Tarbert (, from an

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...

term meaning "draw-boat", i.e.

portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

) is a town in the north of

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 ...

, with woodland to the south and the

Shannon estuary The Shannon Estuary ( gle, Inbhear na Sionainne) is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to th ...

to the north. It lies on the N69 coast road that runs along the estuary from

Limerick 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 ...

before turning inland at Tarbert towards

Listowel Listowel ( ; , IPA: �lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the Central Statistics Of ...

, and has two schools Tarbert Primary and Tarbert Comprehensive.

Tarbert Island

The nearby island is linked to the mainland by a short

isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmu ...

– the site of the boat portage that gave its name to both the island and the town. There is a car ferry service from the island to the town of

Killimer __NOTOC__ Killimer () is a village in County Clare, Ireland, in a civil parish of the same name. It is located on the northern bank of the Shannon and the N67 which passes through the village. Location The village is the northern port of the Kil ...

, near

Kilrush Kilrush () is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is also the name of a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. ...

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

. This service, operated by Shannon Ferries, provides a link between the N69 in Kerry and the N67 in Clare. Also on the island is a small

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

and an electricity plant with four oil-fired turbines and a capacity of 640MW. This plant, opened in 1969, was the site of an explosion in 2003 that killed two workers and seriously injured another. The plant was due to be de-commissioned in 2010, with the loss of 130 jobs. However, the plant was purchased by Spanish power company

Endesa Endesa, S.A. (, originally an initialism for ''Empresa Nacional de Electricidad, S.A''.) is a Spanish multinational electric utility company, the largest in the country. The firm, a majority-owned subsidiary of the Italian utility company Enel, ...

in January 2009 securing the jobs for up to 75% of the staff and the remaining 25% will be redeployed within the ESB. The new owners plan to convert the plant to

gas turbine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directi ...

s by 2012.

Population

Tarbert Bridewell

The Tarbert Bridewell is a former courthouse and prison situated in the village. Built in 1831, it was used for trying local court cases and for holding prisoners awaiting transfer to the County Jail in

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 County ...

. The jail closed in 1874 but the courthouse continued in use until the 1950s. In 1993 the complex was reopened as a museum and visitor centre.

Tarbert Lighthouse

Tarbert Lighthouse came into operation on 31 March 1834 H.T.L.H Tarbert Island lighthouse is still operational today. This is a harbour light to guide vessels passing up and down the Shannon estuary. The lighthouse is built on a tidal rock on the north side of Tarbert Island and a cast iron bridge connects the lighthouse to the shore.

Fort Shannon

Fort Shannon was a coastal artillery fortress, near Tarbert, built by the

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...

in 1942 to protect the River Shannon against hostile warships during The Emergency (as

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

was known in Ireland). It was the only such fortress to have been built by the Irish Government since independence. It was reduced to a care and maintenance basis in 1946 and completely abandoned several years later. Tarbert Comprehensive School

Tarbert House

Tarbert House Tarbert House is located in Tarbert, County Kerry, Ireland. History The house dates from 1690. This Georgian era house in the Queen Anne style architecture was built by John Leslie. It remains the Leslie family home to this day, and is occasio ...

is a historic country house dating from 1690. It was built by the Leslie family, and is still owned by them. Prendiville, Norma ''Leinster Leader'' 26 August 2013

References

External links

The Tarbert Community Website

Tarbert Bridewell
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Kerry Power stations in the Republic of Ireland