Lixnaw

Lixnaw (Irish: Leac Snámha, meaning "swimming flagstone")[1] is a village in North County Kerry, Ireland. It is located near the River Brick 11 km (6.8 mi) SW of Listowel and 17 km (11 mi) NE of Tralee.

Lixnaw Leic Snámha
Village
Lixnaw Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°24′07″N 9°36′58″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Kerry
Population  (2016)
• Urban	696
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

History

Lixnaw was once the seat of the Fitzmaurice family, the Earls of Kerry. In 1320 Nicolas, the third baron of Lixnaw, erected the Castle of Lixnaw, built the old bridge, and improved the village. In 1600 Sir Chas. Wilmot and his forces garrisoned the castle and established it as their centre of operations. It was subsequently re-taken by Lord Kerry who entrusted its defense to his brother Gerald, who was eventually forced to surrender the castle due to a shortage of water.[2] Today, nothing remains of the Castle of Lixnaw. An interesting point about the Earls of Kerry is that one of the descendants William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, who was born in Dublin but was largely reared in Lixnaw (except when he was in Eton), became British Prime Minister in 1782. Later Lansdowne Road was named after him and it became the common name for that great rugby stadium in Dublin.

Lixnaw is situated near the River Brick over which there were originally two stone bridges, from which the village got its name.

Places of interest

Korean War Memorial

Erected to honour the Irish soldiers who died in the Korean War. A total of twenty-nine Irishmen died while serving under conscription in the US Army under the banner of the UN from 1950-1953. The monument takes the form of a stone arch, 12 feet (3.7 m) high and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide with three granite slabs on which all 35 names, addresses and dates of death are inscribed.[3][4]

St. Michael's Church

St. Michael's Church is a Roman Catholic church designed by Irish architect J.J.McCarthy, but more Norman than Celtic in design, due to having to flank the nave with aisles that open off it through robust round arched arcades. Modernised interior.

St. Michael's Holy Well

St. Michael's Holy Well features a statue depicting St. Michael defeating Satan.

Tonaknock Cross

Tonaknock Cross is an early high cross.

Transport

Lixnaw railway station opened on 20 December 1880, closed for passenger traffic on 4 February 1963, closed for goods traffic on 2 December 1974 and finally closed altogether on 11 June 1983.[5]

Sport

The local GAA club, Lixnaw GAA, have won the Kerry Senior Hurling Championship on nine occasions, most recently in 2018. Well-known Lixnaw players include Paul Galvin and Éamonn Fitzmaurice.[6]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. "Leic Snámha". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
2. Lewis, S (1837). Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.
3. Kenny, James C. (12 July 2005). "Dedication Remarks at Korean War Memorial in Lixnaw". Embassy of the United States, Dublin. Archived from the original on 22 September 2006. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
4. "Irish heroes of the Korean War". hoganstand.com. July 2005. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
5. "Lixnaw station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
6. "Lixnaw take the title in surprise win". Irish Independent. 8 October 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2008.