Castlegregory

Castlegregory (Irish: Caisleán Ghriaire, meaning "Griaire's Castle")[2] is a village in County Kerry, Ireland. It is situated on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula, halfway between Tralee and Dingle. As of the 2016 Census, Castlegregory had a population of 250.[1]

Castlegregory Caisleán Ghriaire
Village
Main Street, Castlegregory
Castlegregory Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°15′20″N 10°01′16″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Kerry
Population  (2016)[1]	250
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	Q617134

Castlegregory was named after a castle built by Gregory Hoare in the 16th century.[3] It is the principal village in Lettragh, the name given to the northern side of the Dingle Peninsula.[3]

Geography

Dockside, north of Castlegregory.

The village is located at the foot of a sandy peninsula called the Maharees separating Brandon Bay to the west from Tralee Bay on the east.[4] Off the peninsula are a number small islands, called the Seven Hoggs, or the Maharee Islands. A small fishing harbour is located at Fahamore on Scraggane Bay, about 5 km outside the village at the tip of the Maharees peninsula. The village is surrounded by the mountains of the Dingle peninsula and overlooked directly by Beenoskee and Stradbally Mountains. To the west is Brandon Mountain. Castlegregory is also the name of a Roman Catholic parish which includes parts the north east area of the Dingle Peninsula, and is served by two churches.[5] The village is a tourist destination and it is near to a number of beaches located on the Maharees peninsula. Castlegregory Golf and Fishing club, a nine-hole links golf course, is located to the west of the village on the shores of Lough Gill.[6]

History

On the largest of the Magharee Islands, Illauntannig (Irish Oileán tSeanaigh) are the ruins of a 7th-century monastic site founded by St Senach. On this site there are two oratories, three beehive (or Clochan) huts, and three examples of a leacht (or altar).[7]

Local events

Castlegregory Pattern Day was traditionally celebrated on 15 August, when the tradition is to eat locally-made mutton pies. In recent years it has been expanded into a three-day summer festival.[8]

The Wren's Day on the 26th of December is also celebrated. The traditional straw dresses have given way to pajamas, curtains, Halloween masks, and Christmas decorations, but there is still traditional Irish music to be heard.

Sport

Castlegregory GAA Club was first known as Castlegregory Allen, named after William Allen, one of the Manchester Martyrs. The club took part in the first Kerry County Championship played in 1889. For over 40 years football was played on a pitch with a 21 feet gradient from top to bottom, however a new ground was opened on 17 May 2003.[9]

Transport

Castlegregory was the terminus of a branch line of the Tralee and Dingle Light Railway. The railway station opened on 1 April 1891, closed for passenger and goods traffic on 17 April 1939. It connected to the main Tralee - Dingle route at Castlegregory Junction (near Camp). This main route also closed to passenger traffic the same day, but was to remain open for a once-daily goods train until 1947, after which nothing but a monthly Tralee - Dingle cattle train operated until the main line's final closure in 1953.[10]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. "Census 2016 - SAPMAP Area - Settlements - Castlegregory". Census 2016. CSO. 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
2. "Caisleán Ghriaire / Castlegregory". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Commission. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
3. "Castlegregory". myguideireland.com. MyGuide Ireland. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
4. "West Kerry - Castlegregory". gokerry.ie. Go Kerry Tourism. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
5. "Castlegregory Parish". dioceseofkerry.ie. Diocese of Kerry. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
6. "Castlegregory and Surrounding Area". castlegregorygolflinks.com. Castlegregory Golf Links. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
7. Edward R. Norman (1969). The Early Development of Irish Society: The Evidence of Aerial Photography (Volume 3 of Cambridge Air Surveys). CUP Archive. p. 93. The monastic cashel of Illauntannig Island, Co. Kerry [..] contains the substantial ruins of a dry-stone oratory, three clochán, three graves and a cross
8. "Revived pattern draws crowds to Castlegregory". independent.ie. The Kerryman. 22 August 2012.
9. "Castlegregory GAA Club History". castlegregorygaa.com. Castlegregory GAA club. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
10. "Castlegregory station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 16 September 2007.