Fahamore () 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 orig ...
and small hamlet/village on the
Maharees
Maharees or Magharees ( or ''Na Machairí'') is a 5 km long tombolo located on the northern side of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.
Fenit Harbour, the main port of County Kerry, is sheltered from large Atlantic swells by ...
peninsula in
County Kerry. It consists of about 50 houses and one pub, Spillane's. Fahamore was historically much more populated than it is now as evidenced by two old schoolhouses in the village, one dating from 1849 and the other from 1911.
Fahamore is located on the shore of
Brandon Bay and is a centre for
diving
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
,
surfing,
windsurfing
Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...
and
sea bass
Sea bass is a common name for a variety of different species of marine fish. Many fish species of various families have been called sea bass.
In Ireland and the United Kingdom, the fish sold and consumed as sea bass is exclusively the European ...
fishing. It is also a centre for
currach
A currach ( ) is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, though now canvas is more usual. It is sometimes anglicised as "curragh".
The construction and design of the currach are unique ...
building, and currachs are still used locally, including at the local fishing harbour at
Scraggane
Scraggane () is a fishing port located on the Maharees peninsula near Castlegregory in County Kerry, Ireland.
The main local catch consists of lobster, flat-back crab, spider crab, Atlantic crayfish, Atlantic salmon and mackerel. Scr ...
.
History
There is evidence of prehistoric settlement at the cliff face at Fahamore in the form of shell middens. A survey of the middens can be found in the book "Archaeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula".
Local oral histories tell of a night in 1839, known as the
Night of the Big Wind
The Night of the Big Wind ( ga, Oíche na Gaoithe Móire) was a powerful European windstorm that swept across what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, beginning on the afternoon of 6 January 1839, causing severe damage to pr ...
, when there was a particularly bad storm.
A three masted sailing ship, the ''Charger'', carrying a cargo of deal,
was wrecked in Carralougha in 1890 - the remains of the ship's boilers are still in evidence on the rocks near Fahamore at low tide.
A sea wall was built, probably in the 19th century, to prevent
coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landwa ...
- it had limited success, as it now lies in pieces about 20m from the cliff edge - in the 1990s rock armour was put in place by
Kerry County Council
Kerry County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chiarraí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Kerry, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and ...
to protect the coast from Fahamore southwards for a distance of about two kilometers.
A list of local placenames and their origins is contained in the book "Triocha Cead Corca Dhuibhne" by
Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha
Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (; 10 March 1883 – 19 November 1964) and his brother Mícheál Ó Siochfhradha were Irish language writers, teachers and storytellers, from County Kerry, Ireland.
Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha wrote under the Gaelic pen-na ...
(''An Seabhac'').
The original Irish name of Fahamore, ''An Fhaiche Mhór'', means the 'Big Green'. This is believed to be a reference to the big open green area in front of Spillane's bar.
Geography
![Brandon Bay (geograph 4666573)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Brandon_Bay_%28geograph_4666573%29.jpg)
Villages near Fahamore (i.e. on the Maharees peninsula) include Cutteen, Garrywilliam, Barr na Duiche, Ceann Duiche and Kilshanig. Access to the beach at Brandon Bay is via the Point Gap and Maherabeg Cut.
Economy
Fishing
The pier at Fahamore (situated on the western side of Scraggane Bay) is used during the summer months by the local fishing fleet, which consists of around 20 half-decked and decked boats in the range 7–15 metres. Species fished include the European lobster (''
Homarus gammarus
''Homarus gammarus'', known as the European lobster or common lobster, is a species of clawed lobster from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea. It is closely related to the American lobster, ''H. ameri ...
''),
spiny lobster
Spiny lobsters, also known as langustas, langouste, or rock lobsters, are a family (Palinuridae) of about 60 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia. Spiny lobsters are also, especially in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, So ...
or crayfish,
spider crab
The Majoidea are a superfamily of crabs which includes the various spider crabs.
Taxonomy
In "''A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans''" De Grave and colleagues divided Majoidea into six families:
* Family Epialti ...
,
edible crab
''Cancer pagurus'', commonly known as the edible crab or brown crab, is a species of crab found in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and perhaps the Mediterranean Sea. It is a robust crab of a reddish-brown colour, having an oval carapace with ...
, and
Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar''). In the winter there is a managed fishery in Tralee Bay for the European oyster (''
Ostrea edulis
''Ostrea edulis'', commonly known as the European flat oyster, is a species of oyster native to Europe. In Britain and Ireland, regional names include Colchester native oyster, mud oyster, or edible oyster. In France, ''Ostrea edulis'' are known ...
'').
Fishing methods include pots and tangle nets for crabs, lobsters and crayfish and monofilament drift nets for salmon. Shellfish are typically stored in large wooden "storeboxes", which are moored in Scraggane Bay, until the day of selling, when they are transferred to "vivier" trucks for live export to Spain and France.
The "fish pond" at Kilshanig, which was originally intended to store lobsters, is now used as an abalone farm.
Agriculture
The fields around Fahamore are cultivated with vegetables including carrots, parsnips, swedes and onions, which thrive in the sandy soil. There has is also some dairying activity and raising of cattle for beef.
Tourism
Tourism is a contributor to the local economy, through holiday home rentals, pubs and restaurants, surfing, windsurfing, scuba diving, walking and sea angling.
Fahamore is also a centre for
currach
A currach ( ) is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, though now canvas is more usual. It is sometimes anglicised as "curragh".
The construction and design of the currach are unique ...
(or
naomhóg) building, and currachs are still used as both fishing boats and trawler tenders at the local fishing harbour on
Scraggane Bay. Fahamore hosts a currach racing regatta every July where teams from the western seaboard of Ireland (from Kerry to Galway) compete in the All-Ireland Currach racing series.
Flora and fauna
Rabbits abound around Fahamore, as do rats, mice and the odd fox and badger. Local birds include seabirds (including several species of seagull, shags, cormorants, and gannets), larks, starlings, curlews, crows, ravens, garden birds such as sparrows, robins and finches, and wading birds such as the heron. The swallow is a common visitor in the summer months.
Marine mammals including seals and dolphins are sometimes seen. Fish include sea bass, mullet, pollack, wrasse, dogfish, sea trout, flounder, plaice and ray. Shellfish found in the intertidal zone at Fahamore include mussels, limpets, periwinkles and whelks, as well as several species of crab, including shore, velvet and hermit.
Lugworms are found in the sand and their casts may be seen at low tide. They are frequently dug by local anglers and used as bait for bass fishing. Seaweeds include kelp, several varieties of wrack (including bladder and serrated), dilisc (or dulse), agar, sea grass, sea lettuce and carrageen moss.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{County Kerry
Towns and villages in County Kerry
Townlands of County Kerry