Beaufort () is a small village that lies on the banks of the

River Laune The River Laune (; Irish: ''An Leamhain'') is a river in County Kerry, Ireland, which flows from Lough Leane (sometimes written as Lough Lein), one of the Lakes of Killarney, through Beaufort, past Ballymalis Castle, through the town of Killo ...

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 ...

, in the southwest of

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 consists of a post office, three

public houses A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, one supermarket,

parish hall A church hall or parish hall is a room or building associated with a church, generally for community and charitable use.

, guest houses and thirty private houses. As of the 2016 census, the population was 251. Beaufort sits at the foot of Ireland's highest mountain Carrantuohill. Edward Day,

Archdeacon of Ardfert The Archdeacon of Ardfert was a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Anglican Diocese of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe from the early thirteenth century to the early twentieth. As such he was responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the ...

from 1782, lived here until his death in 1808. His estate later passed to his nephew, the Reverend John Robert Fitzgerald-Day, who lived at Beaufort from the 1840s to his death in 1881. In 1911, Kalem Company, an American moving-picture company spent several weeks in the village shooting films. Among the company: the director

Sidney Olcott Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott, September 20, 1872 – December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great direc ...

, actress

Gene Gauntier Gene Gauntier (born Genevieve Gauntier Liggett, August 26, 1885 – December 18, 1966) was an American screenwriter and actress who was one of the pioneers of the motion picture industry. A writer, director, and actress in films from mid 1906 ...

Alice Hollister Alice Hollister (born Rosalie Alice Amélie Berger, September 28, 1886 – February 24, 1973) was an American silent film actress who appeared in around 90 films between 1910 and 1925. She is known for her roles in movies such as ''From the Man ...

and actors

Jack J. Clark Jack J. Clark (September 23, 1879 – April 12, 1947) was an American director and actor of the early motion picture industry. Biography Clark was born on September 23, 1879, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was persuaded to enter motion pictur ...

Robert Vignola Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, August 7, 1882 – October 25, 1953) was an Italian-American actor, screenwriter, and film director. A former stage actor, he appeared in many motion pictures produced by Kalem Company and later m ...

, JP McGowan, the cinematographer

George K. Hollister George K. Hollister (March 7, 1873 – March 28, 1952) was an American pioneer cinematographer. Biography Born in New York City, New York, little is known of his background. In 1905 he married a nineteen-year-old girl named Alice Hollister from W ...

. The first film was ''

Rory O'More Rory O'More, also known as Rory Oge O'More ( ga, Ruairí Óg Ó Mórdha) (died 1578), was the Irish lord of what became Laois. Family background Rory O'More was the second son of Ruairí Ó Mórdha, Captain of Leix, and Margaret, daughter of ...

''. This was followed by ''

The Colleen Bawn ''The Colleen Bawn, or The Brides of Garryowen'' is a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Laura Keene's Theatre, New York, on 27 March 1860 with Laura Keene playing Anne Chute and Boucicau ...

'' and ''

Arrah-na-Pogue ''Arrah-na-Pogue'', also known as ''Arrah-na-Pogue; or the Wicked Wedding'', is a play in 3 acts by Dion Boucicault. Along with ''The Colleen Bawn'' (1860) and ''The Shaughraun'' (1874), it is considered one of the three major Irish plays penned ...

'', which were adapted from

Dion Boucicault Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...

's plays. Olcott returned to Beaufort each summer until 1914. He rented the hotel owned by Patrick O'Sullivan who also owned a pub, which still exists today: The Beaufort Bar.

Historical sites

Over 100 historical sites have been identified and mapped in the area including the

Dunloe Ogham Stones Dunloe Ogham Stones (CIIC 197–203, 241) is a collection of ogham stones forming a National Monument located in County Kerry, Ireland. Location Dunloe Ogham Stones are located 1 km south of Beaufort, to the south of the River Laune ...

, two castle ruins, and Dunloe Castle, built in 1207. The ruins of two ancient churches still stand in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

today. One, situated in Kilgobnet in O'Sheas Land and associated with St. Gobnait, the other in Churchtown burial ground, which is more than five centuries old.

Ballymalis Castle Ballymalis Castle is a tower house and National Monument located in County Kerry, Ireland. Location Ballymalis Castle is located northwest of Beaufort, on the north bank of the River Laune, near its confluence with the River Gaddagh. The Ri ...

, located 4 km to the northwest of Beaufort, is a National Monument. The Beaufort Bridge over the River Laune was built in 1837.

References

External links

''Les films irlandais de Sidney Olcott''
website dedicated to Sidney Olcott

County Kerry Towns and villages in County Kerry