The main town of Kerry, Tralee is set at the mouth of Tralee Bay. This town is the entrance to both the Dingle and Kerry Head Peninsula. This town is famous after the International Rose of Tralee Festival and the Tralee Races. These two events are held on the same weekend in the second half of August every year, attracting tourists to Tralee from all places.
Antiquities | History |
Antiquities
The dolmens of Co. Kerry (Self Catering, Kerry, Ireland) number, according to Borlase, twenty-two. Two in the townland of Gortna-gulla may be mentioned, as they have been examined and planned in recent years. Both are wedge-shaped structures and belong to a type common in the South of Ireland.
Co. Kerry contains many forts of the Cashel type, the best-known example of these being Staigue Fort, situated in Kilcrohan parish, barony of Iveragh, Co. Kerry (Accommodation, Kerry, Ireland). It is composed of a circular wall 89 ft. in diameter, nearly 13 ft. thick at the base, and 7 ft. at the top. On the north and west sides the wall is 18 ft. high; the north side of the wall is still perfect, and the coping-stones are flags about 3 feet long ; the construction of the wall is interesting, the stones being laid as headers and filled in with small stones. There is a square-headed doorway with sloping sides on the south ; and there are two small chambers in the fort-one on the west and one on the north side. There are ten sets of stairs around the inside of the wall, leading to platforms and forming the most interesting feature of the fort.
The Kerry (Bed and Breakfasts, Kerry, Ireland) forts, containing stone huts, or Clochans, are very numerous ; they exist in hundreds, and in many cases arc still intact. The remarkable early settlement in the south-west of the barony of Corka-guiney contains many such buildings. It consists of a group of structures which lie along the sea-coast between Ventry Harbour and Dunmore Head, about ten miles from Dingle. The settlement covers about four townlands and verges on three others ; the remains cluster thickly round the lower parts of Mount Eagle and Beennacouma. It is not visible from the road, with the exceptions of the large forts of Dun Beag, and in Kilvickadownig. This remarkable site contains 515 forts, numerous huts, pillar stones, and other remains. The most important building of the entire series is Dun Beag (the little fort), one of the most striking pre-historic antiquities of Ireland. It consists of a stone wall, which cuts off a promontory protected on the landward side by an elaborate system of earthen walls and trenches, the area enclosed being thus triangular in shape, defended on the seaward side with great 
precipices. The height of the fort is about 90-100 ft. above the level of the sea. The edge of the cliff was protected by a dry stone wall, of which about 18 ft. in length and 2 ft. 2 in. in thickness remains at the south point. One stone building or Clochdn remains inside the fort; it is circular, with a diameter of about 37 ft.; it had a domed roof and a movable door. The great wall of the fort is 139! ft. in length, and varies in width from 8 ft. to n ft. Its internal face batters by irregular stages marked off by terraces, which doubtless served the purpose of enabling the defenders to mount the walls and reconnoitre. The doorway is remarkable; it is nearly 7 ft. in height and the same in breadth, with a reveal for the reception of a movable door ; to the west and east of it there are several chambers. It contained a souterrain which maintained a straight course for a distance of 45 ft. The defences on the landward side consist of an alternation of fosse and vallum. The fort has suffered from a restoration undertaken some years ago.
Kilvickadownig is another important fort belonging to this group; it contains within it three cells, and there is one outside. The wealth of antiquities in this early settlement is astonishing ; there are 414 clochans, 2 promontory forts, 7 raths, 15 forts, 12 crosses, 18 standing and inscribed stones, including two oghams, 19 souterrains, and 29 other ancient buildings and enclosures, which make a total of over 500 ancient remains. It is not easy to estimate the earliest period at which this site was inhabited, but, judging from the inscribed stones, Christianity was introduced not long after the original settlement. From the scanty remains of personal antiquities recovered it would appear that the general standard of comfort was low. The site and its antiquities have been surveyed by Professor R. A. S. Macalister, 1 and any person proposing to visit the remains should first read over his monograph.
Tralee , the county town, is situated at the shallow head of a bay far to the westward. The small stream on which it stands has been widened and deepened to allow of the passage of coasting craft to the town, but larger vessels berth at Fenit, a few miles westward. Killorglin is an important marketing centre. Dingle , the most westerly town in Europe, lies in a sheltered bay near the extremity of the mountainous Dingle Peninsula. Killarney is inland, near the beautiful lakes of the same name, with wild mountains to the west and south and low, boggy uplands to the north. Kenmare is beautifully situated at the head of the noble sea-inlet known as Kenmare river : steamers berth a short distance below the town. Castleisland and Listowel lie in the less picturesque country to the north. The famous Lakes of Killarney lie 
at the eastern end of Macgillicuddys Reeks, the loftiest mountain range in Ireland. They consist of a tolerably large sheet of water, the Lower Lake or Lough Leane, the small and scarcely distinct Muckross Lake, and another small and very irregular sheet of water, the Upper Lake; the last lies among high hills, and is connected with the others by a broad slow stream, the Long Reach. Different agencies have been at work in the production of these lakes
Castlegregory lies at the foot of a narrow neck of land which divides Tralee Bay from Brandon Bay. The Castlegregory Arch, a doorway in the shape of an arch from the castle of Gregory Hoare can still be seen in the village at Tailor’s Row. There was a narrow gauge railway line (1891-1939) from Tralee to Dingle with a branch line to Castlegregory. This line was very popular because of the beautiful scenery on either sides. The light railway from Tralee to Dingle proved to be dangerous by two events, the “pig special disaster” in which the train plunged off the Camp bridge in 1893, and a few years later when the train was blown away from the tracks by a gust of wind at Driscoll cottage. Harry Clarke Window in the Catholic church in Castlegregory is a stained glass window. It was designed by Ireland’s finest artist in stained glass painting. Surfing: This area is famous for surfing with the world championships been held there last year 2000. Essentials: Ample number of fine restaurants, pubs and petrol stations are here