Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the

county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

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 ...

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 Kerry. The town's population (including suburbs) was 23,691 census, thus making it the eighth largest town, and 14th largest urban settlement, in Ireland. Tralee is well known for the Rose of Tralee International Festival, which has been held annually in August since 1959.

History

Situated at the confluence of some small rivers and adjacent to marshy ground at the head of Tralee Bay, Tralee is located at the base of an ancient roadway that heads south over the Slieve Mish Mountains. On this old track is located a large boulder sometimes called

Scotia's Grave Scotia's Grave ( ga, Gleann Scoṫín , translation=Glen of Scotia) is an area just south of Tralee in County Kerry beside the Finglas rivulet in Trughanacmy. It marks what is reputed to be the grave of Scotia, a daughter of an Egyptian Pharao ...

, reputedly the burial place of an Egyptian Pharaoh's daughter. Anglo-Normans founded the town in the 13th century, which became a stronghold of the

Earls of Desmond Earl of Desmond is a title in the peerage of Ireland () created four times. When the powerful Earl of Desmond took arms against Queen Elizabeth Tudor, around 1578, along with the King of Spain and the Pope, he was confiscated from his estates, s ...

, who built a castle. John Fitz-Thomas FitzGerald founded the monastery of the

Dominican order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

and was buried there in 1260.Genealogical and Family History of Northern New York The medieval town was burnt in 1580 in retribution for the

Desmond Rebellions The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster. They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the Fitzmaurice/FitzGerald Dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines an ...

against

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

. Elizabeth I in 1587 granted Tralee to Edward Denny and it was recognised in 1613 by

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, b ...

. Sir Edward was the first of the Dennys to settle in Tralee; the Dennys did not occupy the castle of the Earls of Desmond until 1627 but lived instead at Carrignafeela Castle. Sir Edward's son was Arthur Denny, in whose lifetime the town's charter was granted by King James, containing the right to elect two members of parliament. The third English settler, another Sir Edward, married Ruth Roper, whose father Thomas Roper was the lease holder of the Herbert estate centred on Castleisland. This Sir Edward was a royalist. He fought for the King in the wars of 1641. He died in 1646, before the triumph of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...

over affairs in England and Ireland. He granted "the circuit of the Abbey" to the corporation set up under the charter, in return for the fees of the town clerk. His son Arthur Denny married Ellen Barry, granddaughter of Richard Boyle. The latter held many land titles in West Kerry and also claimed property in Tralee.

Sir Edward Denny, 4th Baronet Sir Edward Denny, 4th Baronet (2 October 1796 – 13 June 1889) was an Anglo-Irish baronet and composer of hymns. Life He was the eldest son of Sir Edward Denny, 3rd Baronet and Elizabeth Day, daughter of the Hon. Robert Day, judge of the Cour ...

was a notable landlord in his day: during the time of the Great Famine, he maintained rents to suit his tenants, when other landowners increased them. He was a notable Plymouth Brother. The modern layout of Tralee was created in the 19th century. Denny Street, a wide Georgian street, was completed in 1826 on the site of the old castle. A monument commemorating the

1798 rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...

plus the rebellions of 1803, 1848 and 1867 – a statue of a Pikeman – stands in Denny Street. First unveiled in 1905, the original Pikeman stood until the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

. In 1921 the

Black and Tans Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

dragged it from its pedestal and destroyed it. In June 1939 a replacement Pikeman was installed, created by renowned Dublin sculptor Albert Power and unveiled by

Maud Gonne Maud Gonne MacBride ( ga, Maud Nic Ghoinn Bean Mhic Giolla Bhríghde; 21 December 1866 – 27 April 1953) was an English-born Irish republican revolutionary, suffragette and actress. Of Anglo-Irish descent, she was won over to Irish nationalism ...

Tralee Courthouse Tralee Courthouse is a judicial facility in Ashe Street, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. History The courthouse, which was designed by William Vitruvius Morrison in the neoclassical style and built in ashlar stone, was completed in 1834. The des ...

was designed by William Vitruvius Morrison and built in 1834. It has a monument of two cannons commemorating those Kerrymen who died in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

(1854–56) and the

Indian Rebellion The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

(1857). Ballymullen Barracks was the depot of the

Royal Munster Fusiliers The Royal Munster Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1922. It traced its origins to the East India Company's Bengal European Regiment raised in 1652, which later became the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Beng ...

Tralee Ship Canal, Blennerville - geograph

The

Tralee Ship Canal The Tralee Ship Canal () is a canal built for freight and passenger transportation from Tralee Bay to the town of Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. The canal fell into disuse in the mid-20th century but has since been restored. History The Tral ...

was built to accommodate larger ships sailing into Tralee, as the existing quay in

Blennerville Blennerville (, meaning "the seat/home of the Morans") is a small village and now a suburb of Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. It is approximately west of the town centre on the N86 road to Dingle, where the River Lee enters Tralee Bay. The vill ...

was becoming blocked due to silting. The

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

authorised an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliame ...

in June 1829 for the canal, with work beginning in 1832. Issues with funding meant that the canal was not completed until 1846 when it was opened. The canal was 2 miles long with a new canal basin built in Tralee, and

lock gates A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water lev ...

and a wooden

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

constructed in Blennerville. However, not long after the canal opened, it too began to suffer from silting. By the 1880s,

Fenit Fenit () is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland, located on north side of Tralee Bay 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 ...

Harbour was built as a deepwater harbour; it did not suffer from silting. A railway line was constructed between the harbour and Tralee to carry cargo and freight from ships moored there. The canal fell into disuse and neglect, and was finally closed by the mid-20th century. Following the restoration of

Blennerville Windmill The Blennerville Windmill is a 21.30 m high, stone, reefing stage, windmill in Blennerville, Co. Kerry, Ireland. The mill has five floors, ground floor, intermediate floor, grinding floor, stone floor and cap floor. History The mill was buil ...

in the early 1990s, local authorities planned restoration of the canal for use as a tourist attraction. In 1999 the Office of Public Works (OPW) started a restoration project of the canal at a cost of IR£650,000. The basin area of the canal was subsequently redeveloped with apartments blocks built as part of a proposed marina. The

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport w ...

along the canal was upgraded and is now used by people as an enjoyable amenity as part of the Dingle Way. The Dominican church of the Holy Cross was designed by the Irish Gothic Revival architect George Ashlin in 1866 and built by 1871.

War of Independence and Civil War

Tralee saw much violence during the

and

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

in 1919–1923. In November 1920, the

besieged Tralee in revenge for the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...

(IRA) abduction and killing of two

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

(RIC) men. The Tans closed all the businesses in the town and did not let any food in for a week. They burned several houses and all businesses connected with IRA activists. In the course of the week, they shot dead three local people. The events caused a major international outcry as the press reported that near-famine conditions were prevailing in Tralee by the end of the week. In August 1922 during the Irish Civil War,

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

troops landed at nearby

and took Tralee from its Anti-Treaty garrison. Nine pro-Treaty and three anti-Treaty soldiers were killed in fighting in the town before the anti-Treaty forces withdrew. The Republicans continued a guerrilla campaign in the surrounding area. In March 1923 Free State troops took nine anti-treaty IRA prisoners from the prison in Tralee and blew them up with a

land mine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

at nearby

Ballyseedy Ballyseedy () is a townland in County Kerry, Ireland. It was historically situated in the parish of Ballyseedy, within the barony of Trughanacmy. The townland contains a number of notable landmarks, including Ballyseedy Wood, a bridge over the ...

. The Ashe Memorial Hall was built in 1928 at the end of Denny Street; it is dedicated to the memory of Thomas Ashe, an Irish Volunteers officer in the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with t ...

of 1916. The building is built of local sandstone. It housed the headquarters of

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 a ...

and Tralee Urban District Council; both now have moved to other premises. Since 1992 it has housed the Kerry County Museum, which includes a reconstruction of Tralee as of 1450, prior to colonisation.

Climate

The climate of Tralee is, like the rest of Ireland, classified as a maritime temperate climate (''Cfb'') according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system. Met Éireann maintains a climatological weather station at

Valentia Island Valentia Island () is one of Ireland's most westerly points. It lies off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O'Neill Memorial Bridge at Portmagee. A car ferry also departs from ...

, 50 km south-west of the town. It is mild and changeable with abundant rainfall and a lack of temperature extremes. The hottest months of the year are July, August and September with temperatures of around 17 – 18 degrees Celsius. Tralee gets rainfall all year round and the wettest months are October, November, December and January.

Local government

Tralee had a

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...

with twelve members until the 2014 local elections were held on 23 May 2014. These elections were held following the changes effected by the

Local Government Reform Act 2014 The Local Government Reform Act 2014 (No. 1) is an act of the Oireachtas which provided for a major restructuring of local government in Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, ...

. The act abolished

town councils A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural council ...

and introduced

municipal district A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It can refer to a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area. Brazil In Brazil, municipal districts are, in g ...

s. County Kerry was divided into six municipal districts, which are identical with the local electoral areas (LEA) used for election of Councillors. The Municipal District of Tralee has seven seats on Kerry County Council with the following councillors returned after the Local Elections in 2019.

Places of interest

Blennerville Windmill near Tralee - geograph

Tralee is a tourism destination, and there are a number of visitor attractions in the area: * Kerry County Museum: incorporating the theme park 'Kerry: The Kingdom' and an exhibit which depicts life in medieval Geraldine Tralee. * Siamsa Tíre: Ireland's National Folk Theatre, offering traditional music and plays in Irish. *

: located about 2 km outside the town, Ireland's largest functioning windmill. *Tralee Aquadome: A large indoor water leisure facility with a mini-golf course. *

Wood: Is located 2 km outside Tralee off the N21. It consists of of woodland dating back from the 16th century where

have developed public entrances at the north and south of the wood with car parks and 4 km of gravelled looped pathways. Ash, Oak and Beech trees are part of the wood as are a number of ruins and follies, dating back to the 17th century, with the River Lee (from which Tralee takes its name; not to be confused with the River Lee in Co. Cork) forming the woodlands northern boundary. *

Tralee Town Park Tralee Town Park ( ga, Páirc Bhaile Thrá Lí) or known locally as "The Green" is a public park located in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. Covering an area of 35 acres it is one of the largest urban public parks in Ireland. It is located in the h ...

: Tralee has a town park located in the town centre (opposite the Kerry County Museum) with a rose garden comprising over 5,000 roses of different varieties. The park is the location for the annual Féile na mBláth / Tralee Garden Festival – a free midsummer weekend festival of gardening demonstrations, flower arranging, garden tours, musical and choral events. Tralee Ship Canal - geograph

* Tralee Bay Wetlands and Nature Reserve: Tralee Bay Nature Reserve covers approximately 2,500 ha (8,000 acres) and stretches from Tralee town westwards to

Harbour and Cloghane, encompassing Tralee Bay, Brandon Bay and the Magharees Peninsula. It includes extensive mudflats at the eastern end, the beaches of Derrymore Island, the sand dunes and lagoons of the Magharees Peninsula. Both the River Lee and Brandon (Owenmore) estuaries feature wide expanses of sheltered intertidal flats, often fringed with saltmarsh vegetation. The Wetlands Centre which opened in 2012 is designed as a microcosm of the wild nature reserve where visitors are introduced to the fresh and saltwater habitats. Visitors can travel on a safari boat ride through the recreated reed and freshwater channels in the centre. *

: Opened in 1846, this 2 mile long canal connects Tralee to Tralee Bay where it passes by Blennerville Windmill. The Dingle Way runs along the towpath of the canal. * Dingle Way: (Irish: Slí Chorca Dhuibhne) A 162-kilometre (101-mile) long National Waymarked Trail that begins and ends in Tralee and is typically completed in eight days. * Ratass Church: a tenth-century medieval church, with a sixth-century ogham stone. Located in the eastern suburbs of Tralee.

Rose of Tralee

The Rose of Tralee festival is an international competition which is celebrated among Irish communities all over the world. The festival, held annually in August since 1959, takes its inspiration from a nineteenth-century ballad of the same name about a woman called Mary, who because of her beauty was called The Rose of Tralee. The contest, broadcast over two nights by

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...

, is one of the highest viewed shows on Irish television with over a million people watching. To commemorate the Rose of Tralee tradition, the Rose Garden in the Tralee Town Park is a home to a life size bronze statue depicting the original Rose of Tralee Mary O'Connor and the author of the Rose of Tralee ballad William Pembroke Mulchinock sculpted by an Irish sculptor Jeanne Rynhart (unveiled in 2009), as well as the Rose Wall of Honour – a series of glass panels that will contain the name of every Rose who has participated in the Festival since 1959 (unveiled in 2013 on the 55th anniversary of the Rose of Tralee International Festival). Both statues were commissioned by Tralee Town Council.

Archaeological sites

Archaeological sites around Tralee and throughout the County of Kerry, including a number of ring-forts, are listed for preservation in the Kerry County Development Plan 2009–15. These include Casement's Fort, an ancient ring fort where Roger Casement had been hiding before his arrest. There is also an Iron Age fort at

Caherconree Caherconree () at , is the 20th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 27th–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderin ...

, overlooking Tralee Bay. An example of a Sheela na gig is now located in the Christian Round Tower at Rattoo, Ballyduff, a few kilometres north of Tralee. There is also a monument to Saint Brendan the Navigator at Fenit, with reproductions of ancient Irish structures.

Media

The town has two local weekly newspapers, '' The Kerryman'' and ''

Kerry's Eye ''Kerry's Eye'' is a weekly local newspaper in County Kerry, Ireland. It is published every Thursday and, as of 2010, had a claimed circulation of approximately 25,000.

'' while the ''Tralee Outlook'' and ''Tralee Advertiser'' are also published weekly. The town has a commercial radio station, Radio Kerry, which commenced operations in 1990. Spin South West also had a studio on Castle Street, which opened in 2016 but is now vacant.

Transport

Road

Tralee is served by National Primary and Secondary roads as well as local routes. A 13.5 km bypass of Tralee consisting of dual and single carriageway sections was opened on 16 August 2013. The bypass connects four of the five national routes — the N21, N22, N69 and N70 — which terminate in Tralee. Tralee Bypass

National primary routes: * IRL N21

east/north-east to

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 2 ...

south-east to Killarney and

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

National secondary routes: * IRL N69

north to Listowel, Tarbert, Foynes and Limerick * IRL N70

south-west to

Killorglin Killorglin () is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. As of the 2016 CSO census, the town's population was 2,199. Killorglin is on the Ring of Kerry tourist route, and annual events include the August Puck Fair festival, which starts with the crow ...

, Ring of Kerry on Iveragh Peninsula and Kenmare * IRL N86

west to Dingle Regional roads: * R551 Regional Route Shield Ireland

north/north-west to Tarbert via Ardfert,

Ballyheigue Ballyheigue ( ), officially Ballyheige ( - meaning ''Settlement of Tadhg'') is a coastal village in County Kerry, Ireland. It is approximately north of Tralee on the R551. It is a scenic locale which forms part of the Wild Atlantic Way and ha ...

Ballybunion Ballybunion or Ballybunnion () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Kerry, Ireland, on the Wild Atlantic Way, from the town of Listowel. Tourism Ballybunion has two main beaches, divided by the Castle Green. The Ladies Beach is to t ...

and

Ballylongford Ballylongford (historically ''Bealalongford'', from ) is a village near Listowel in northern County Kerry, Ireland. Geography The village is situated near the estuary of the Ballyline River, on Ballylongford Bay, a tidal estuary of the River Sh ...

north to

Abbeydorney Abbeydorney () is a village in County Kerry, Ireland. Located north of the county town of Tralee, the village had a population of 418 as of the 2016 census of Ireland. Abbeydorney falls within the civil parish of O'Dorney. History Abbey ...

(it links up with R551 to

) *

west to

Harbour

Bus

The bus station in Tralee is a regional hub for

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidi ...

, providing services to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, Limerick,

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

, Cork, Killarney and Dingle. The current bus station opened on 26 February 2007. Several local routes radiate from Tralee and a number of these have had their frequency increased in recent years. Local routes include: 13 (

via Listowel), 40 (

via Killarney), 272 ( Tarbert via

), 274

via Banna), 275 ( Dingle), 279 (

) and 285 (

Kerry Airport Kerry Airport ( gle, Aerfort Chiarraí; ), often called Farranfore Airport, is an international airport in Farranfore, County Kerry, Ireland. It is north of the Ring of Kerry and southeast of the county's capital Tralee. Passenger services a ...

via Castleisland).

Rail

A train service to

Killarney railway station Killarney railway station is a station on the Mallow to Tralee line serving the town of Killarney in County Kerry. It is situated next to the bus station and Killarney Outlet Centre. Adjacent to the station on the approach road is the Great S ...

, and via Mallow to

and

is provided by the national railway operator

Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal InterCity, Commuter, DART and f ...

. From the Dublin-Cork line, there are connecting trains at Limerick Junction for

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Drogheda and Wexford. With the exception of the townla ...

and

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

. Further links are available at Limerick to

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

, Athenry,

Oranmore Oranmore ( or ''Úarán Mór'') is a town near the city of Galway in County Galway, Ireland. It is also the name of the civil parish and Roman Catholic parish in which the town lies. It is east of Galway city on the edge of Oranmore Bay, an i ...

and

. The current

Tralee railway station Tralee Casement station (Tralee Railway Station; ga, Stáisiún Trá Lí) is the terminus station on the Mallow–Tralee line and serves the town of Tralee in County Kerry. It is the most westerly railway station in Europe. Description Supe ...

, Casement station named after Roger Casement, was opened on 18 July 1859. There were also two other adjacent stations, now closed and demolished, in the North Circular Road area. One was the terminus of the "North Kerry" line which ran to

via Listowel and

Newcastle West Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicized Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, It is also the county town, and sits on the ...

, and the other was the terminus of the narrow gauge Tralee and Dingle Light Railway. The Tralee and Dingle Light Railway was once one of Europe's most western railways. It opened on 31 March 1891, connecting Tralee and Dingle by rail along the Dingle Peninsula, and was closed in June 1953. In 1993 a 3 km section was reopened as a preserved line between the Aquadome in Tralee and Blennerville Windmill. Currently this railway is no longer in operation. A standard gauge railway used to operate to

Harbour from Tralee, diverging from the North Kerry line to the north west of the town, before closing in June 1978. Currently a section of this railway has been restored as a walk/cycle way in the Tralee urban area and it is hoped in the future that this will be extended to Fenit, similar along the lines of the

Great Southern Trail The Great Southern Trail, comprising the Limerick Greenway and North Kerry Greenway, is a greenway rail trail under development in County Limerick and County Kerry in Ireland. As of October 2022, of the Limerick Greenway and of the North Kerr ...

which has been created on the closed North Kerry line route in western County Limerick.

Air

, located 20 km from Tralee in

Farranfore Farranfore () is a village in County Kerry, Ireland. It lies on the N22 road approximately midway between Tralee (10 miles or 17 km) and Killarney (9 miles or 15 km) and on the railway line connecting the two towns. Farranfo ...

, provides air services to

, London Luton, London Stansted, Frankfurt-Hahn and seasonally,

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in ...

and Faro.

Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings famil ...

now operates seasonal services to

Berlin International Airport Berlin Brandenburg Airport ''Willy Brandt'' (german: Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg "Willy Brandt", , ) is an international airport in Schönefeld, just south of the German capital Berlin in the state of Brandenburg. Named after the former ...

. Connecting trains run from

Farranfore railway station Farranfore railway station serves the village of Farranfore in County Kerry, Ireland. It is located a short distance away from Kerry Airport. History The station opened on 18 July 1859 as part of the Tralee & Killarney Railway which opened on ...

to Tralee and Killarney Railway Station in Killarney. Fenit Harbour & Island

Sea

The local port for Tralee is

, about 10 km west of the town on the north side of the estuary. Catering for ships of up to 17,000 tonnes, the port is a picturesque mixed-use harbour with fishing boats and a thriving marina (136 berths). The 2 mile long

provides a navigable connection between Tralee itself and the sea.

Healthcare

University Hospital Kerry University Hospital Kerry ( ga, Ospidéal Ollscoile Chiarraí) is a public hospital in Quill Street, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. It is managed by South/Southwest Hospital Group. History The hospital was commissioned to replace the aging St C ...

opened in 1984, and is the third largest acute hospital in the

Health Service Executive The Health Service Executive (HSE) ( ga, Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte) is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005 ...

South Region. It serves as the main hospital for County Kerry and also serves the people in parts of North Cork and West Limerick. The Bon Secours Hospital, founded in 1921, is a private hospital owned by the Roman Catholic Bon Secours Sisters and offers healthcare to privately insured patients. It forms part of the

Bon Secours Health System The Bon Secours Health System is the largest private hospital network in Ireland. It was formed in 1993 to co-ordinate the health care facilities in Ireland managed by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Bon Secours. Background The Congregation of th ...

, the largest private healthcare network in Ireland.

Education

In common with all parts of Ireland, most schools at all levels in Tralee are managed and owned by the churches. These include the Roman Catholic schools of CBS (Scoil na mBráithre), Gaelscoil Mhic Easmainn, Holy Family, Presentation Primary School (Sacred Heart), St Ita's and St Joseph's, St John's, and St Mary's. St John's on Ashe Street is a Church of Ireland school. Tralee

Educate Together Educate Together () is an educational charity in Ireland which is the patron body to "equality-based, co-educational, child centred, and democratically run" schools. It was founded in 1984 to act as the patron body for the new multidenomination ...

School is multidenominational, and is neither owned nor managed by any church. At secondary level, most schools are explicitly Roman Catholic in ethos. These include

Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk is a school in Kerry, Ireland, which has approximately 1,300 pupils and 105 teachers (85 permanent and 20 substitutes). Description Mounthawk offers the core subjects English, Irish and Mathematics as well as op ...

; Presentation Secondary School; St Ita's and St Joseph's; St Mary's CBS (The Green); and Coláiste Gleann Lí Post Primary School (formally Tralee Community College). Brookfield College and Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí are non-denominational. At third level, the Institute of Technology, Tralee (ITT or IT Tralee), to be merged into

Munster Technological University Munster Technological University (MTU; ga, Ollscoil Teicneolaíochta na Mumhan) is a public technological university consisting of six campuses located in Cork and Kerry. The university was established in January 2021, the result of a merger ...

(MTU), is the main third level institution in County Kerry. It was established in 1977 as the Regional Technical College, Tralee but acquired its present name in 1997. It has an enrolment of about 3,500 students studying in areas such as business, computing, science, engineering and health. The institute has two campuses: the North campus (opened in Dromtacker in 2001) and the South campus (opened in Clash in 1977) which are approximately 2.4 km (1.5 mi) apart. Kerry College of Further Education (KCFE) is a provider of further education programmes in Kerry. The college offers a range of Level 5 and Level 6 programmes on the NFQ.

Sport

Gaelic Athletic Association

Kerry Gaelic Football memorial - geograph

Austin Stack Park is the main

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

(GAA) stadium in Tralee. The ground is named after Austin Stack, an Irish revolutionary and captain of the All-Ireland winning Kerry Gaelic football team of 1904. It is located in the centre of Tralee. It hosts many

Kerry GAA The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), or Kerry GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry, and for the Kerry county teams. The Kerry branch of the Gae ...

home games, mostly football league games and both league and championship hurling. The County Championship football and hurling finals are normally held here.

Austin Stacks GAA Austin Stacks is a hurling and Gaelic football club based in Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. Founded in 1917, the club has more All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals and GAA All-Stars than any other Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA ...

club is based at the top of Rock Street and its former players include

Mikey Sheehy Michael "Mikey" Sheehy (born 28 July 1954) is an Irish Gaelic football selector and former player. His league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned fifteen seasons from 1973 to 1988. Born in Tralee, Count ...

Ger Power Ger Power (born 27 June 1952) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for the Austin Stacks club and at senior level for the Kerry county team between 1973 and 1988. Power captained Kerry to the All-Ireland title in 1980. Early lif ...

, John O'Keeffe and

Kieran Donaghy Kieran Donaghy (born 1 March 1983) is an Irish Gaelic footballer and basketball player. He plays for Tralee club Austin Stacks and, formerly, at senior level for the Kerry county team. Donaghy won four All-Ireland Senior Football Championship ...

. Other GAA clubs in the area include John Mitchels GAA club (based in the Boherbee and Camp area),

Kerins O'Rahilly's GAA Kerins O'Rahilly's are a Gaelic Athletic Association club from Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. They are based in the Strand Road area of the town. They are in Division 1 of the county league which they won in 2006, and compete in the County Ch ...

(Strand Road area of the town), Na Gaeil GAA club (Oakpark area), St. Patricks,

(about 1 km outside Tralee),

Tralee Parnells Tralee Parnells are a hurling club from the town of Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. Original club The original Parnells won 2 Kerry Senior Hurling Championships in 1918 and 1919. All Ireland winning football captain and one of Kerry's grea ...

(promoting

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

Tralee IT GAA Tralee IT GAA was the GAA team in the Institute of Technology, Tralee, Ireland. They played Gaelic football, hurling, ladies' Gaelic football and camogie. On 1 January 2021, Tralee IT (now known as MTU Kerry) merged with Cork IT to become M ...

(at the Institute of Technology, Tralee).

Tralee Mitchels Tralee Mitchels were a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland before the formation of the three Tralee clubs namely John Mitchels, Austin Stacks and Kerins O'Rahilly's. They were one of the top teams in the county ...

and Tralee Celtic are former GAA clubs. Fitzgerald-Jones

Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...

Club is based at the Sports Complex in Tralee.

Soccer

The

Kerry District League The Kerry District League (known as the Denny Kerry District League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league featuring amateur and junior clubs from County Kerry. The KDL is a winter league run by Adrian Casey. Its top division ...

is based in

Mounthawk Park The Kerry District League (known as the Denny Kerry District League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league featuring amateur and junior clubs from County Kerry. The KDL is a winter league run by Adrian Casey. Its top division ...

, Tralee. Tralee Dynamos is Tralee's most senior soccer club, playing in the

. St. Brendan's Park F.C. also play in the

Racket sports

Tralee Tennis Club is based on the Dan Spring Road. County Badminton Club meet in the Presentation Secondary School Gym.

Cricket

County Kerry Cricket Club play at the Oyster Oval based at the nearby village of Spa on the shores of Tralee Bay. The club is a member of the

Munster Cricket Union The Munster Cricket Union is one of five provincial governing bodies for cricket in Ireland. Along with the Connacht, Northern, Leinster and North West unions, it makes up the Irish Cricket Union (now known as Cricket Ireland), the supreme gove ...

Cycling

The Chain Gang Cycling Club is a Tralee-based cycling club founded in 2008. Other cycling clubs include Tralee Bicycle Club (founded 1992), Tralee Cycling Club (founded 1953), Kingdom Cycling Club, and Na Gaeil Cycling Cycling Club.

Basketball

Basketball clubs include St. Brendan's Basketball Club, Tralee Imperials Basketball Club,

Tralee Tigers Tralee Tigers was an Irish basketball team based in Tralee, County Kerry. The team competed in the SuperLeague and were champions in 1995–96, 2003–04 and 2007–08. They also won the Irish National Championship in 2001–02, and won two Natio ...

(defunct), and

Tralee Warriors Tralee Warriors Basketball Club, also known as Garvey's Tralee Warriors for sponsorship reasons, is an Irish basketball club based in Tralee that currently consists of a men's team that competes in the Super League, as well as an Under 20s side ...

Golf and Pitch & Putt

Tralee Pitch and Putt Club is located at Collis Sandes House in Killeen. Tralee-Windhundrennen-02-Zuschauer-2017-gje

Triathlon

Tralee Triathlon Club was founded in 2009 and is one of the largest clubs in Ireland with around 300 adult members. They run the annual Tri Kingdom Come Sprint distance triathlon in Fenit during the August Weekend.

Watersports

Kingdom Swimming Club are based at the Sports Complex in Tralee. Tralee Bay Sailing Club and Tralee Bay Swimming Club are both based in

. Tralee Rowing Club was founded in 2004 and is located at the Basin.

Rugby

Tralee Rugby Football Club ground is in Ballyard.

Athletics

Tralee Harriers is a local athletics club.

Greyhound racing

Tralee Greyhound Racing has a stadium on Brewery Road.

People

Notable Tralee people include: * Saint Brendan, monastic saint and navigator * Danny Barnes, rugby player *

Joe Barrett Joe Barrett (17 July 1902 – 2 June 1952) was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Austin Stack's and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1923 until 1933. Barrett captained Kerry to t ...

, footballer *

Denis Behan Denis Behan (born 2 January 1984) is an Irish football coach and former player who played as a forward. He spent many years playing for League of Ireland clubs Cork City and Limerick, as well as in the English Football League for Hartlepool Un ...

, soccer player * Daniel Bohan, footballer *

Leonard Boyle Leonard Eugene Boyle, OP, (13 November 1923 – 25 October 1999), was an Irish and Canadian scholar in medieval studies and palaeography. He was the first Irish and North American Prefect of the Vatican Library in Rome from 1984 to 1997. He ...

, priest and scholar * Bryan Cooper, jockey * Robert Day, judge *

Billy Dennehy William Michael Dennehy (born 17 February 1987) is an Irish former footballer and manager of Irish side Kerry FC. He was a left-sided midfielder but also played on the right wing. He is the older brother of Darren who is a former Irish footbal ...

, soccer player *

Darren Dennehy Darren Dennehy (born 21 September 1988) is an Irish former footballer who played as a defender for Everton, Cardiff City, Hereford United, Gillingham & Barnet in England, before returning home to play for Cork City, St Patrick's Athletic & L ...

, soccer player *

, footballer *

Ultan Dillane Ultan Dillane (born 9 November 1993) is an Irish rugby union player. He plays for La Rochelle in the Top 14 which is the top tier of rugby union in France. Dillane primarily plays as a lock. Early life Dillane was born in Paris, France to an ...

, rugby player for Connacht and Ireland * Michael Dwyer, journalist *

Anna Fahy Anna Fahy (née Barton, 13 May 1885 – 25 September 1974) was a metal artist, Irish nationalist and republican, and member of the Cumann na mBan. She was active during the Easter Rising of 1916. Biography Anna Maria Barton was born in Clogherb ...

, Irish republican *

Mike Finn Michael Finn is an Irish international amateur sportsperson who has represented Ireland in Australian rules football and basketball as well as Kerry GAA and Victoria in Gaelic football. Sporting career Gaelic football He represented Kerry ...

, former Gaelic and Australian Rules footballer * Robert D. FitzGerald, surveyor, botanist * Rea Garvey, singer of Reamonn *

Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh is an Irish poet who writes in the Irish language. Born in Tralee, County Kerry, in 1984, she graduated from NUI Galway in 2005 with a BA in Irish and French. She spent time in Bordeaux, France, before returning to Irela ...

, poet *

Shane Guthrie Shane Guthrie (born 11 December 1984) is an retired Irish footballer who Strength & Conditionin Coach for Kerry in the League of Ireland First Division. He has played Gaelic football with Kerry and Munster club champions and All-Ireland semi-f ...

, footballer * Christie Hennessy, singer/songwriter *

John Horgan John Joseph Horgan (born August 7, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022, and also as the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party from 2014 to 2022. Horgan has been the ...

, politician and academic * Richard Johnson, President of Irish High Court *

Tracey K Tracey K (born Tracey Kelliher) is an Irish singer and songwriter best known for providing the vocals and lyrics for the UK Dance Chart hit "The Cure and the Cause". Career Kelliher was raised in Kerry, in the south west of Ireland. While in ...

, musician * Úna-Minh Kavanagh, journalist and author *

Barry John Keane Barry John Keane (born 1 May 1990) is an Irish Gaelic footballer with Kerry GAA and has played with them at minor Under 21 and senior level. He is the grandson of the famous former Kerry player John Dowling. He plays with the Kerins O'Rahilly ...

, footballer *

Eddie Kelliher Edward J Kelliher (8 March 1920 - 1 June 2017) was a sailor and businessman from Ireland. He maintained a membership with the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire for over 62 years, and became the first Olympian to be associated with the club. ...

, Olympic sailor and businessman *

Richard Kelliher Richard Kelliher, VC (1 September 1910 – 28 January 1963) was an Irish-born Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Kelliher received his VC while s ...

, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

Joan Kennelly Joan Kennelly (died 2007) was an Irish photographer, photojournalist and founder of the regional newspaper, ''Kerry's Eye''. Kennelly and her husband, Pádraig Kennelly, took more than 500,000 photographs of daily life in County Kerry between 1 ...

, photographer and founder of ''

Kerry's Eye ''Kerry's Eye'' is a weekly local newspaper in County Kerry, Ireland. It is published every Thursday and, as of 2010, had a claimed circulation of approximately 25,000.

'' *

Pádraig Kennelly Pádraig Kennelly (10 February 1929 – 21 May 2011) was an Irish journalist, editor, photographer, cameraman and publisher, who co-founded and edited the ''Kerry's Eye'' newspaper. Kennelly originally began his career as a pharmacist. His intere ...

, founder and editor of ''Kerry's Eye'' * Joe Keohane, footballer * William Kirby, footballer * John Joseph Lee, historian and former senator * Gareth Mannix, sound engineer/producer * Savannah McCarthy, footballer for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team * David Moran, footballer * Maurice Moynihan, Governor of Central Bank *

Timothy V. Murphy Timothy Vincent Murphy (born 5 April 1960) is an Irish actor based in Los Angeles. His notable 2015 roles have been on ''The Bastard Executioner'', ''Grace and Frankie'', and ''True Detective''. He played Galen O'Shea for three seasons on the ...

, actor * David O'Callaghan, footballer *

Sean O'Callaghan Sean O'Callaghan (10 October 1954 – 23 August 2017) was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), who from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s worked against the organisation from within as an intelligence agent for the Irish Gover ...

, Provisional IRA member * Graham O'Connell, footballer * Gerald O'Carroll, writer and historian *

Denis O'Donnell Denis O'Donnell (28 May 1875 – 16 June 1933) was a well-known entrepreneur in County Kerry, Ireland, in the early 1900s. He was the prime organiser, co-founder, and first manager of the Lee Strand Cooperative Creamery, established based on hi ...

, businessman *

Patrick Denis O'Donnell Patrick Denis O'Donnell (9 January 1922 – 1 January 2005) was an Irish military historian, writer, former UN peace-keeper, and Commandant of the Irish Defence Forces. Background He was born in the Kerries Tralee, County Kerry, only child of D ...

, military/historian * Dan O'Keeffe, footballer * John O'Keeffe, footballer * Arthur O'Leary, composer and pianist * Aisling O'Sullivan, actor * John O'Sullivan, rugby player *

, footballer * Declan Quill, footballer *

Micheál Quirke Micheál 'Mike' Quirke (born 1980 in Tralee, County Kerry) is an Irish former sportsperson and Gaelic football manager. He played football for the Kerins O'Rahilly's club and was a member of the Kerry county team from 2003 onwards. He also pla ...

, footballer * Boyle Roche, politician * Elise Sandes, humanitarian * Larry Sharpe, professional wrestler * Billy Sheehan, footballer *

, footballer * Dan Spring, politician, footballer and rugby player *

Dick Spring Dick Spring (born 29 August 1950) is an Irish businessman and former politician. He was a Labour Party Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kerry North from 1981 to 2002. He became leader of the Labour Party in 1982, and held this position until 1997 ...

, politician, footballer and rugby player * Austin Stack, revolutionary and footballer *

Barry John Walsh Barry John Walsh (born 1990) plays Gaelic football at club level for Kerins O'Rahillys and at senior level for the Kerry county team. He is son of former Kerry footballer Seán Walsh and brother of former Kerry footballer Tommy Walsh who no ...

, footballer * Tommy Walsh, footballer

Twinning

Tralee is twinned with Westlake,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfiel ...

, both in the United States. Tralee also has a twinning arrangement with

Beit Sahur Beit Sahour or Beit Sahur ( ar, بيت ساحور pronounced ; Palestine grid 170/123) is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem, in the Bethlehem Governorate of the State of Palestine. The city is under the administration of the Palestinian Nationa ...

in Palestine. Beit Sahour Twins with Tralee, Ireland", IMEMC (International Middle East Media Center), 28 March 2019 https://imemc.org/article/beit-sahour-twins-with-tralee-ireland/ /ref>

Gallery

File:Dominick Street, Tralee.JPG, Dominick Street, Tralee File:Ashe memorial hall.jpg, Ashe Memorial Hall File:Tralee courthouse.jpg, Tralee Courthouse File:TraleePriory.jpg, Dominican Church of Holy Cross File:Tralee from the International Space Station 2013-03-17.jpg, Tralee from the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control County towns in the Republic of Ireland Populated places established in the 13th century Towns and villages in County Kerry

History

War of Independence and Civil War

Climate

Local government

Places of interest

Rose of Tralee

Archaeological sites

Media

Transport

Road

Bus

Rail

Air

Sea

Healthcare

Education

Sport

Gaelic Athletic Association

Soccer

Racket sports

Cricket

Cycling

Basketball

Golf and Pitch & Putt

Triathlon

Watersports

Rugby

Athletics

Greyhound racing

People

Twinning

Gallery

See also

References

External links