Ballinskelligs, officially (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

for "town (townland) of the craggy rock"), is a

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

of Prior,

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It may also refer to the wider district around the townland. It is located in the south-west of the

Iveragh peninsula The Iveragh Peninsula () is located in County Kerry in Ireland. It is the largest peninsula in southwestern Ireland. A mountain range, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, lies in the centre of the peninsula. Carrauntoohil, its highest mountain, is als ...

(''Uíbh Ráthach'') and is within the

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

. According to the 2016 census about 10% of the population of the electoral division speak Irish on a daily basis outside the education system.The townland was in the Poor law union of

Cahersiveen Cahersiveen (), sometimes Cahirciveen, is a town on the N70 national secondary road in County Kerry, Ireland. As of the 2016 CSO census, the town had a population of 1,041. Geography Cahersiveen is on the slopes of 376-metre-high Bentee, and ...

. The rock(s) referred to in the area’s Irish name are the

Skellig Islands The Skellig Islands ( ga, Na Scealaga), once known as "the Skellocks", are two small, steep, and rocky islands lying about west of Bolus Head on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The larger of the two is Skellig Michael (also know ...

—

Skellig Michael Skellig Michael ( ga, Sceilg Mhichíl ), also called Great Skellig ( ga, link=no, Sceilig Mhór ), is a twin-pinnacled crag west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The island is named after the archangel Michael, with "Skellig ...

and

Little Skellig Little Skellig (Irish: ''Sceilig Bheag'') is an unhabitable island in the Atlantic Ocean, 11 km south-west of Valentia Island in County Kerry, Ireland. It is small than Skellig Michael (54 acres)) its twin island. The two islands rose c. ...

—an ancient monastic colony which lies off the coast from Ballinskelligs. The town is also the site of a beach.Lord Killanin and Michael V. Duignan: ''The Shell Guide to Ireland'', Ebury Press, London 1967, p. 86

Notable features

Castles_of_Munster,_Ballinskelligs,_Kerry_-_geograph

Ballinskelligs Castle Ballinskelligs Castle is a castle located near Ballinskelligs on the Iveragh Peninsula in Kerry, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated fr ...

is situated on the western shore of Ballinskelligs Bay, on a narrow promontory which is subject to heavy erosion. The castle was constructed by the MacCarthy Mór dynasty in the 16th century to protect the bay from pirates, and possibly in order to charge a tariff on incoming trade vessels.

Ballinskelligs Priory Ballinskelligs Priory ( gle, Prioreacht Bhaile an Sceilg) was an Augustinian priory (strictly an Arrouaisian house of Austinian canons) located in Ballinskelligs on the Iveragh Peninsula in Kerry, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulst ...

was an Arrouaisian house of

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

canons. Within Ballinskelligs are the two parts of the

Cill Rialaig Cill Rialaig is a contemporary arts project, comprising the ''Cill Rialaig Artist Retreat'' and the ''Cill Rialaig Arts Centre'' with exhibition and retail facilities, founded by Noelle Campbell-Sharp in 1991 and managed by a registered charity ...

project, the Artist Retreat in the former village of Cill Rialaig, and the Arts Centre in the village of Dun Geagan. The project is led since foundation in 1991 by local resident

Noelle Campbell-Sharp Noelle Campbell-Sharp (born 1943 in County Wexford) is an Irish artistic promoter, gallerist and philanthropist, formerly a journalist, editor and publisher of multiple Irish magazine titles. She operates an art gallery in Dublin, has been a memb ...

of Canuig House.

References

{{County Kerry Towns and villages in County Kerry Gaeltacht places in County Kerry Beaches of County Kerry Castles in County Kerry Augustinian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Gaeltacht towns and villages Iveragh Peninsula

Notable features

See also

References