in the range which exceed 2000 ft. The name of the range from the Irish Clan Macgillicuddy (or McGillycuddy) which owned land in this part of County Kerry for a long time prior, and continued to do so until the extreme latter part of the twentieth century.

The last Ice Age is to thank for the rugged grandeur of Kerry, it was it that carved out its famous lakes and sculpted the jagged mountain peaks from the hard sandstone on which most of southern Kerry and the Dingle peninsular sits, The peninsulas of Dingle, Iveragh, and Beara stretch out into the Atlantic Ocean, between these are the sea inlets of Dingle Bay and the Kenmare River.

The Blaskets islands off the Dingle peninsular have produced some famous writers they include Tomas O Criomhthain and Maurice O'Sullivan. The National Folk Theater of Ireland is based in Tralee.

Economy.
About 25% of the people of Kerry work in agriculture. Dairying is particularly important there, and the sale of milk to creameries is the main source of farm income. There is also cattle production. Some farms grow barley, oats, and potatoes, but most of the land is under grass. Cattle and sheep rearing are the main types of farming in the hill areas of the south and west. Farms are smaller than elsewhere in Munster. The average area of agricultural land per holding is 15 hectares.

Tourist Information
Ashe Memorial Hall
Denny Street
Tralee
Co Kerry
Tel +353 (0)66 712 1288
E Mail
Web Site

Kerry is usually thought of as mountainous the north of the county is lowland rising to a low plateau some of this is sandstone similar to the south but the remainder consists of younger limestone, sandstone and shale. There are four main rivers the Laune and Maine which both discharges into Dingle bay, to the north the Feale which discharges in the estuary of the Shannon. and the Kenmare which discharges into the sea inlet calles the Kenmare river.

 
 

 
 

Nearly half of Kerry's workers have jobs in service industries. Retail and wholesale distribution are the most important types of services. Many people also work in education and health services. There is a regional technical college in Tralee. Other services include finance, public administration, and transport. There is fishing along the coast, especially at Castlegregory, Dingle, Fenit, and Valencia. Some upland areas contain commercial forests. Peat is cut for household use and burned in a small power station at Cahirciveen. There is a large oil-fired power station at Tarbert on the estuary of the River Shannon.

Tourism.
Tourism is probably the most important industry more so than in almost any other part of Ireland, mainly because of its attractive scenery. Killarney is a major tourist centre that has long attracted large numbers of foreign visitors. The neighboring lakes, mountains, and woods are part of the Killarney National Park. Other tourist centres are mainly on the coast and include Ballybunion, Cahirciveen, Dingle, Kenmare, Tralee, and Waterville. Two annual events which attract large numbers of people to Kerry are the Rose of Tralee Festival and the Puck Fair in Killorglin.

Transport.
 A car ferry operates across the Shannon estuary between Tarbert and Killimer in Clare. A railway links Tralee and Killarney with the Dublin-to-Cork line at Mallow. Kerry Regional Airport is at Farranfore. Fenit is a small deep-sea port.

The Climate.
Southern and western Kerry are in the mildest part of Ireland. This means that grass may grow throughout the year, and some plants from warmer climates flourish in the region. The average temperature is as high as 7 °C in coastal areas in January, and the average July temperature is 16 °C. Annual rainfall exceeds 200 centimetres on the higher mountains, but is less than 100 centimetres near the Shannon estuary in the north. The mild and moist conditions encourage luxuriant growth of vegetation in places sheltered from the winds.

 

Irish dating.
 
Print the county map below
with a list of places to see,
and tourist office contact details.
View a large scale map of Ireland

 

 

Google Map of County Kerry.