Sneem
Sneem
An tSnaidhm(Irish) | |
---|---|
Village | |
![]() Looking east from the bridge | |
Coordinates:51°50′18″N9°53′59″W/ 51.838376°N 9.899797°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Province | Munster |
County | County Kerry |
Population | 386 |
Time zone | UTC+0(WET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-1(IST(WEST)) |
Irish Grid Reference | V687670 |
Sneem(Irish:An tSnaidhm)[2]is a village situated on theIveragh Peninsula(part of theRing of Kerry), inCounty Kerry,in the southwest of Ireland. It lies on the estuary of the River Sneem which expands here toKenmare Bay.TheN70 roadruns through the town, which is approximately 22 kilometres (14 mi) west ofKenmare.While the2022 censusrecorded a population of 386 people,[1]Sneem is located in a tourist area and the population increases during the summer months.[3]
Name
[edit]The Irish village nameIrish:An tSnaidhmmeans "the knot" in English. Several explanations of the name have been offered:
- One is that a knot-like swirling is said to take place where the River Sneem meets the currents ofKenmareBay in the estuary, just below the village.[citation needed]
- Another notes that Sneem village comprises two squares, North and South. A bridge in the middle of the village, viewed from overhead, acts as a knot between the two squares.[4]
- A less common explanation is that Sneem is the knot in the scenicRing of Kerry.[citation needed]
History
[edit]A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland,published bySamuel Lewisin 1837, states that at the time, Sneem consisted of a harbour, a collection of houses, a church, a chapel and a "constabulary police force".[5]
Former French presidentCharles de Gaullevisited Sneem in May 1969, and a monument to him now stands in the village's North Square.[6]
A book,Sneem, The Knot in the Ring,recounts the area's history.[7]In 2000, a time capsule was buried in the centre of the town, to be opened in 2100.[8]
Politics
[edit]The village is in the South and West Kerry electoral area ofKerry County Council,and the Dáil Éireann constituency of Kerry.
Historic buildings and places
[edit]Derryquin castle
[edit]Derryquin Castlewas an 18th-century stone-built country house, now demolished, in the Parknasilla estate close to Sneem. Designed by local architectJames Franklin Fuller,the house comprised a three-storey main block with a four-storey octagonal tower rising through the centre and a two-storey, partly curved wing. The building was equipped with battlements and machicolations.[9]
Rossdohan house
[edit]Rossdohan House on Rossdohan Island was built c.1875-1881 by architectJohn Pollard Seddonfor Dr. Samuel Thomas Heard, a surgeon who had recently retired from his role inBritish Raj-era India and bought the island. It wasburned down in 1922and a new house built on the site in 1946 by architect Michael John Scott in theDutch Capestyle (resemblingGroot ConstantiainCape Town). This second house was burnt down in 1955 and has remained a ruin since. Rossdohan Island and the remaining estate have a mixture of tree ferns and exotic plants still extant, many dating from the late 1800s.[10][11][12]
People
[edit]- Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh,formerPresident,lived nearby before his death; hisstate funeralwas held in Sneem in March 1978
- Steve Casey,and his brothers Tom and Jim, were Irish athletes of the 1930s who competed in single scull rowing at theCharles Riverin Boston.[13]As well as being a rower, Steve Casey was bothNWAand AWA heavyweight wrestling champion of the world five times between 1938 and 1947. There is a statue commemorating him in the village.
- William Melville,the first head of the British Secret Service, was born at nearby Direenaclaurig Cross.
- John Egan,Kerry Gaelic footballer,played forSneem GAA.He won sixAll-Irelandmedals, four of which were consecutive, and fiveGAA All Stars Awards.[14]Several years after his death in 2012, a life-size bronze statue of Egan was erected in Sneem's South Square.[15]
- Ronan Hussey,also a SneemGaelic footballer,has been a member of the Kerry senior football panel.[16]
See also
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Sneem1.jpg/220px-Sneem1.jpg)
References
[edit]- ^ab"Census Mapping - Towns: Sneem - Population Snapshot".Census 2022.Central Statistics Office. April 2022.Retrieved15 June2024.
- ^"An tSnaidhm / Sneem".logainm.ie.Irish Placenames Commission.Retrieved25 November2020.
- ^"Clock is ticking: Sneem is waiting for news of new GP".The Kerryman.Independent News & Media. 12 August 2017.Retrieved10 August2022.
- ^E., Stoakley, T. (1986).Sneem: the knot in the ring(2nd and enl. ed.). Sneem, Co. Kerry: Sneem Tourism Association.ISBN0951163000.OCLC18192375.
{{cite book}}
:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^Lewis, Samuel (1837).A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.S. Lewis and Co.
- ^Lucey, Anne (7 June 2019)."50th anniversary of visit by Charles de Gaulle to be marked in Co Kerry".Irish Examiner.Retrieved25 November2020.
- ^Stoakley, T.E. (1986).Sneem: The Knot in the Ring.Sneem, Co. Kerry: Sneem Tourism Association.ISBN0-9511630-0-0.
- ^Cashin, Joe (12 October 2005)."To be opened in 2100".PhotoFrom.com.Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2007.Retrieved13 February2007.
- ^"1860s – Derryquin Castle, Sneem, Co. Kerry".Archiseek.com.Retrieved23 January2013.
- ^"CO. KERRY, ROSSDOHAN HOUSE (SNEEM)".Dictionary of Irish Architects1720 - 1940.Retrieved10 August2022.
- ^"Rossdohan House, Dunkerron South, Kilcrohane, Rossdohan Island".National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.Retrieved10 August2022.
- ^"Re: Re: 'Dutch Billys')".archiseek.com.Retrieved10 August2022.
- ^"The Dream Team from Sneem".The Irish Times.Retrieved25 June2018.
- ^"Death of Kerry legend John Egan, aged 59".The Irish Times.
- ^"John Egan Memorial".12 September 2017.
- ^"Sneem in shock after death of ¨fanatical football man¨".Irish Independent. The Kerryman. 27 November 2007.Retrieved6 June2024.