Just ahead, the road brings you through Tarbert in Kerry. West of this town, in the River Shannon, a girl was drowned in the summer of 1819. Ellen Hanly was between 15 and 16 years old. On the night between the 13th and 14th of July she was persuaded to go with John Scanlan and Stephen Sullivan in a boat, to cross the Shannon from Carrigafoyle to County Clare. In that boat they stripped her down to her shift. They tied her with a rope, binding her legs, her thighs, and her neck together. They broke her arm. Then they threw her into the river and she drowned. The deposition came from her father. He swore that Catherine Hogan, kept as Scanlan's reputed concubine, had devised the murder and put Scanlan and Sullivan up to it. After it was done, Catherine Hogan took Ellen's earrings, a locket, a silver thimble, a gown, and other things stolen from her that night. More of Ellen's belongings were handed around among people in Glin, Tarbert, and Ballydongford and the neighbourhood, people who had been privy to what was done. Some of those same people offered the stolen goods for sale. The killing had been sanctioned and encouraged the day before the night it was carried out.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Limerick, its history and antiquities; ecclesiastical, civil, and military,from the earliest ages, with copious historical, archaeological, topographical, and genealogical notes (1884), Lenihan, Maurice, 1811-1895, Internet Archive limerickitshisto00leni, Chapter 258 · source

Coming through Tarbert in Kerry, there is a story from the road about what happened when a traveller's horses got into motion to leave the town. A crowd of beggars had surrounded the car. As it moved forward, the crowd divided in front, and those who were nimble of foot ran along by the side for some distance. One man ran off in front like a courier and kept it up for nearly two miles. When he saw that all the others had dropped off, he came to the side of the car and received a few pence as a reward for his perseverance. The same traveller's view from the road took in a village where the national process of house-building was under way. A house of some length had fallen in, not by any volcanic agency but simply by the effect of its own weight. The proprietor was repairing the damage, but being too poor or too indolent to rebuild the whole place, he cut away the broken wall to make it smooth and ran up a new wall where the old one still stood. He was abandoning half his old house and reducing his family, his pigs, his dogs, and his poultry to half their previous accommodation. The manner of building was characteristic. The father brought the mould in a wheelbarrow, the eldest son with a shovel fashioned the material into the shape of a wall, and a younger boy stood on top to stamp it into something like consistency. The traveller wrote that a pair of swallows would have expended more care and skill upon the construction of their nest.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Ireland. Dublin, the Shannon, Limerick, Cork, and the Kilkenny races, the round towers, the lakes of Killarney, the county of Wicklow ... and the Giant's causeway (1844), Kohl, J. G. (Johann Georg), 1808-1878, Internet Archive irelanddublinsh00kohlgoog, Chapter 19 · source

This is St Laichtin's Well, a holy well in the townland of Lislaughtin in Kerry. It was never marked on any Ordnance Survey map, but people knew it by that name. The Folklore Commission recorded in 1938 that it was a small dry-walled well, 2 feet across. By the time Ó Danachair wrote about it in 1958, it was being used for domestic supply and cattle, though still known as a former holy well. Today no trace of it can be seen. The stories collected from Ballylongford School in 1938 tell of a monastery that once stood in Lislaughtin, where Franciscan monks lived. The chief monk was Saint Laichtín, a man so holy that God gave a special gift to his small finger. He cured people with it, and the sick came from all parts of Ireland. When he died, the finger was kept in the Abbey and never decayed, but it was lost around the 14th century and never found. A bull in the field where the well stood had killed many people. One day the saint and his followers were passing, and the bull walked up to him and went down on its knees. It would not touch the saint or his followers, and it never killed anyone again. One account says the saint visited the well on the 13th of May 758. No rounds are paid at the well, because it is not certain whether he truly visited it. His feast day falls on the 17th of March, but it is no longer honoured. He is said to have lived in the 6th century. There is another holy well called after him in Asdee, and the townland of Lislaughtin takes its name from him.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE003-053---- · source

This is St Colman's Well, a holy well in the townland of Ballymacasy, in Kerry. The 1840-41 and 1914 Ordnance Survey maps marked it as "St Colman's Well" or Tobar Colmáin. The well is now closed up and the water has been piped to Ballylongford. No devotions have taken place at this well in living memory. But people once visited on Midsummer's Eve and the water was known to cure aches and pains. Folklore collected from Ballylongford School recorded that "people visited this well on Saint John's eve and they brought home some of the water from the well, and if they got any diseases during the year they would bathe the diseased part in the water." The same tradition noted that "this well is not visited at all nowadays." A legend says a woman washed clothes in the well and it dried up. The tradition also recorded that there are two holy wells in the parish of Ballylongford.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE006-001---- · source

This is the children's burial ground at Loughanes in Kerry. On the 1841 Ordnance Survey map it appeared as a circular area marked simply as burial ground, lying to the south-east of the ruins of Lisselton church. By the 1896 map a road had cut into the north-east edge and a stream the north-west, leaving it a small polygonal shape. A survey in 2010 recorded what remained. The western tower or belfry of a late 18th century First Fruits Church of Ireland is all that survives of the church itself. The children's burial ground sits along the roadway, separated from the main graveyard by an active stream. A small bridge and trackway crosses that stream, then runs along two sides of the graveyard, leading to a farm at the south-west corner and a private residence at the north-east. Within the graveyard thirty-eight unnamed headstones were recorded. Across the stream in the children's burial ground, eighty-eight unnamed graves were mapped. Most are unhewn stones, though a few are simple iron crosses from which the engraving or name plate has disappeared.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE005-067---- · source

Doon West holy well is a ritual site in Doon Glen, at the bottom of a cliff about 100 yards from the shore. It appears on the 1840-41 and 1915 Ordnance Survey maps as Toberreendoney, from the Irish Tobar Rí an Domhnaigh, the well of the king of Sunday. It was a small well at the side of the road that leads down to Ladies' Strand in Ballybunion. Today only a trickle of water remains. The County Council closed up the well about 25 years before the record was made. The well is now used for domestic purposes, and its water is always almost ice cold. There is no bush of any kind near this well. Folklore collected from Ballybunnion School says the well was profaned on a Saturday night. About 100 years ago a woman washed clothes in the holy well, and on the following Sunday morning the well had moved to the opposite side of the road. That is why it is called Sunday's Well. No rounds were paid after that. People say a small trout lives in the well. Ó Danachair recorded the same tradition in 1958, noting the well was no longer visited but known to have been a holy well. His legends match: a holy trout lives in the well, and the well moved from the other side of the road when clothes were washed in it.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE004-021---- · source

Somewhere around here, Thomas Browne of Newtown met his end. He had entered into rebellion alongside Gerald, the late Earl of Desmond. On the 10th of June, in the 23rd year of Queen Elizabeth, he was killed. At the time he took up rebellion, and at the time of his death, he was seised in his lordship as of fee of Knoppoge, and other properties in the Cantred of Browne.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry Archaeological Magazine (Volume I) (1908), Kerry Archaeological Association, Internet Archive kerryarchaeologicalmagazine, Chapter 108 · source

An unclassified castle at Rathmorrel, in Kerry. Very little is known about it. It is believed to have been built by the D'Cantillon family. In 1841, O'Donovan wrote that it was a rectangular building, its walls still standing 20 feet high. Today only a slight trace remains. The walls were taken some time ago and used to build a track and a shed just north of the castle. Nothing rectangular is visible now. All that is left is a mound of rubble, 25 metres north to south, 46 metres east to west, and 1.7 metres high on average.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE014-035---- · source

A holy well at Dirtane in Kerry, marked on the 1842 map as Holy Well and on the 1916 map as Lady's Well. It is a small well now enclosed in a rectangular space, with a statue of Our Lady, a kneeler, ornamental shrubs, and electric lamps for floodlighting. The well is still visited, especially on the 8th of September, when there are public devotions. The stations consist of three rounds of the well, during each of which one rosary is recited. The last decade is usually said kneeling at the well. Coins are now placed in a box for the upkeep of the well, but rags were originally left as offerings. The well is said to relieve all pains. Three legends are attached to it. A trout lies in the well. A treasure is buried near the well. And treasure-hunters are frightened away by animal roars. Folklore collected from Rathmorrel School records that the history of this well is obscure. Even the oldest inhabitants of the parish know very little about it. It is stated that a church formerly stood where the well now is. The well is called after our Blessed Lady, and it stands near the village of Ballyheigue. September the 8th is kept in honour of Our Lady, and on that day Mass is said at the well and parishioners attend. During the day crowds visit the well to pay rounds. Long ago people used to leave medals, rosary-beads, hairpins, pennies, and tassels of shawls, but now it is money they leave. To pay a round, a person starts at the well by saying an Our Father and three Hail Marys, then a rosary while going once round the well, then two other rosaries, one for each circuit. The final decade is recited while kneeling before the well.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE014-062---- · source

Somewhere around here stand the ruins of Ballyheigue Castle, a Tudor-gothic-revival-style mansion in County Kerry. It was home to the Crosbie family, who counted a Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe, High Sheriffs of Kerry, and members of the UK Parliament among them. It later served as a jail, and has been burned twice. Today it is part of a golf course.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), en.wikipedia.org: Ballyheigue Castle · source

When the sands shift at the very lowest tide on Ballyheigue Strand, the remains of a wooden wreck are revealed on the lower foreshore. Framing timbers and hull planking lie overlain with ballast stones, interspersed with broken pottery and barrel material, denoting the cargo carried. The artefacts recovered provide a probable date of the 18th century, and the assemblage suggests the vessel was probably a trader. In 2014, following a report of interference with the protected wreck site, the Underwater Archaeology Unit of the National Monuments Service carried out survey and targeted excavation. Fragments of broken pottery, green glass bottles and barrel material had been scattered by those who damaged the site. All work was subject to tidal movements, so the window was short and time on site limited. A small wooden barrel was revealed with broken staves, one retaining a maker's or merchant's mark that may provide a provenance. Within the barrel were 4 green glass bottles, recently broken. Scattered across the site were fragments of Westerwald pottery of 18th-century date, Frechen ware, Staffordshire cream ware, and bird bones. The wreck had previously been investigated by local historian Mr Edward Roe in the 1960s. He opened a large area and recovered intact Westerwald jugs and cups, Staffordshire wares including a full tea set, and 3 tricorne felt hats in perfect preservation. All are housed in the Edward Roe Collection of Kerry County Museum. Mr Roe suggested the wreck was the Wind Trader, lost in Ballyheigue in 1746. The cargo fits that date, but 8 other wrecks from the 18th and 19th centuries were lost at or near Ballyheigue, so it is not certain. Research is ongoing.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Wreck Inventory of Ireland Database (CC-BY 4.0), WIID W18577 · source

A burial ground at Kill in Clanmaurice barony, Kerry. Marked on the 1841-42 OS map as "Old Graveyard", the site does not appear on the later edition. In 1987 a souterrain was discovered in this region, and Mary Cahill of the National Museum excavated it. The souterrain was sub-rectangular, built of small stones capped by large slabs. Inside lay the fully extended skeleton of a woman, oriented east to west, her head facing west. A small spread of charcoal was found near the upper right-hand side of the skeleton. Radiocarbon dating later placed it in the 10th century.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE020-001001- · source

Coming through Ardfert now, in Kerry. Back in April 1793, an agent wrote to Lord Bandon describing a tenant gala he had held near the abbey here. He had invited none who were not tenants, except those Lord Bandon himself named: Father Morgan Flaherty, Tim M'Carthy, Charles Casey, Doctor Leyne, and Father Nelan, son to Old John. These he asked as Catholics particularly attached to Lord Bandon. He said had he gone further he must have excited jealousy or summoned half the country. There was a company of 22 in the parlour, and your claret was made free with, Stephen having opened 34 bottles. In the breakfast-parlour there was another company of second rate, with port wine and rum-punch in abundance. The third rate dined in a tent pitched in the avenue near the abbey. Outside, there were large libations of whiskey-punch. Two quarter casks, above 80 gallons, had been made the day before and drawn off unsparingly, with plenty of beer besides. Two patteraroes borrowed from Jack Collis were placed on top of the abbey tower and announced the dinner, the toasts, and the exultation. Pipers and fiddlers enlivened the intervals between the peals of the ordnance. The May-men and maids with their hobby horse danced most cheerfully and were entertained at dinner with drink in abundance. An ox was roasted whole at one end of the turf house, on a large ash beam by way of a spit, turned with a wheel contrived by Tom O'Brien. The agent said the name of it being roasted entire was more than if two oxen had been served piecemeal. Six sheep were also sacrificed. A fine serene evening favoured the glee and hilarity of the meeting. All was happiness, mirth, and good humour. "God save great George our king" was cheered within and abroad, accompanied with fiddles, pipes, and all the rest.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from The history of the county and city of Cork (vol. 2) (1861), Gibson, Charles Bernard, Internet Archive historyofcountyc02gibsiala, Chapter 254 · source

As you come through Ardfert, this is where three men came ashore from a German submarine in the early hours of Good Friday, 1916. Casement, Bailey and Monteith had been aboard the submarine heading for the south-west coast. The authorities already knew they were coming. Around 2 o'clock on the morning of April 21st, the three were put off in a collapsible boat to land on the sands here. The weather was very rough and the boat capsized in the surf. They managed to wade ashore. From the swamped boat they recovered three Mauser pistols, ammunition, a flash lamp, maps and a large green Irish flag, and they buried these articles on the strand. Monteith and Bailey went on to Tralee to meet the local leader of the Volunteers. Casement stayed near the landing place, in a rath known as MacKenna's Fort. The police in Tralee were watching for them. Monteith disappeared, stayed hidden through the rebellion, and afterwards escaped from Ireland. The book this comes from draws a parallel with 1798. Wolfe Tone, like Casement, negotiated with the enemies of Great Britain in time of war, approached the shores of Ireland in an enemy ship, hoping to help a rebellion. Tone, like Casement, was accompanied by two other rebel agents, and in his case, as in Casement's, one companion eluded.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from A history of the Irish Rebellion of 1916 (1916), Wells, Warre Bradley, 1892-, Internet Archive historyofirishre00welluoft, Chapter 70 · source

Somewhere close to Cloon Glebe, a story is told from the year 483. At the Fair of Tailte, held by Diarmaid, Kieran of Cluain was present. A man came to him and took a false oath on Kieran's hand. For that, his head fell off him in the presence of the men of Ireland. Kieran brought him to Cluain to be healed, and he lived for six years afterwards. Abacuc was his name.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry Archaeological Magazine (Volume I) (1908), Kerry Archaeological Association, Internet Archive kerryarchaeologicalmagazine, Chapter 199 · source

As you come through Ardfert in Kerry, this is the town near where Casement and Bailey were arrested in 1916. Bailey had returned from Tralee to a rath nearby, and the authorities took them both. On Casement they found a code of contemplated messages for the rebellion, things like "Send more explosives," "How many rifles will you send us?" and "Cannons with plenty of ammunition are needed." After examination here, they were taken secretly to Dublin, then forwarded to London and lodged in the Tower to await trial for high treason. On June 29th Casement was found guilty and sentenced to death, after an impassioned speech from the dock. Bailey was discharged, as the Crown accepted he had joined the Irish Brigade only to escape from Germany. Casement's conviction was upheld on appeal, and despite petitions for reprieve, he was hanged in Pentonville on August 3rd.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from A history of the Irish Rebellion of 1916 (1916), Wells, Warre Bradley, 1892-, Internet Archive historyofirishre00welluoft, Chapter 71 · source

Coming up near Fenit, in Kerry. A tiny church was built on the grave of the pagan Princess Fas, and St Brendan used it as a place of private meditation. When he retired there for privacy and prayer, he looked across the bay to Fenit, the place of his birth, and called for blessings on it. He thanked God that Christians had supplanted pagans in the land. The site stands as a link between pagan and Christian tradition in this district. The record says that from the sixth century to the present time, those who lived here have had Christian churches wherein to worship God. The little church on the grave is part of that long thread. The pagan princess buried beneath it, and the Christian saint praying above it, are both bound to this ground. Brendan could see his birthplace from the church, and the bay lay between them.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry Archaeological Magazine (Volume I) (1908), Kerry Archaeological Association, Internet Archive kerryarchaeologicalmagazine, Chapter 44 · source

As you pass through Fenit, you are near Alltraige Caille, the birthplace of St. Brendan. It lay not far from Tralee, probably in this direction. His father was Finnlogha. On the night Brendan was born, Bishop Ere saw Alltraige Caille under one marvellous blaze, such as he never saw before, and a wondrous ministering of angels in bright, shining garments, through all the country around about. Very early on the morrow, Bishop Ere arose and came to the house of Finnlogha, and took the infant in his arms and said to him, "O man of God," that is, who wilt be serviceable to God. The account in the Betha Brenainn tells of the place chosen for the baptism, a pagan name changed apparently just before the rite for one suggested by a coinciding natural phenomenon, and a baptismal fee in kind. All of it indicates the uses of the primitive church in Ireland.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry Archaeological Magazine (Volume I) (1908), Kerry Archaeological Association, Internet Archive kerryarchaeologicalmagazine · source

A holy well, Tobar Rí an Domhnaigh, the Well of the King of Sunday, in the townland of Ballymakegoge. It was marked on the 1841 map as Toberreendoney. Ó Danachair wrote in 1958 that the well disappeared in the making of the Tralee-Fenit railway line, but the spring still breaks out beside the railway embankment. The water cured headaches. When the site was visited in 1998 it was a levelled site in rough pasture, on the south side of the embankment of the disused Fenit railway line. Locally it is known as Sunday's Well, and it had the cure for headache. The well was originally under the railway line. The railway built a mass concrete cover over the spring overflow, as it appears today. A small overflow runs from the south side of the well to a stream 2 metres to the south.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE028-092---- · source

Tralee in Kerry holds a story from 1261. Maurice FitzGerald, the future Earl of Desmond, was only 9 months old when news came that his father had been slain at Callan. His nurse rushed out of the house, leaving the child alone. A large monkey seized the moment and carried the infant to the top of the castle. After some time the monkey brought him back and deposited him safe in his cradle. From this, Maurice earned the surname Nappagh, and the monkey took an honorable place in the armorial bearings of the family. Maurice, son of Thomas of the Apes, was created Earl of Desmond in 1329. Doctor Smith styled him "the most active nobleman in the kingdom." Summoned by the Lord Justice Sir John D'Arcy to suppress rebellious septs in Leinster, he came into the field at the head of 1,000 men and routed the rebels. He had the promise of the king's pay for his men, but the revenue of the kingdom being unequal to such an expenditure, he introduced the custom of imposing coin and livery, that is, horsemeat, men's-meat, and money for other expenses. It is asserted that by such extortions his income rose from 1,000 to 10,000 marks a year.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from The history of the county and city of Cork (vol. 1) (1861), Gibson, Charles Bernard, Internet Archive historyofcountyc01gibsiala, Chapter 22 · source

Coming through Tralee now, in Kerry. In 1579, Henry Davells and Arthur Carter were murdered here. Davells was constable of Dungarvan, and Carter was provost-marshal of Munster. They had been imprudently inquisitive, and had learned more of the Earl of Desmond's disloyalty than it was desirable they should carry back to Cork. John and James, the earl's brothers, followed them to Tralee and murdered them in a house or inn near the earl's residence. Another writer says they were beheaded while asleep in their beds, in the house or castle of the earl. Doctor Smith calls Henry Danvers, or Davells, an English gentleman, who was gossip to Sir John of Desmond, and high sheriff of the county of Cork. He also mentions a Justice Mead as one of the murdered party. Their servants or attendants were also murdered. The professed provocation was their going to Tralee to hold a gaol delivery in the Desmond palatinate. It is more than probable that they were looked upon as little better than spies, and dealt with accordingly.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from The history of the county and city of Cork (vol. 1) (1861), Gibson, Charles Bernard, Internet Archive historyofcountyc01gibsiala, Chapter 110 · source

You are coming through Tralee now, a town in Kerry with a dark story from 1325. In that year, Dermod MacCarthy was assassinated in the assize court of this town, in the very presence of the judges. The killer was the fourth Lord Kerry. Dermod was called "Dermod Tralee" after this. He was the second son of Donal Roe MacCarthy Mor, king of Desmond. His mother was Margaret, daughter of the third Lord Kerry, who had married Slaine, daughter of O'Brien, prince of Thomond. The line that came from Dermod became the MacFinnan MacCarthys of Ardtully, near Kenmare. Their chiefs in every generation down to the last bore the name MacFinnan. Geoffrey MacCarthy of Tulla, not far from their former castle, was the fifteenth MacFinnan in direct line from Dermod Tralee. He was father of Randal MacFinnan MacCarthy of Killarney and Daniel MacCarthy, professor of rhetoric at the Royal College of Maynooth. Among the most distinguished of these chieftains was Donal MacFinnan, fourth in line of ascent from Geoffrey. He defended the ford of Slane on the 1st of July, 1690, leaving 300 of his Kilgarvan men dead in the Boyne. He fell at Aughrim. Trinity College has his estates, and his descendants are landless. The story of the clan was printed in the Nation newspaper on the 15th of October, 1853. It was prompted by a wish to identify the family of Florence MacDonell MacFinin MacCarthy, who fell fighting bravely opposing the sally of the garrison of Cork in March 1642. The same family included Fynyne MacCarthy, called by nickname "Captain Suggane," who took an active part in the rebellion of 1641.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society (1892), Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, Internet Archive journalofcorkhisv21896cork, Chapter 125 · source

As you pass through Cork, there was once a breakneck flight of steps called the Giant's Steps, leading from a lane on Pope's Quay up to Dominic Street and Shandon Castle. There were at least one hundred of them. In old times they led up to Shandon Castle and Lord Barry's country. They are gone now. A minor builder named Twiss removed them for some purpose of his own. The writer knew Twiss, and says he was not above doing a little job of that kind. The ground where the steps stood is open and airy now, where the city bands hunt each other on festive occasions. The way to see the rough incline where the Giant's Steps once stood is to go up to the Firkin Crane, and down a passage opposite its gate in Dominic Street, and through a door leading to a little terrace. From the wall inside that door the rough incline can be seen, along with a fine view of the south of the city, which the writer says was never photographed. The writer also asks whether it was the abbey that gave its name to the castle, or the other way round, for shan means old and dun means a fort, making the name. There is St Mary's Shandon, the North Cathedral, St Mary's Shandon, the Shandon Steeple, St Mary's on Pope's Quay, and St Marie's of the Isle, which the writer says he will tell of later, as there is nothing more of interest in the north in connection with the map of the Pacata.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society (1892), Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, Internet Archive journalofcorkhisv21896cork, Chapter 155 · source

Up ahead is Tralee in Kerry. In 1576 the Earl of Desmond invited Sir William Drury to his castle in the town during his circuit. Drury arrived with 120 men. The earl had assembled 800, some say to surprise the Lord President. Drury charged the wild kerne and galloglasses and drove them to cover, then rode up to the castle.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from The history of the county and city of Cork (vol. 1) (1861), Gibson, Charles Bernard, Internet Archive historyofcountyc01gibsiala, Chapter 108 · source

Close to Tralee, in 1583, the Earl of Desmond met his end. His necessities had driven him to take cattle belonging to a poor woman, and he was pursued by a few musketeers and kerns in English pay. They came upon a little grove in a lonely mountainous glen about midnight, and found four or five of Desmond's known adherents seated round the fire of a ruinous hovel. The adherents fled, leaving one venerable and powerless old man behind. A soldier named Daniel Kelly struck at him with his sword and wounded him so severely he nearly severed his arm. Repeating the blow, the old man cried out, "Spare me, spare me, I am the Earl of Desmond." The appeal was in vain. Kelly struck off his head and conveyed it to the Earl of Ormond, who sent it to England, "pickled in a pipkin," where it was spiked on London Bridge. His body, after eight weeks of concealment, was obscurely buried in the little chapel of Killanamana in Kerry. For this service, Daniel Kelly was rewarded with a pension of 20 pounds yearly, which he enjoyed for many years. He was ultimately hanged at Tyburn.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Researches in the South of Ireland (1824), T. Crofton Croker, Project Gutenberg #researchesinsout00crokuoft, Chapter 13 · source

In Tralee, in 1579, three men were slain at the castle. One cried out, "My son, what is the matter?" The answer came: "No more of son, no more of father; make thyself ready, for die thou shalt." A moment more and the three were dead. Tradition says they were cast down the Murdering Hole. It reads like romance, but it is history.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from A history of the city and county of Cork (1875), Cusack, Mary Francis, 1829-1899, Internet Archive historyofcitycou0000cusa, Chapter 208 · source

Somewhere close to Tralee, in April 1653, a letter written here on the 19th reported that two vessels had arrived from Limerick carrying nearly six weeks' provisions of bread for the forces stationed in the town. The supply line was still running after the war. The same year saw Sir Hardress Waller sail from Chester on the Cardiff frigate, carrying 40,000 pounds bound for Dublin, with a fair wind the day before, and hopes it would bring them quickly to their desired port.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Limerick, its history and antiquities; ecclesiastical, civil, and military,from the earliest ages, with copious historical, archaeological, topographical, and genealogical notes (1884), Lenihan, Maurice, 1811-1895, Internet Archive limerickitshisto00leni, Chapter 105 · source

As you pass through Blennerville, you are near the old river crossing at Tramore, where a pursuit party hoped to cut off stolen cattle in November 1583. Owen Moriarty had gone to Castle Magne to ask Captain Cheston to join them with his men. Cheston refused to leave his charge, but gave five soldiers. Donnil had eighteen kernes with him, two carrying firearms. They went eastward from Castle Drum by the foot of Sleave Mish, and Donnil waited there until Owen and the five soldiers joined him. On Sunday, 10th November, they all pressed on towards Tralee, hoping to intercept the cattle before they crossed the river at Tramore, now Blennerville. When they reached Tralee they found the track of the cattle going eastward to Slieve Loughra. The soldiers hung back and said they would go no farther, but Owen persuaded them, "promising them two biefs of the pray" if they rescued the cattle, and if not, he would give them "a bief of his own in respect of their travayle." On those terms the soldiers agreed to continue. Following the track they reached Ballinorig by daylight, and went on eastward by moonlight as far as Glounaneenta, where they bivouacked for the night. After a while Owen and Donnil climbed the hill overlooking the glen, probably the present Keelbawn, to see whether "they may discover any fire in the woode or hear any stirre." Coming over the glen, they saw a fire beneath them. Donnil crept cautiously forward to spy out who was there, and on returning reported that there were people in a cabin, but the cattle had not yet arrived. They decided to postpone the attack.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry Archaeological Magazine (Volume I) (1908), Kerry Archaeological Association, Internet Archive kerryarchaeologicalmagazine, Chapter 27 · source

On the 1841 Ordnance Survey map, a burial ground was annotated inside a levelled cashel marked Tonakilla Fort, in the townland of Annagh, Kerry. The map also showed graves to the south of the cashel and a cluster of stones annotated Gallauns, which may be the remains of a megalithic structure. No surface remains are visible today. The County Kerry Field Club account suggested the burial ground lay outside the fort, not within it. The Irish Tourism Association account may have been incorrect in assuming the stones were within a burial ground. O'Donovan made no mention of the burial ground in his description. The Record of Monuments and Places lists a possible children's burial ground based on the first edition Ordnance Survey map and the various descriptions of the site. Annagh church and graveyard stood 370 metres to the east. This description is from the Tralee Area Monument Catalogue, part of a PhD thesis submitted by Michael Connolly to UCC.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE038-003006- · source

A children's burial ground at Doire Mhór Thiar in Kerry, lying within 50 metres of the sea at the base of Derrymore island, a low spit that projects north into Tralee Bay. The ground is a long, narrow, sub-oval area, enclosed to the north by the straight road boundary fence and to the south by a low narrow bank that curves to almost meet the wall at either end. The interior measures 54 metres east to west by a maximum of 12.5 metres north to south, and the bank stands no more than .95 metres high. A few stones are exposed on the surface of the bank, but an earlier description of the site as "a mound of small stones" does not correspond with what remains now. The enclosure is divided into 2 unequal portions by a field wall running north-north-west to south-south-east. The east end appears to have been truncated in modern times. On the 2nd edition of the OS map that end is shown continuing considerably further east than it does at present. Children were still being buried at this ground in the early 19th century.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE037-001---- · source

This is Killelton Church and graveyard, Cill Eilthín, on the lower northern slopes of Gearhane mountain, overlooking Tralee Bay. A rectangular enclosure holds the remains of a small oratory and two rectangular buildings. Children were still being buried in the graveyard in the 19th century. Two low upright stones in the north-west part of the interior may be gravemarkers. The enclosure measures about 25 metres east to west and 24 metres north to south, with drystone walls no more than .8 metres in height.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE037-025004- · source

Castlegregory castle is probably the place called the House of Hore by A. O'Daly in his satire The Tribes of Ireland. By 1601 the castle belonged to the Husseys. During the Cromwellian conquest, probably in 1649, Walter Hussey garrisoned it. Pressed by Parliament forces, the garrison escaped to Minard Castle, where they were, in Smith's words, blown up by powder. The castle was still standing in Smith's time, but by 1841 no trace of it remained. Fragments survive. Two arched limestone sections of a doorway are now set, incorrectly assembled, as an ornamental gateway in a garden at the rear of Egan's shop in Castlegregory. They carry a contracted inscription that was wrongly expanded into a romantic tale in the Kerry Magazine in 1854. A rectangular limestone block with a splayed keyhole-shaped opening may have been a musket loop. Hitchcock recorded that two such stones were set on either side of a fireplace in a house in the town. Near the site of the castle, on Taylors Row, there is a section of chamfered door jamb with ornamental punch dressing of 16th or 17th century character. A moulded section of architrave or cornice lies beside the inscribed arch. Other fragments include a keel-moulded sandstone block of unknown provenance, probably late 12th or 13th century, and a sandstone basin that may have been a font. One stone was taken by Archdeacon Rowan and built into the wall of Edenburn House. In 1899 it was written that only one stone of the castle remained, and that was the one Rowan carried off.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE027-008---- · source

As you come through Castlegregory in Kerry, a branch of the Tenants' Defense League was started in the winter of 1888 by the Reverend John Molyneaux, then parish priest of this parish. The Tenants' Defense League was an offshoot of the suppressed Land League and Irish National League. It was formed after the Irish National League was suppressed by Balfour's Coercion Act of 1887. The object of the league was to defend the tenant farmers against tyrannical landlords and to obtain the land for the people at just rents. The league was announced by Parnell and William O'Brien in July of 1888, and in the winter of that year the branch was established in this town.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Irish historical allusions, curious customs and superstitions, County of Kerry, Corkaguiny (1916), Foley, Patrick, Internet Archive irishhistoricala00fole, Chapter 55 · source

Killiney tower house is a rectangular tower in the village of Killiney at the base of the Magharees peninsula, standing against the church there. It is ivy-covered and in poor condition. Two storeys survive, though the west and south walls of the upper floor bulge outward and most of the east wall has fallen. The vaulted ground floor chamber was converted to a family burial vault in the 19th century and is now inaccessible. A narrow ogee-headed window in the south wall once lit it, but the opening is blocked. A doorway at first-floor level in the north wall was reached from the east end of the church, probably by a wooden stair or ladder. It was secured from within by a draw bar. That upper chamber is largely ruinous now, with a possible fireplace recess in the west wall and a fallen window in the south wall. A spiral stone stair in the north-east corner rose three-quarters of a turn to a third storey or a wall walk on the roof. A small garderobe chamber on the south wall could be reached from that wall walk; little of it remains above its flagged floor.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE036-003007- · source

Ardbeg's holy well, known as Tobar Muire, was a small well about 2 feet wide, covered overhead with a flag. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, patroness of Stradbally Parish. Rounds were formerly made on the 15th of August. The well has now been destroyed.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE035-021---- · source

St. Nicholas's Well, or Tobar Niocláis, is a holy well in the townland of Liscarney, parish of Ballyduff, on the slope of a hill overlooking Brandon Bay. The well is dry now. The water was diverted to drain the field and now issues about 100 metres downslope to the north. A cross-inscribed stone once stood 2.7 metres west of the well. It now lies loose on the surface, a small thin slab with a simple incised Latin cross on one face, the head and arms marked with T-bar terminals. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Ballyduff Parish, and large numbers of people came to this well on his feast day, the 6th of December. The field is known as Páirc an Turasa, the field of the pilgrimage. The turas involved walking three slow circuits of the whole field, from right to left, reciting the Rosary. The field measures about 120 yards by 80 yards. Those who came suffered from afflictions of the eyes. They applied the well's water to the affected part, and sometimes drank it, but never took it away. When leaving, the pilgrim left some small object near the well. Tradition tells of a woman from the neighbourhood who broke that rule. She took some of the water home for household purposes. When she poured it into a kettle, she saw a little trout swimming in it. The water would not boil. She was obliged to take it back to the well and get a fresh supply from another source.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE035-065001- · source

This is St. Brendan's Well, a holy well in An Clochán, Kerry, on the bank of a small river west of the Owenmore estuary and near the medieval church at Cloghane. No trace of the well is now visible. Rounds were made at the well as part of the great Pattern of Cloghane, which followed the pilgrimage to Mount Brandon on Domhnach Crom Dubh, the last Sunday of July. Ó Danachair described it in 1960 as, a small spring well close to the churchyard. He noted that at the pattern, a visit to the well formed part of the ritual, and that it is not visited otherwise. He called the pattern now almost extinct.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE035-024---- · source

This is a children's burial ground at Cill An Urdráin in Kerry. It was circular on the Ordnance Survey maps, but the survey books described it as 50 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 4 feet high. It was reputed to be the site of a church that gave the townland its name. It stood on a north-north-west facing slope overlooking Brandon Bay. The field where it lay was cleared and deep-ploughed in 1982.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE035-070002- · source

Two grave-like structures at Gowlane, on the coastal strip bordering the south side of Brandon Bay. They were discovered about 30 years ago. Each was roughly 6 feet long and covered by 3 slabs. No bones were found inside.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE035-015---- · source

A ritual well at Scrallaghbeg in Kerry, called Tobernagalt, the well of the lunatics. Gleann na nGealt has been a traditional resort of mad people since at least the 17th century. They came to drink the water from two wells in the valley and to eat the watercress that grows on the margin. This well sits in an area of dense wood and its exact location could not be identified at the time of the survey, but it was apparently a natural spring with a rivulet flowing from it. In 1869 a writer called Joyce recorded the route the madmen took. They cross the little stream that flows through the valley at a spot called Ahagaltaun, the madman's ford, and pass by Cloghnagalt, the standing stone of the lunatics. Then they drink the healing waters and eat the watercress. Joyce wrote that the water and the cress, and the secret virtue of the valley, will restore the poor wanderers to sanity. In 1960, Ó Danachair recorded that locally it was called Tobar na nGealt, Tobar na Geilte, or Madman's Well. Neither of the two wells is regarded as a holy well, but both held a cure for the lunatics who flocked to Gleann na nGealt. There are many tales of cures.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE036-057---- · source

A children's burial ground at Scrallaghbeg, on a fairly steep slope near the river at the entrance to Gleann na nGealt. A laneway runs through the centre of the site now, and it is largely destroyed. Some possible graves were noted, and it was reputedly used as a children's burial ground.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE036-037002- · source

This is Tobernagalt, the lunatics' well, in Gleann na nGealt, Doonore South, County Kerry. From at least the 17th century, this glen was the traditional resort of mad people. They came to drink the water from two wells in the valley and to eat the watercress. This well consists of a shallow pool of fresh spring water with an abundant cover of watercress and other water-weeds. Joyce, writing in 1869, recorded that there are two wells in the glen, both called Tobernagalt, the lunatics' well. The madmen crossed the little stream that flows through the valley at a spot called Ahagaltaun, the madman's ford, and passed by Cloghnagalt, the standing stone of the lunatics. They drank of the healing waters and ate some of the cresses that grow on the margin. Joyce wrote that the water and the cress, and the secret virtue of the valley, will restore the poor wanderers to sanity. In 1942 the well was described as a small spring well, reputedly never dry, and visited by large crowds of mentally affected people up to recent times seeking cure from their temporary insanity. Ó Danachair, writing in 1960, noted that both wells were named Tobernagalt on the 1842 map, and called Tobar na nGealt, Tobar na Geilte, or Madman's Well locally. Neither is regarded as a holy well, but both held a cure for the lunatics who flocked to Gleann na nGealt to drink the water and eat the water-cresses. There are many tales of cures.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE036-071---- · source

This is the holy well of Maumnahaltora, in Kerry, a ritual site that was once part of a turas made between the 24th and 29th of June. Two wedge-shaped megalithic tombs, an upright slab, and a pair of contiguous upright slabs were all incorporated into the turas. The well's exact location is disputed. On the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map, Tobernahaltora is marked at tomb 1, and the Ordnance Survey Name Book states that

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE045-013004- · source

A children's burial ground, An Luachair, in Kerry. It was known locally by that name and also as Ráth na nÓg, according to Ashe in 1954. It formerly held numerous little mounds. The site straddled the main Anascaul to Tralee road. Its southern part is now a tree plantation. Its northern part was destroyed by a mechanical excavator, which revealed no bones or graves.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE045-043---- · source

This is a holy well site at Inch West in Kerry, known as Tobar na Croise, the Well of the Cross. The well itself appears to have been filled in or diverted, but a cross-slab that stood over it is still in place. The stone is 0.55 metres high and bears a Greek cross on its south-south-east face. The arms of the cross end in slightly bulbous depressions, and a penannular circle surrounds the outer portion of each arm, forming a trifid motif. A pilgrimage called Turas na Duimhche was carried out at the well on St. John's Day, Midsummer, until at least 1960. The pilgrim recited a rosary on the way to the well, then made nine circuits of it, saying a pater and ave during each circuit. After that the pilgrim went to a place on the edge of the sea-cliff about 600 metres to the south-east, called Bun an Turais, and said prayers there. The pilgrimage may also have included a visit to Com an Bhráthar, part of the sea-cliff about 350 metres south of the well. The 1842 map records the name Turrasnadiha Well. By 1960 fewer people were making the pilgrimage than before, but it was still being carried out.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE045-085001- · source

As you come through Anascaul, the road is not far from a precipice that holds a lake with a dark name. Pedlar's Lake. The story goes that a wanderer had left his home and the girl he loved in Annascaul. One dark winter evening he came back, disguised as a pedlar. He was trying to make his way over the mountains from Mahanaboe to Annascaul when he fell in with two brothers. They led him to the vicinity of this dark place, robbed him, and threw him into the lough. The robbers then went over the hills to Annascaul. There they showed part of their spoil to the girl the pedlar was engaged to, not knowing who she was. She recognised a broken sixpence as a love token. Inquiries were made. The pedlar's body was found and buried at Killiney. His sweetheart followed him to the grave a year later. The men who murdered him escaped. The ruins near the precipice bring back the memory of the crime. From the bend of the road at Pedlar's Lake you can see the Cloghane Valley, stretching from Connor Hill to Brandon, with the Owenmore or Cloghane River flowing through it. At the head of the glen are the Black Lake, Lough Gal or the White Lake, and Lough Clogharee. Far in the recess of Brandon Mountain is Lough Cruttia. A few yards on the Dingle side of the gorge, a trickling stream flows down the rock. The water is said to be the best in Kerry.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry (1907), Crane, Charles Paston, 1857-, Internet Archive kerry00cran, Chapter 87 · source

Coming up through Anascaul. In 1584, an inquisition listed lands in this district forfeited by Maurice Hussey of Gortenkorrane, including Ballintarremont of 80 acres, Brackloon of 20 acres, and Ardrynane. The village of Anascaul corresponds to Ardrynane. Redcliff House was later built by S. M. Hickson on Brackloon.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry Archaeological Magazine (Volume I) (1908), Kerry Archaeological Association, Internet Archive kerryarchaeologicalmagazine, Chapter 103 · source

Recorded in 1942, Tobar na Croise is a holy well and cross-inscribed slab at the junction of the townlands of Ballinclare, Farrannacarriga and Gurteen in Kerry. A stone stands over the site of the well, which is now dry. The stone measures 0.88 metres high and 0.31 metres wide, and its east face bears a plain Latin cross in relief. The ITA survey noted that the eastern stone holds many small crosses carved by pilgrims, and that the well measured 6 feet by 3 feet and was protected with flagstones. Pilgrimages were once made to this place as a penitential station. Ó Danachair, writing in 1960, recorded that the pilgrimage was still carried out on Saint John's Day, Midsummer, though not by as many as formerly. The pilgrim recited a rosary on the way to the well, then made nine circuits of the well, saying a pater and ave during each circuit. After that, the pilgrim went to a place on the edge of a cliff, about 600 yards to the south west of the well, called Bun an Turais, and said prayers there. One record gives the turas as held on the 27th of August.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE044-115001- · source

A holy well, Toberreendoney, also called Tobar Rí an Domhnaigh, the Well of the King of Sunday. It is a spring well set in a rock cavity on the east side of a stream that forms the boundary between the townlands of Gortacurraun and Farrannacarriga. A small cross-inscribed stone sits in a crevice a little upstream of the well. Its south face bears a simple Latin cross with T-bar terminals to shaft and arms. In 1960, Ó Danachair recorded the well as a spring in the side of a deep gully, much overgrown with fuchsia, with no devotions at that time. The Ordnance Survey name books had noted that "the inhabitants give rounds here generally on Sunday morning." The record was revised by Caimin O'Brien and uploaded on 25 April 2022.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE044-102---- · source

A children's burial ground at Gort na gCuileannach in Kerry, though the ground itself is a ringfort, known locally as a fort. It was marked on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map as a circular ring of dots, and in 1853 a man named Hitchcock identified it as a rath. The field where it stands is called Páirc an Leasa. A cross-inscribed ogham stone once served as a lintel over the doorway of a D-shaped clochaun that stood inside the enclosure. Hitchcock removed that stone and presented it to the Royal Irish Academy, along with a quernstone also found at the site. The ogham stone is now kept in the National Museum of Ireland. The site has been badly damaged. It was used as a quarry for road metal. The eastern half is now a shapeless group of pits and mounds, though a curving bank of earth and stone can still be traced around the western half. The features cover an area measuring 23.5 metres north to south and 23 metres east to west. In 1848 Windele was told locally that the site had been used as a burial ground for children, but not within living memory. Some quartz stones scattered about the site today could have been brought in to mark those burials.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE044-094004- · source

A burial cairn, Log na gCapall, in Kerry. Cnoc na Fola is a low, sub-rectangular cairn standing on a low ridge overlooking Minard to the south. The level field where it sits is called Páirc na Fola, and was traditionally the scene of a bloody battle in ancient times. The cairn reputedly marks the graves of those slain. It measures 7.4 by 8.2 metres and stands 0.6 metres high. Windele, in 1838, was told that a cave containing bones had been found nearby, and that graves and bones were frequently revealed during ploughing. The cave may have been a souterrain, but in this context is more likely to have been a grave. An Seabhac, in 1939, mentions that 3 standing stones mark the heads of large graves about 4.6 metres long. No traces of these features survive on the surface today.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE054-033003- · source

As you pass through Lispole, about 200 yards north of the railway station stands the ancient Church of St. Martin. It sits within an extremely large rath, measuring about 50 yards in diameter. It is a rare thing to find the ruins of a church within a rath, though there are some other examples. The Ordnance map marks this enclosure as a churchyard, but when the writer inquired in the neighbourhood, those asked said they never heard of it being so used, nor could any sign of graves be found. The church itself stands rather towards the eastern end of the enclosure. The whole barony of Corcaguinny affords a field in which the searcher for antiquities, many of a prehistoric class, can find abundant opportunities for gratifying his tastes, and several objects of antiquarian interest are to be seen in the neighbourhood of Lispole station on the Dingle Railway.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry Archaeological Magazine (Volume I) (1908), Kerry Archaeological Association, Internet Archive kerryarchaeologicalmagazine, Chapter 3 · source

This is a children's burial ground at Páirc An Teampaill in Kerry, known as Calluragh burial ground and St. Martin's Church, or Teampall Mártain, or An Teampall Liath. It lies on the floor of the valley that separates the central mountain range from the Sea Hill ridge, on slightly elevated ground with an extensive outlook. Within the large oval earthen-banked enclosure are the foundations of 3 or 4 rectangular house sites and a possible souterrain. The ruins of Templemartin church stand in the eastern sector. Children were interred at this site until the early part of the 20th century, but no graves or gravemarkers are now visible. The enclosure measures 54.2 metres north to south and 71 metres east to west internally. The enclosing bank rises to a maximum height of 1.4 metres internally and 2.4 metres externally. In the south-east quadrant, the bank has been removed and replaced by a stone wall. A slight depression in that area may mark the line of this wall rather than an earlier fosse. Access to the interior is provided by gaps at south-south-east, north-west, and east-north-east, the latter having been recently created or widened.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE044-078005- · source

Tobermartin, or Tobar Mártain, in Baile an Ístínigh, Kerry, is a holy well marked now by a waterlogged hollow in a marshy field. Rounds were made at the well on Easter Sunday and on St. Martin's Day, the 11th of November. There is a tradition that a pattern was held in former times, with games and dancing.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE043-246---- · source

A children's burial ground and church site, Baile An Tsagairt, crowns the summit of a low but prominent hillock between Dingle Harbour and Trabeg. The enclosure is circular, measuring 30.7 metres north to south and 29.5 metres east to west. A church once stood within it, shown on the OS maps, but nothing more is known about it and no visible trace survives. Children were still being interred in this burial ground in the mid-19th century. The enclosure is bounded by a low earthen bank faced externally by a drystone wall. The bank rises a maximum of 1 metre above the interior, and the wall stands 1.45 metres high above a shallow fosse that encircles it. The fosse is about 1 metre wide and no more than 0.3 metres deep. There is no entrance through the wall; access is by means of two stiles, at north and south-west. The interior is raised above the external ground level, and the central area is raised again above the edges, giving the impression of a shallow internal fosse. A low cairn of stones, including much quartz, lies about 13 metres to the east of the enclosure. "Other tombs with great unshapen stones half buried" lay a little to the east of this again. Apart from ogham stones placed in recent times, the interior is occupied by a confusion of low mounds and low upright grave markers. It seems certain that the site was originally enclosed by an earthen bank and fosse, and that the wall was added sometime between the 1840s and the 1890s.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE053-033---- · source

Somewhere around here, in 1793, thousands of armed insurgents came into Dingle, and fourteen of them died when soldiers fired on the crowd. A fortnight before St John's day, the twenty-fourth of June, they proclaimed at their chapels and posted notices in all public places that they would meet in great numbers at Dingle and carry all their plans into execution. Mr Mullins got seventy soldiers from Limerick, who marched into Dingle the day before the intended meeting. He gave public notice that he would oppose them. The insurgents were not deterred. They entered the town in immense numbers, armed with guns, pistols, swords, pikes, and scythes mounted on poles. Mr Mullins, desirous to prevent the effusion of blood, remained in the barracks with the troops until three o'clock, though the insurgents were two hours in possession of the town. When they began to commit acts of violence on the inhabitants and their houses, he marched out. The mob fired on the soldiers and pelted them with stones. Having ordered the troops to fire, they killed fourteen of the insurgents and wounded many. The crowd dispersed and fled, not stopping until they arrived at cliffs over the sea ten miles off, and they would not return until they had made peace with the magistrates. Most of them gave information against one another, and swore that their intention was to have killed all the Protestant gentlemen and confiscated their estates. The plot proved general in Kerry and extended to Limerick, with persons stationed at Tralee and Tarbert ready to convey news of the attack, so that all inhabitants might have risen at the same moment. The punishment kept Kerry peaceful afterwards; though organized in 1797, no outrages were committed but in one place.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Memoirs of the different rebellions in Ireland, from the arrival of the English : also, a particular detail of that which broke out the XXIIId of May, MDCCXCVIII : with the history of the conspiracy which preceded it (vol. 2) (1802), Musgrave, Richard, 1745 or 1746-1818, Internet Archive memoirsofdiffere02musg, Chapter 133 · source

As you come through Dingle in Kerry, you're near Standbally, where one of the darkest episodes of the Black Earl's raid took place in 1580. The Earl of Ormond, Lord Governor of Munster, had divided his forces at Tralee and marched west toward Dingle through Slieve Mish. His English soldiers slaughtered every man, woman and child they met along the way. At Standbally, they tossed children from pike to pike for sport, then stabbed the feeble mothers to death. Father Dominick O'Daly wrote that they were "cooling their impious thirst with the blood of Catholics." Ormond had marched west to oppose the Spaniards at Fort del Ore in Smerwick Harbour, who carried a Pope's banner, and also to capture the 15th Earl of Desmond, a Catholic suspected of favouring his cousins in rebellion against the British crown. Ormond wanted Desmond's confiscated estates. Some later dismissed O'Daly's account because he was a supporter of the Desmonds. But the commander's own letters to Queen Elizabeth promised, if God gave them bread, they doubted not but to succeed on the tears of widows and the crying orphans they had caused.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Irish historical allusions, curious customs and superstitions, County of Kerry, Corkaguiny (1916), Foley, Patrick, Internet Archive irishhistoricala00fole, Chapter 56 · source

St. John's Well, or Tobar Eoin, is a small spring well in the backyard of a dwelling-house on The Mall in Dingle town. A modern concrete cover was provided for it but has now been broken up. A small pillar stone stands at the north-west side of the well, measuring 0.41 metres high, 0.2 metres wide and 0.11 metres thick. It bears an inscribed Latin cross on its north face. The shaft of the cross terminates at base with a down-turned arc and the arms have expanded terminals. The initials FD have been carved beneath the cross in fairly recent times. Rounds were formerly made at the well on the 24th of June. An ogham stone was apparently discovered in an adjacent wall and removed to near the railway station, but nothing more is known of it. Ó Danachair, writing in 1960, was informed that it was the cross-slab itself that bore the ogham inscription, but there are no traces of any scores on the stone. The well was visited as a holy well up to about 1900. In making the rounds, 5 paters and 5 aves were said kneeling at the well, after which one rosary was said while making three circuits of the well, and a prayer to the patron was said kneeling at the well. For the full ritual this was repeated nine times. Pebbles were used to count the rounds. The well cured many ailments. Rags were hung on a thorn tree, now gone. A legend tells that water was taken from the well and set to boil, but it could not be heated. A trout was found in it, and the water and the trout were returned to the well.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE043-224024- · source

As you pass through Dingle, this is where James Desmond landed in July 1579. He had sailed from Ferol, in Galicia, on the 17th of June that year, with three shallops besides his own vessel. On the way he captured two vessels, one English and one French, and set them both on fire. He arrived on the 16th of July. Nine days later two galleys joined him, carrying a hundred fighting men, but the English captured them within days.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from A history of the city and county of Cork (1875), Cusack, Mary Francis, 1829-1899, Internet Archive historyofcitycou0000cusa, Chapter 204 · source

Up ahead is Dingle, in Kerry. A farmer named Hanafin lived near here, and he had a large herd of cows brought up every morning to be milked in front of his house. The milk tub kept getting overturned, and no precaution stopped it. One morning walking past a fairy fort, he heard a child crying inside and a woman's voice saying, 'Be quiet a while. Hanafin's cows are going home; we'll soon have milk in plenty.' He said nothing, went home, and took charge of the milking himself. The next morning, hearing the child cry again, he went into the fort and offered the fairies the milk of a cow about to calve, telling them no one would milk that cow but they could have her milk. The tub was never turned over again. For two years Hanafin prospered, taking care of the cow and never letting anyone milk her. Then he went security for neighbours who had got into trouble, and when bailiffs and police came for his cattle, the fairies defended them.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry Archaeological Magazine (Volume I) (1908), Kerry Archaeological Association, Internet Archive kerryarchaeologicalmagazine, Chapter 135 · source

Dingle is the town where Richard Boyle found his way out of Ireland when everything had fallen apart. He had notice of accusations against him and meant to cross to England to answer them. Before he could sail, the general rebellion in Munster broke out. All his lands were wasted. He said he had not one penny of certain revenue left, and his life was in unspeakable danger. He reached Dingle and got a ship there, which carried him to Bristol. From Bristol he travelled to London and took up his old chamber in the Middle Temple, meaning to return to his law studies until the rebellion had passed. Robert, Earl of Essex, was then designed for the government of this kingdom, and Boyle was recommended to his service.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from The history of the county and city of Cork (vol. 2) (1861), Gibson, Charles Bernard, Internet Archive historyofcountyc02gibsiala, Chapter 19 · source

As you pass through Dingle in Kerry, this is where two Spanish barks arrived about the 26th of February 1580. They came to understand the state of the Geraldine rebels in Munster, who were still holding out in wild and desolate places, waiting for foreign help. The rebels had been keeping themselves hidden, expecting powers from abroad to join them. Doctor Saunders was in the town when the Spanish vessels reached it. He told the Spaniards that the barks had been sent from the court of Spain, because there was a report abroad that all the Geraldines had been overthrown and killed. The ships had come to learn the truth of it. Finding Saunders there before them, he sent them back with speed, carrying urgent letters demanding the aid that had been promised be sent into Ireland without delay. In those letters he certified the prosperous success of the Geraldines, setting them forth, as the source puts it, a thousand times with more force and success than they have had, or are like to have. The two barks were dispatched by the first of March. This account came through the Earl of Clancarre, who had lately come from these parts and was in Cork with the lord general Ormonde. He promised to serve her majesty with all his force against the rebels. His son and heir had been held as a pledge for the father's good behaviour for eighteen months, and he had no other sons.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from A history of the city and county of Cork (1875), Cusack, Mary Francis, 1829-1899, Internet Archive historyofcitycou0000cusa, Chapter 215 · source

Kilbrack, in the townland of An Chill Bhreac, is a burial ground on a gentle south-facing slope overlooking Dingle Harbour. It was used for the burial of unbaptised children until the 19th century. In the eastern part of the enclosure, at the east end of a low stone and earth mound, stands a stone feature formed by 3 stones set on edge, 0.7 to 0.9 metres in height, resembling the large cist graves at Coumduff. It does not appear to be complete.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE043-211004- · source

A children's burial ground, Kilbrack, in the townland of Baile an Mhuilinn in Corca Dhuibhne, Kerry. This ground was used for the burial of unbaptised children until the 19th century. It sits on a very gentle south-facing slope overlooking Dingle Harbour. The enclosure is sub-rectangular, 58 metres east to west and 27 metres north to south, bounded on its west, north and east sides by modern stone field fences and on its south side by a low wall of stone and earth no more than .6 metres high. The burial area occupies the centre, a slightly raised, irregular shape filled with low upright stones aligned north to south and a few very low cairns. Standing loosely in one of these cairns is a cross-inscribed stone, .88 metres tall and .15 metres wide. One face bears a cross with expanded terminals, the left arm now removed by spalling and the upper arm only partially preserved.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE043-211001- · source

This is Tobermichael, also called Tobar Michíl, a holy well at Baile Mór Thiar in Kerry. A spring well now surrounded by a concrete wall, it was described in 1960 by Caoimhín Ó Danachair as a good spring in a little rectangular cistern. On the bridge nearby stands a small upright cross-inscribed stone, 0.32 metres high, 0.18 metres wide and 0.1 metres thick. Its north and south faces bear plain Latin crosses. A pattern was formerly held on Michaelmas day, and rounds are still made by a few. Nine circuits of the well are made while reciting a rosary, pebbles used to count the rounds. Water is drunk and applied for the cure of headache, toothache, warts and other ailments. Small objects are left as offerings. Water is also taken for domestic use. Formerly, large numbers came on Michaelmas and held a pattern. A legend tells that the fish which lives in the well was taken with some water, which would not boil until the fish was restored to the well.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE053-056---- · source

On a south-west facing slope overlooking Ventry Harbour stands a poorly-preserved ringfort, containing the most extensive souterrain recorded on the Dingle Peninsula, along with two possible hut-sites. When the present landowner's father drew stones from the site, he uncovered a small slab-lined grave, and inside it an iron box containing coins. In 1893 Deane noted that a skull and other bones were found in two of the souterrain chambers. Champneys in 1910 likely referred to the same remains when he wrote of two bodies found in a sitting position in a very elaborate souterrain near Ventry.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE052-048003- · source

This is a wedge tomb at An Chathair Aird in Kerry, known as Labbanirweeny, the Bed of the Munster Man. It stands on fairly level ground near the summit of Caherard Hill, with an outlook stretching from Brandon Mountain in the north-east to the mountains of the Iveragh peninsula in the south, and to Mount Eagle and Croaghmarhin in the west. The gallery runs east to west, 4 metres in overall length, narrowing from 1.2 metres wide at the open west end to 1.1 metres at the east end. It decreases in height from 1 metre at the entrance to 0.6 metres at the backstone. Three overlapping roofstones cover the gallery. The westernmost stone on the south side has collapsed, and the west roofstone now lies tilted. Two low stones at the west end form a short portico. Each side-wall is built from 5 orthostats, and the east end is closed by a single slab. Faint traces of a low mound rise no more than 0.25 metres around it.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE042-142---- · source

Somewhere around here, the last Earl of Desmond once took money from every fishing-boat that put out from Ventry. He claimed thirteen shillings and fourpence from each one, and the same from every boat at Ferreter's Island. That was only a fraction of what he drew from the coast. He claimed all wrecks of the sea through every port and creek of Kerry. When he was attainted, he held a prodigious estate across Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Limerick, his lands running 150 miles and covering 574,628 acres of English measure, with many strong castles on them. He was Lord of the Regalities of the county palatine of Kerry, and Lord of Imokilly. He had a great number of vassals, and over 500 gentlemen of his own kindred and surname. He raised coigne and livery and shragh upon his tenants through all the county of Limerick. It was said he could raise at a call 600 horse and 2,000 foot. All these possessions were utterly forfeited, and by Act of Parliament vested in the Queen and her heirs. He left one daughter, Margaret, married to Donald Mac Carty Reagh.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from The ancient and present state of the county and city of Cork. : Containing a natural, civil, ecclesiastical, historical, and topographical description thereof. (1893), Smith, Charles, 1715?-1762, Internet Archive ancientandprese00caulgoog, Chapter 22 · source

This is a holy well, Tobar Rí an Domhnaigh, the Sunday Well, or Well of the King of Sunday, in Cill Mhic An Domhnaigh, Kerry. A spring, now enclosed in a concrete container. People made rounds at this well up until about 1910, chiefly on Sundays.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE052-110---- · source

Somewhere around here, standing on the cliffs overlooking the sea, is an old watch-tower. It was built for the accommodation of soldiers when Ireland was threatened by a French invasion in the days of Napoleon. Like many others around the coast, it formed part of a network meant to guard against that threat. Near here also is Dunbeg Fort, a fine specimen of cyclopean work. It marks what the source calls the culminating period of Irish heroic history, just prior to the introduction of Christianity. The fort consists of three ramparts and a main stone wall reaching across the headland on which it stands. That wall is 200 ft. long and 22 ft. thick. The inner wall is 9 ft. in height and the outer 5 ft. The doorway in this massive construction is specially worthy of notice. A mile beyond Dunbeg is a collection of beehive huts, some of them in an excellent state of repair. This group of buildings goes by the name of The Town. Here, the source says, we are face to face with the prehistoric age merging into the ecclesiastical period. From there the road winds along the edge of the cliffs at the base of Mount Eagle, affording fine views of the Blasket Islands, Innishnabro, Innishvickillane, the Great Blasket, and Beginish. At Dunquin, the little fishing village opposite the Great Blasket, a boat may be obtained and a visit made to the nearer islands.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Kerry (1907), Crane, Charles Paston, 1857-, Internet Archive kerry00cran, Chapter 87 · source

This is a children's burial ground at Fán in Kerry. Macalister recorded that this graveyard was used for burying unbaptised children in the 19th century.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE052-266002- · source

Com Dhíneol Thuaidh is a burial site where two inhumed burials were found, reputedly associated with the Spanish Armada, according to local information and University College Cork.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE052-059003- · source

You are around Dunquin now, a parish on the far western edge of Kerry, and it was here a strange wake was once held for a man who was not dead. A local man told the story of three men out in a canoe when the sea rose on them. They tried to come in under the cliff but the waves were too great. Two young men jumped for the rocks and made it. The third man was sixty, or near it, and too stiff to jump. He was washed back out in the canoe, and when it came on dark, all thought he was drowned. They held his wake in Dunquin. But the steamer that traded between Valentia, Dingle and Cahirciveen came into Dingle two or three days later, and there he was on board, as the local man said, "as hearty as a salmon." When he was washed back he got hold of an oar and kept the canoe's head to the wind, and the tide took him along until he was picked up.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from In Wicklow, West Kerry and Connemara (1911), Synge, J. M. (John Millington), 1871-1909, Internet Archive inwicklowwestker00syngrich, Chapter 1 · source

A children's burial ground, An Tseantóir, Baile An Bhiocáire, in Kerry. The Ordnance Survey described it as a circular calluragh burial ground, 6 metres in diameter, with a grave at its centre marked by a cross-inscribed stone. In the early 19th century there appeared to be no particular name for the burial ground. The name Tigh Mhóire, found in much of the literature, refers to a cabin about 60 metres to the north-east. An Seabhac in 1939 recorded the names Uaigh Mhóire and Teampall Mhóire for the traditional burial place of the goddess Mór in the townland, and it may be the grave in the calluragh to which he refers. There is also a local tradition that the grave is the burial place of the Prince d'Ascoli, son of Phillip of Spain, who drowned when the Santa Maria de la Rosa was wrecked in the Blasket Sound in 1588. The only features now visible are the grave, the cross-inscribed stone, and a possible clochaun. The grave is a leacht-type feature, a rectangular mound 5.7 metres north to south and 4 metres east to west, with large prostrate slabs laid on it. Two standing stones surmount the mound. The north-west stone is .45 metres high. The south-east stone is 1.25 metres high and .25 metres wide, decorated on both faces: a simple cross with slightly expanded terminals on the east face, and faint linear markings on the west. A second cross-inscribed stone lay loose beside it in the 19th century, a roughly circular stone inscribed with a Maltese cross within a circle. The townland boundary wall east of the grave has a pronounced curve that may indicate the site of a clochaun.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE052-022001- · source

This is Pouladav, the Hole of the Ox, a large chasm on the land of Galatrahig, between Mill Cove and Dooneen Point. It is open at the top, 60 to 80 yards across and 160 yards long, with precipitous cliffs on its east and west sides. The name comes from the fact that cattle occasionally fell down into this chasm while browsing near the edge of the precipice. It is one of the most interesting and peculiar objects along the coast. It would seem that this hole had been formed by some sudden convulsion, as it appears improbable that the undermining force of the sea alone could effect such a strange and extensive looking excavation. This is a matter of conjecture, however. Pouladav communicates with the sea by three separate openings. The south opening is the short and direct one. Its entrance from the sea is guarded on either side by high precipitous cliffs, which stand guarding the passage to the dark retreat within, like the huge portals of a gateway. The sea rushing in between these cliffs passes through a narrow crevice worn in the solid rock, and opens into the chasm within, forming a small deep pool. This entrance is bridged over at the top by the overlying rock and soil, which project across, forming the superstructure of the arch. Between the edge of Pouladav and the top of the cliff near the sea, the distance is about 250 yards. A boat can be rowed through.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Sketches in Carbery, county Cork, : its antiquities, history, legends, and topography (1876), Donovan, Daniel, Internet Archive sketchesincarber00dono, Chapter 14 · source

On St. Gobnait's day, the 11th of February, this is Tobar Ghobnait, a holy well where rounds are still made, lying about 200 metres south-west of a possible early ecclesiastical site also named for St. Gobnait. Folklore collected from Kilgobnet School tells that there was a holy well at Kilgobnet and another at Shanara. The feast of St. Gobnait fell on the 11th of February and was kept as a great holiday in the district in days gone by, though it is no longer kept as a holiday. It was celebrated by a great feast called the Pattern Fair. This was a famous fair, attended by buyers from all over the country. All sorts of enjoyment went on, and all the matches were settled. There were white tents all over the place, and every house in the district was a shebeen on that day. Great faction fights also went on at this fair. The Protestants from Dingle came to fight with the Catholics of this district. The result was often sorrow and bloodshed, as great numbers were often killed. The fair was carried on in one of Mr Shea's fields in Kilgobnet. There were toll gaps at which everyone had to pay some money before they went in. This old fair was destroyed by a fair held on the previous day in Killorglin. Although it is now held in Killorglin, 5 miles away, it is still called the Pattern Fair.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE052-005---- · source

Somewhere close to Ballyferriter, the Sheriff of Kerry tried to carry out evictions he never managed to complete. On the 16th of February, 1887, the Sheriff set out from Dingle with a staff of bailiffs, protected by a large force of police armed with rifles, bayonets, revolvers and batons, under the command of District Inspector Gray. They were heading for portions of the Earl of Cork's estates, where several tenants were to be ejected. But when they reached a place called Shannacnock, two thousand people had assembled, armed with pitchforks, scythes and sticks. They forced the Sheriff, his assistants and escort hastily to return to Dingle.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from Irish historical allusions, curious customs and superstitions, County of Kerry, Corkaguiny (1916), Foley, Patrick, Internet Archive irishhistoricala00fole · source

This is Calluragh burial ground, An Raingiléis, an early Christian settlement on a steep south-east facing slope of Croaghmarhin, now a National Monument. A circular wall encloses an area measuring 68 metres north to south and 61 metres east to west, and a roadway bisects the site east to west, isolating a small part of the south portion of the enclosure. The north part holds a number of low grave mounds, probably relating to its use as a calluragh, a children's burial ground. These stony mounds measure no more than .25 metres in height and 1.8 to 2.5 metres in length, incorporating a considerable quantity of quartz. A roughly circular arrangement of large stones close to the enclosure wall at the north may also mark a grave, and other graves have been uncovered outside the enclosure, opposite the stone cross.

Told by the narrator (z-ai/glm-5.2) from National Monuments Service, Sites and Monuments Record (CC-BY 4.0), KE042-094002- · source