Gneeveguilla

Gneeveguilla, (pronounced: neev-gilla), officially Gneevgullia (Irish: Gníomh go Leith),[1] is a small village in the Sliabh Luachra region of East County Kerry, Ireland. It lies about 19 km (12 mi) east of Killarney, close to the County Kerry/County Cork border.

Gneeveguilla Gníomh go Leith
Village
Gneeveguilla Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°07′01″N 9°16′19″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Kerry
Population  (2016)	256
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

Location

Gneeveguilla is situated in a region of hills and valleys and serves a rural hinterland consisting of dairy farms, pastureland and peatland. Townlands in the area include Coom (Lower and Upper), Bawnard, Gullaun, Mausrower and Lisheen.[2] At Mausrower, there used to be a large quarry in the early part of the 20th century, the remnants of which can be seen today on the approach from the Killarney direction towards Lower Coom. Hence the junction at Lower Coom being known as the Quarry Cross.

History

In the 19th century Gneeveguilla was the scene of an event known as the 'Moving Bog'.[3] On the night of Sunday 28 December 1896, after a prolonged period of bad weather, sleeping families were awakened by an unusual sound. When daylight broke, to their horror they realised that over 200 acres (0.81 km²) of bogland was on the move in a southerly direction, taking everything before it. It followed the course of the Ownachree river into the river Flesk. The bog continued to move until New Year's Day and came to rest covering hundreds of acres of pastureland. The Moving Bog claimed the lives of 8 members of one local family.[3]

Music and culture

Several exponents of the 'Sliabh Luachra style' of traditional Irish music come from the Gneeveguilla area, including fiddler players Julia Clifford, Denis Murphy and Johnny and Paddy Cronin; and button accordion player Johnny O'Leary.[4][5][6]

There is a statue in the village in honour of the Sliabh Luachra seanchaí (storyteller) Éamon Kelly (1914–2001).[7]

Sports

Gneeveguilla is home to Gneeveguilla AC. Established in 1978, it has had success in both local Kerry Athletics and at national Level.

Gneeveguilla GAA is the local GAA club which plays in the East Kerry GAA division. Gneeveguilla is home to Ambrose O'Donovan, a former captain of the Kerry senior football team which won the 'Centenary All-Ireland' All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.[8] Gneeveguilla won the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship in 2010, beating Finuge in the final in Austin Stack park in Tralee. They then went on to win the Munster Championship and lost the All-Ireland semi-final to St.James of County Galway, after a period of extra time.[9]

Development

In Kerry County Council's "South East Kerry Settlements Local Area Plan 2008-2015", a number of opportunities for the future development of Gneeveguilla were identified.[10] The plan recommended against scattered and ribbon development, as well as environmental and pedestrian safety improvements.

Notable people

• Julia Clifford (1914–1997), traditional musician[4]
• Paddy Cronin (1925–2014), fiddler[5]
• Eamon Kelly (1914–2001), actor and storyteller[11]
• Denis Murphy (1910–1974), traditional musician
• Liam Murphy, Gaelic footballer[12]
• Ambrose O'Donovan (b.1962), Gaelic footballer[8]
• Aogán Ó Rathaille (c.1670–1726), poet born at Scrahanaveal near Gneeveguilla[13]
• Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin (1748–1782), poet[11]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. "Gníomh go Leith / Gneevgullia". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
2. "Gneevgullia Townland, Co. Kerry". townlands.ie. Townlands of Ireland. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
3. "Moving mountains — the dangers of our changing rainfall". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. 28 August 2008. a tragic occurrence at Gneeveguilla, on the Cork/Kerry border, in the wet winter of 1896 resulted in eight deaths. [..] In what became known as the Moving Bog Disaster, quarry worker Con Donnelly, his wife, and six of their children were all swept away as they slept peacefully in their cottage
4. "My Life and Music, Julia Clifford" (PDF). sliabhluachra.ie. Sliabh Luachra Music Trail. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
5. "Renowned fiddle player with a unique musical style". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 5 April 2014.
6. "Statue hails legend of trad music". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 3 May 2007.
7. "Sculpture of legendary seanchai Eamon Kelly unveiled in Kerry". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 8 September 2003. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
8. "O'Donovan, Ambrose". hoganstand.com. 1993. Retrieved 8 March 2019. Kerry captain Ambrose O'Donovan raises 'Sam' in Centenary Year
9. "Concannon edges St James through". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 31 January 2011. St James (Galway) 0-12 / Gneeveguilla (Kerry) 0-10 (After extra-time)
10. "South East Kerry Settlements Local Area Plan - Gneeveguilla" (PDF). kerrycoco.ie. Kerry County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2010.
11. "Legendary seanchaí to be honoured". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 1 October 2016.
12. "Player profile - Kerry football - Liam Murphy". terracetalk.com. Terrace Talk. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
13. Dinneen, Patrick; O'Donoghue, Tadhg, eds. (1911). Dánta Aodhagáin Uí Rathaille; the poems of Egan O'Rahilly. Irish Texts Society. 3 (2nd ed.). p. xii.