Cromane () is a village located in

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is west of

Killorglin Killorglin () is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. As of the 2022 census, the town's population was 2,163. Killorglin is on the Ring of Kerry tourist route, and annual events include the August Puck Fair festival, which starts with the crownin ...

town and a similar distance to the village of

Glenbeigh Glenbeigh or Glanbehy () is a village and civil parish on the Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The parish includes Rossbeigh beach, Coomasahran Lake and a number of important rock art sites. Owing to its natural heritage, history a ...

when travelling south-west.

Location

Cromane is located in the centre of Kerry with views of the

Dingle Peninsula The Dingle Peninsula (; anglicised as Corkaguiny or Corcaguiny, the name of the corresponding barony) is the northernmost of the major peninsulas in County Kerry. It ends beyond the town of Dingle at Dunmore Head, the westernmost point of m ...

to the north and the

Iveragh Peninsula The Iveragh Peninsula () is located in County Kerry in Republic of Ireland, 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 hig ...

westwards. Cromane is one of the few locations in Kerry where there is a 360-degree view of the Brandon Mountain Range, the Sliabh Mis Mountains and

MacGillycuddy's Reeks MacGillycuddy's Reeks () is a sandstone and siltstone mountain range in the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. Stretching , from the Gap of Dunloe in the east, to Glencar, County Kerry, Glencar in the west, the Reeks is Ireland's high ...

, home to Ireland's highest mountain Corrán Tuathail.

History

A little unknown local history is that 180 years ago, a 10 tonne piece of Spanish marble destined for use in the nearby church in

fell into the waters a short distance from Cromane strand.

Industry

Cromane is a traditional salmon fishing village. However, since the mid-20th Century, the village has blossomed into a centre for aquaculture. Ireland's largest natural mussel beds are located in Castlemaine Harbour. These beds are within easy reach of Cromane's fleet of mussel dredgers. Over the past two decades, Cromane has also grown as a base for growing oysters. The award-winning Jack's Coastguard Restaurant is located in Cromane's former Coastguard Station that overlooks Castlemaine Harbour. The building that houses the current bar and restaurant was built in 1866 and was turned into a public house in 1961.

Sport

Gaelic football

Cromane has a GAA club called Réalt na Mara (a name shared by the village's Church and primary school). Between 2006 and 2014 two Cromane GAA players,

Donnchadh Walsh Donnchadh Walsh (born 3 July 1984) is an Irish Gaelic footballer. He is a midfielder and forward and plays for his local Cromane club, the Mid Kerry divisional side and, formerly, at senior level for the Kerry county team, which he played for ...

and Sean O'Sullivan, won senior

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...

medals with the Kerry county team. Cromane also has a ladies football team.

Rowing

Cromane has a rowing club, in operation since 1956, that is part of the Kerry Coastal Rowing Association and the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation. One of the most popular races that the club competes in is the traditional Seine boat race featuring crews of 12 oarsmen (two men to an oar) with a cox guiding them. The history of the Seine boat was one of fishing, specifically for mackerel, and fishermen used a seine-net. Seine boat racing is unique to South Kerry and the Cromane crew traditionally competes against those from Cahersiveen, Kells, Valentia, Portmagee, Ballinskelligs, Caherdaniel, Templenoe, and Sneem, among others. Every year, during the summer, Cromane hosts its annual regatta that features races for all ages from under-12s up to the adult Seine boat competition.

Notable people

John McCarthy John McCarthy may refer to: Government * John George MacCarthy (1829–1892), Member of Parliament for Mallow constituency, 1874–1880 * John McCarthy (Irish politician) (1862–1893), Member of Parliament for the Mid Tipperary constituency, ...

, American computer scientist and cognitive scientist. His father came from Cromane. John McCarthy was one of the founders of the discipline of

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

. * Sean O'Sullivan, won four All-Ireland medals with the Kerry senior football team. He played inter-county football from 2002 until 2012. *

, won three All-Ireland medals with the Kerry senior football team. He played inter-county football from 2003 until 2018.

References

{{County Kerry Towns and villages in County Kerry