Garrykennedy (''Garraí Uí Chinnéide'' in

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 ...

) 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 ...

, settlement and harbour in the historical

Barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Owney and Arra Owney and Arra (Irish: ''Uaithne agus Ara'') is a barony in County Tipperary, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town is Newport. The barony lies between Ormond Lower to the north (whose ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

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 is located on the eastern shore of Lough Derg, 2 km north of

Portroe Portroe () is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. The village is located on the R494 regional road, 3 km from the eastern shore of Lough Derg and 10 km west of the town of Nenagh. Portroe spans the townlands of Garrykennedy, Glenc ...

Buildings and structures of note

Garrykennedy Castle, a ruined

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

located beside the water was once an

O'Kennedy The O'Kennedy family (Irish: ''Ó Cinnéide''), sometimes Kennedy, were an Irish royal dynasty, a sept of the Dál gCais, founded in the Middle Ages who were Kings of Ormond. Their founder was the nephew of High King Brian Boru (1002–1014). ...

clan home built in the 15th Century. By the mid-17th Century the castle was already a ruin. The harbour was once important for transporting goods, particularly

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

from nearby mines. The present

quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...

, built about 1780 is classified as being of Architectural, Archaeological and Technical interest but is now a leisure facility with a modern

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

nearby. Cruisers are particularly attracted here by the local

pub 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 ...

s, known for their food and music. The older harbour has many abandoned boats there.

Recreation

Garrykennedy

is a popular spot for tourists to park their boats. The Harbour has two

mooring A mooring is any permanent structure to which a vessel may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to forestall free movement of the ship on the water. An ''anc ...

spots, a pumpout, a service block and a

slipway A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...

. Garrykennedy has a sailing club which organises races and social events during the summer. There is also a Fishing Club, which holds fishing competitions and has a policy to encourage young people into the sport. It is also active in stream rehabilitation projects in the area. Garrykennedy Duck Sanctuary is located near the quay. The

Lough Derg Way The Lough Derg Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is long and begins in Limerick City and ends in Dromineer, County Tipperary. It is typically completed in three days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Tra ...

, a

long-distance trail A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents excep ...

begins in

Limerick City Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 c ...

and passes through Garrykennedy on its way to

Dromineer Dromineer The earliest form of the name dating from 1302 was Dromynwyr 4() is a small village and townland in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is situated on the shores of Lough Derg on the River Shannon. The village is located 10 km north ...

. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the

Irish Sports Council Sport Ireland ( ga, Spórt Éireann), formerly the Irish Sports Council, is a statutory authority that oversees, and partly funds, the development of sport within Ireland. It is located at the National Sports Campus in the townland of Sheephill ...

and is managed by

Shannon Development Shannon Development (legally the ''Shannon Free Airport Development Company Limited'' formerly known as SFADCO) was an important regional development body for the Shannon Region of Ireland. Its area in the lower River Shannon basin comprised al ...

Tipperary County Council Tipperary County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Thiobraid Árann) is the authority responsible for Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local government in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It came into operation on 3 June ...

and Tipperary Integrated Development Company. The trail was reconfigured and relaunched in 2011 with many sections taken off-road aided by an investment of €115,000 under the Comhairle na Tuaithe Walks Scheme, which supports landowners to maintain trails that cross their land. The trail connects with the

East Clare Way The East Clare Way is a long-distance trail in County Clare, Ireland. It is a long circular route that begins and ends in Killaloe. It is typically completed in eight days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trail ...

at Killaoe. There is a signposted walk through the nearby woods and more unmarked trails. A small rocky shore often referred to as the ''flat rocks'' or ''slippy rock'' is on the walk. There are also wooden sculptures in the forest and chairs made out of chopped down trees. In 2020 the pathways have had new bridges, steps and concrete and tarmac. Changes have been made to make it more wheelchair accessible, thus improving the quality of the forest. There is a playground in the harbour made out of wood and multiple barbeque spots for families to cook food.

Housing and settlements

Most of the population is near the harbour.

Nature and geography

The area is mostly flat with slopes gradually rising towards the

Arra Mountains The Arra Mountains or Arra Hills (Irish: ''Sliabh an Ara'') are situated in County Tipperary in Ireland, between the towns of Nenagh and Ballina, south east of Lough Derg (Shannon) and north of the M7 Motorway. The highest summit is Tountinna (' ...

. Two streams flow into Lough Derg on each side of the village. Garrykennedy forest has mixture of trees but mostly contains

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

. The shore is home to many waterfowl and the forest is home to many small mammals. A family of

swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

s live on the shore and lay eggs on islands nearby. Some

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

s live at the shore as well. A

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

and a

cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...

can be spotted on the lake. There is a small spring in the forest and the shore has small rocks scattered all around. Garrykennedy view of Lough Derg

References

Works Cited

* {{Coord, 52.9050597, N, 8.3452611, W, display=title Townlands of County Tipperary Populated places on the River Shannon