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Fenit () is a small village in County Kerry,
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 ...
, located on north side of
Tralee Bay Tralee Bay ( gle, Loch Foirdhreamhain / Cuan Thrá Lí) is located in on the west coast of County Kerry, Ireland. It is situated between Kerry Head on the north side and the Maharees on the west and extends eastwards as far as the bridge at ...
about west of Tralee town, just south of the Shannon Estuary. The bay is enclosed from the Atlantic by the Maharee spit which extends northwards from the
Dingle peninsula The Dingle Peninsula ( ga, Corca Dhuibhne; anglicised as Corkaguiny, 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 ...
. Fenit harbour is a mixed function
sea port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
, where fishing, freight import and export, and a 136 berth marina are the main forms of business. As of the 2016 CSO census of Ireland, Fenit had a population of 538 people.


History

Saint Brendan Brendan of Clonfert (c. AD 484 - c.577), is one of the early Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is also referred to as Brendan the Navigator, Brendan the Voyager, Brendan the Anchorite, Brendan the Bold. The ...
, the navigator, was probably born north west of the village on
Fenit Island Fenit Island is a populated island, on the coast of County Kerry, connected to the mainland by a sandbar. Located in Tralee Bay, the island encloses Barrow Harbour. Historically, the area was called 'Fenit Within'. It is adjacent to the areas o ...
in close proximity to what is now Fenit harbour around 484, and is honoured by a large bronze monument in the harbour area. It has been suggested that Brendan arrived in the Americas prior to
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
but this has not been proven. Though Tim Severin demonstrated it is possible that a leather-clad boat such as the one described in the ''Navigatio'' could have potentially reached North America. In 1588, as the Spanish Armada dispersed, the sloop ''Nuestra Señora del Socorro'' (''Our Lady of the Socorro'') (75 tons) anchored at Fenit, in Tralee Bay and surrendered. The 24 men on board were taken into custody, marched to Tralee castle, and, after interrogation, executed. In the mid-19th century, the sailing ship ''
Jeanie Johnston ''Jeanie Johnston'' is a replica of a three masted barque that was originally built in Quebec, Canada, in 1847 by the Scottish-born shipbuilder John Munn. The replica ''Jeanie Johnston'' performs a number of functions: an ocean-going sail train ...
'' traded out of Tralee, transporting emigrants to the US and Canada and in 2000 a replica was built in Fenit harbour. A post office was opened in the village between 1883 and 1885 and postal services are still provided. Fenit is recorded as having cancelled paquebot mail. The village and environs were the scene of the ill-fated attempt of Roger Casement and cohorts to land arms at Banna Strand to aid the Easter Rising. Casement was landed from a German submarine, just north of the harbour in the early hours of 21 April 1916, but the ship, ''Aud Norge'', never landed at Fenit and was scuttled in Cork harbour by its German captain lest the British forces take possession of the arms cache. History repeated itself when in 1984, the ''Marita Ann'' a Fenit-registered boat, attempted a similar operation on behalf of the
Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...
. They were discovered by the authorities and arrested off the coast. This operation had the present TD for Kerry North,
Martin Ferris Martin Ferris (born 28 March 1952) is a former Irish Sinn Féin politician and former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 2002 to 2020. Early and personal life Ferris was born in Strand Stre ...
prosecuted for gun-running, convicted for the possession of explosive substances for unlawful purpose and for possession of firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life. Ferris served 10 years in prison. On 2 August 1922, during the Irish Civil War, Fenit was the scene of a major seaborne landing, from the ship '' Lady Wicklow'', by 450 Free State troops, as part of a civil war offensive to re-take Kerry and the
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
-held province of Munster. The republican forces had intended to blow up the pier if an attack was launched but the charges were rendered inoperable by unknown persons in an attempt to minimise damage to the port.


Harbour

The harbour at Fenit is the most westerly commercial port of Ireland and Europe. The port is owned by the Irish state and was operated under the 1946 Harbours Act by the Tralee and Fenit Pier and Harbour Commissioners until October 2011, when it became the responsibility of the Kerry County Council. Fenit is the only commercial port between
Foynes Foynes (; ) is a town and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 520 as of the 2016 census. Foynes's role as seap ...
on the River Shannon and Cork. It is located between Kerry Head to the north and Brandon Head to the south. The deep water port is a major asset to County Kerry and caters for vessels up to 17,000 Dwt. The Tralee Harbour Board was established in 1840. Commercial shipping started to use Blennerville, at the head of Tralee Bay, as the access point for the town of Tralee. Prior to this cargo for Tralee was transported through Barrow Harbour, a natural sea inlet, just north of Fenit. Barrow Harbour was, historically, the port used to service
Ardfert Ardfert () is a village in County Kerry, Ireland. Historically a religious centre, the economy of the locality is driven by agriculture and its position as a dormitory town, being only from Tralee. The population of the village was 749 at the 2 ...
, now a village but, in the monastic era, it was a major ecclesiastical centre with students and monks from many parts of Europe. In 1880, Fenit harbour was built and the Harbour Board took on the name "Tralee and Fenit Pier and Harbour Board". It has traditionally served as the merchants' port for Tralee. Coal, grain timber, etc., were landed during the 20th century with oil and cranes becoming the main cargo until the fuel distribution base was dismantled in the late 1990s. The main deep sea pier is 175m long with extensive storage facilities available. Regularly accommodating 15,000 tonne ships, the port is a very picturesque mixed use port with a marina, fishing and commercial ships. There are about 15 shipments per year. This is almost totally due to the export of container cranes manufactured by Liebherr's Irish subsidiary, based in Killarney, which are shipped all over the world. The port was a major port for landing fish in the 1970s. The local fishing industry has all but ceased due to EU quota limits and competition from larger fleets from Spain and France. Until 2006, French companies still used the port to land fish that were then transported directly to the European mainland. The
oil industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The larges ...
has, in the past, used Fenit as a base for their supply boats on several occasions when exploring off the west and southwest coast of Ireland.


Marina

Fenit Marina, built in 1997, largely with the aid of EU funding, is a 130-berth marina located at Fenit harbour and connected to the land by an 800m causeway and viaduct. The marina caters to leisure craft for boats from 6m to 15m in length with an approach depth of 5m which provides access at all tidal levels. The minimum depth of water is 3m.


Lighthouse

In 1851 a lighthouse was built on the little
Samphire Samphire is a name given to a number of succulent salt-tolerant plants ( halophytes) that tend to be associated with water bodies. *Rock samphire, ''Crithmum maritimum'' is a coastal species with white flowers that grows in Ireland, the Uni ...
island, located a few hundred meters west of Fenit pier. A large bronze sculpture of Saint Brendan was erected in 2004 on Great Samphire Island, the rock around which the harbour was built. This island has been utilised as part of the port development and its name se'Great Samphire Island' appears to refer to the height when compared to its much flatter twin, Little Samphire Island. ("Samphire" is a small flowering plant used in cookery and lends its name to the twin islands in the bay.)


Transport


Railway

A railway once serviced Fenit and freight trains travelled over the viaduct to transfer freight between ship and train. In 1887 the railway line was built, but by the 1970s the service ceased. Fenit railway station opened on 5 July 1887, closed for passenger traffic on 31 December 1934 though it was still used for ad hoc day-tripper excursions from Tralee and closed for goods traffic until 2 June 1978.


Bus services

On Fridays Bus Éireann route 278 provides two journeys from Fenit to
Tralee Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in Count ...
and one return journey.
CIÉ Córas Iompair Éireann (''Irish Transport Company''), or CIÉ, is a statutory corporation of Ireland, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for most public transport within the republic and jointly with its Northern Ireland counter ...
used to operate three buses per day in and out of Fenit in the 1980s. Bus services are virtually non-existent and primarily service the school-going populace during term time.


Road network

The R551 and R558 roads lead to Tralee. Kerry Regional Airport is approximately thirty minutes away. Both Shannon and Cork airports take about a two hours car journey.


List of craft associated with Tralee Bay

*Saint Brendan's Sailing Boat(s): North America reached by Irish sailors prior to Vikings and Christopher Columbus * ''Nuestra Señora del Socorro'': Ship from Spanish Armada arrested in Tralee Bay * ''Jeanie Johnston'' – original: Tralee-owned emigrant ship, mid-19th century * The '' SS Libau'' – a German ship sailing under the name ''Aud'' which carried guns for 1916 revolution * : British warship used to arrest "Aud Norge" * : German U Boat that brought Roger Casement to Ireland * : Merchant ship used by Irish Free State Army to land troops on Fenit Pier * '' Nonoalca'': Small yacht sailed singlehanded from America. * MV ''Valhalla'': Merchant ship used in attempt to bring arms from USA to Fenit * '' Marita Ann'': Fenit trawler used in attempt to land arms from USA * LE ''Deirdre'': One of three Irish Navy ships used to prevent landing of arms at Fenit * LE ''Emer'': One of three Irish Navy ships used to prevent landing of arms at Fenit * LE ''Aisling'': One of three Irish Navy ships used to prevent landing of arms at Fenit * ''
Jeanie Johnston ''Jeanie Johnston'' is a replica of a three masted barque that was originally built in Quebec, Canada, in 1847 by the Scottish-born shipbuilder John Munn. The replica ''Jeanie Johnston'' performs a number of functions: an ocean-going sail train ...
'' – reconstruction: Reconstruction sailing ship built in Blennerville, Tralee and Fenit


Other features

Fenit Castle, a tower house, was built in the 16th century to protect the entrance to Barrow Harbour. This was built by the FitzMaurice clan and still commands a dominant position over the surrounding landscape. Other notable buildings include the customs house, now derelict, the redbrick RIC barracks buildings, now private houses, the stone built lifeboat house that is now disused. The large estate of ''Fenit House'' and its grounds dominate the village on the shore-side of the main road into the village. Formerly the Fuller's and Hurley estate, it was built in 1910. Tralee Golf Club had their original course situated on Fenit island at the end of the 19th century, and it now exists across the straits of Barrow Harbour, having also been located at two venues in Tralee; Mounthawk and Lis Beg, Oakpark in the interim. Recreational
angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techni ...
is a common activity in Fenit, where many visitors fish from the viaduct. Tralee Bay Sea Angling Club, the largest angling club in Ireland, have their clubhouse on the marina breakwater in the harbour. Tralee Bay Sailing Club have a slipway and clubhouse building on a prominent point overlooking the harbour and bay. The local soccer team now bears the name 'Fenit Samphires', which were established in 1994. The local Gaelic football team, Churchill GAA, includes members from Fenit village, the townland of Churchill, and the adjacent village of Spa.


See also

*
List of marinas This is a list of marinas in various countries. Albania * Orikum Marina, Orikum, Vlore Australia New South Wales * Sydney ** Empire Marina Bobbin Head **Akuna Bay Marina ** Berowra Waters ** Blakehurst Marina ** Woolwich Marina ** Cabarit ...
*
List of RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) stations are the bases for the RNLI's fleet of search and rescue lifeboats that cover the coastal waters around the entire British Isles, as well as major inland waterways. The service was establi ...
* List of towns and villages in Ireland.


References


External links


Fenit lifeboat history
RNLI
Disused Fenit railway station



Fenit Harbour
{{County Kerry Port cities and towns in the Republic of Ireland Towns and villages in County Kerry Geography of County Kerry Buildings and structures in County Kerry Marinas in the Republic of Ireland Tralee