Sneem

Sneem An tSnaidhm(Irish)
Village
Looking east from the bridge
Sneem Location in Ireland
Coordinates:51°50′18″N9°53′59″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Kerry
Population (2022)	386
Time zone	UTC+0(WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1(IST(WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	V687670

Sneem(Irish:An tSnaidhm)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,Sneem is located in a tourist area and the population increases during the summer months.

Name

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.
• 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.
• A less common explanation is that Sneem is the knot in the scenicRing of Kerry.

History

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".

Former French presidentCharles de Gaullevisited Sneem in May 1969, and a monument to him now stands in the village's North Square.

A book,Sneem, The Knot in the Ring,recounts the area's history.In 2000, a time capsule was buried in the centre of the town, to be opened in 2100.

Politics

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

Derryquin castle

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.

Rossdohan house

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.

Bridge Street in Sneem

People

• 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.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.Several years after his death in 2012, a life-size bronze statue of Egan was erected in Sneem's South Square.
• Ronan Hussey,also a SneemGaelic footballer,has been a member of the Kerry senior football panel.

See also

Bridge near village square

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Sneem Black Pudding

External links

• Sneem.com – village web portal
• Sneem.ie – community website
• The Tidy Towns of Ireland "Celebrating 50 years"