Beaufort () is a small village that lies on the banks of the River Laune in County Kerry, in the southwest of

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 consists of a post office, three

public houses 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 ...

, one supermarket, parish hall, guest houses and thirty private houses. As of the 2016 census, the population was 251. Beaufort sits at the foot of Ireland's highest mountain Carrantuohill. Edward Day,

Archdeacon of Ardfert The Archdeacon of Ardfert was a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Anglican Diocese of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe from the early thirteenth century to the early twentieth. As such he was responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the ...

from 1782, lived here until his death in 1808. His estate later passed to his nephew, the Reverend John Robert Fitzgerald-Day, who lived at Beaufort from the 1840s to his death in 1881. In 1911, Kalem Company, an American moving-picture company spent several weeks in the village shooting films. Among the company: the director

Sidney Olcott Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott, September 20, 1872 – December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great direc ...

, actress

Gene Gauntier Gene Gauntier (born Genevieve Gauntier Liggett, August 26, 1885 – December 18, 1966) was an American screenwriter and actress who was one of the pioneers of the motion picture industry. A writer, director, and actress in films from mid 190 ...

Alice Hollister Alice Hollister (born Rosalie Alice Amélie Berger, September 28, 1886 – February 24, 1973) was an American silent film actress who appeared in around 90 films between 1910 and 1925. She is known for her roles in movies such as '' From the Ma ...

and actors

Jack J. Clark Jack J. Clark (September 23, 1879 – April 12, 1947) was an American director and actor of the early motion picture industry. Biography Clark was born on September 23, 1879, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was persuaded to enter motion pictur ...

Robert Vignola Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, August 7, 1882 – October 25, 1953) was an Italian-American actor, screenwriter, and film director. A former stage actor, he appeared in many motion pictures produced by Kalem Company and later m ...

, JP McGowan, the cinematographer

George K. Hollister George K. Hollister (March 7, 1873 – March 28, 1952) was an American pioneer cinematographer. Biography Born in New York City, New York, little is known of his background. In 1905 he married a nineteen-year-old girl named Alice Hollister from W ...

. The first film was '' Rory O'More''. This was followed by '' The Colleen Bawn'' and ''

Arrah-na-Pogue ''Arrah-na-Pogue'', also known as ''Arrah-na-Pogue; or the Wicked Wedding'', is a play in 3 acts by Dion Boucicault. Along with ''The Colleen Bawn'' (1860) and ''The Shaughraun'' (1874), it is considered one of the three major Irish plays penned ...

'', which were adapted from Dion Boucicault's plays. Olcott returned to Beaufort each summer until 1914. He rented the hotel owned by Patrick O'Sullivan who also owned a pub, which still exists today: The Beaufort Bar.

Historical sites

Over 100 historical sites have been identified and mapped in the area including the Dunloe Ogham Stones, two castle ruins, and Dunloe Castle, built in 1207. The ruins of two ancient churches still stand in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

today. One, situated in Kilgobnet in O'Sheas Land and associated with St. Gobnait, the other in Churchtown burial ground, which is more than five centuries old.

Ballymalis Castle Ballymalis Castle is a tower house and National Monument located in County Kerry, Ireland. Location Ballymalis Castle is located northwest of Beaufort, on the north bank of the River Laune, near its confluence with the River Gaddagh. The Ri ...

, located 4 km to the northwest of Beaufort, is a National Monument. The Beaufort Bridge over the River Laune was built in 1837.

References

External links

''Les films irlandais de Sidney Olcott''
website dedicated to Sidney Olcott

County Kerry Towns and villages in County Kerry