Twenty one miles south of Tralee is the town of Killarney (in Gaelic. meaning “Church of Sloes” - a species of flowering plants in the family of roses). Situated on the shores of Lough Leone, Killarney is a stop on the “Ring of Kerry” scenic route.
The town played an important role in early Irish history. It’s first significantly historical settlement was a monastery on the local Innisfallen island. Founded by St. Finian the Leper in 640, it remained inhabited for nearly a thousand years. The Innisfallen Abbey is reportedly one of the most impressive archeological ruins from the early Christian Era. It was during the monastery’s active period that the monks penned the “Annuals of Innisfallen”, chronicling the early history of Ireland. A local legend states that the Irish High King, Brian Boru, received his education at the monastery. On August 18, 1594, Queen Elizabeth I threw out the abbey’s monks (although it is unclear what she did with the property afterwards).
During the Irish “War of Independence” (1919 to 1921), Killarney became a major player in the conflict. Because of its strong opposition to British Rule, Killarnian folks had skirmishes with British troops on a regular basis. At one point, the Brits occupied the Great Southern hotel in the center of town, using it as a barracks for its troops.
By some accounts, Killarney’s tourism industry began to develop in the mid-18thcentury when Lord Kenmare tried to attract visitors to the town in the hopes of establishing new residents. A visit by Queen Victoria in 1861 added a significant boost to Killarney’s tourism efforts, especially on the international scene. Among other attractions in the town are Ross Castle (built in the late 15th century,), Muckross Abbey (dating from 1448), and the Torc waterfalls.
One of Killarney’s most famous inhabitants was the Catholic priest, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, who was responsible for saving 6500 allied soldiers and Jews during World War II. Monsignor O’Flaherty was portrayed by Gregory Peck in the 1983 television film “The Scarlet and the Black.”
Since public transportation access to Killarney from Tralee was so easy, we spent several day trips exploring this lovely town.

As soon as we got off the bus from Tralee, the first attraction we came across in Killarney was this Franciscan Friary.

Killarney’s downtown is very walkable.

One of the dominant features in the center of town is St. Mary’s Cathedral.

When Queen Victoria visited the area, she was so impressed by this view that the locals named it “Lady’s View.”

Built in the late 15th century, Ross Castle sits on the shores of Lough Leone.

Founded in 1448 for the Observantine Franciscan friars, Muckross Abbey was damaged and reconstructed several times during its turbulent history.

As the first national park in Ireland, Killarney National Park was once part of the Muckross estate until its donation to Ireland in 1932. Its 62 foot tall, 360 foot cascading Torc Waterfall is a popular attraction on the Ring of Kerry.

At one of the entrances to the Killarney National Park is this statue to Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. He had become a significant figure in Catholic resistance to Nazism during World War II, reportedly saving over 6500 allied soldiers and Jews. Because of the many disguises he wore to allude the German authorities, O’Flaherty was nicknamed “The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican.

Gregory Peck portrayed Monsignor O’Flaherty in the 1983 film “The Scarlet and the Black.”

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church ( not to be confused with the St. John the Evangelist Protestant Church on the opposite side of the center) was built in 1854, on the site of another church built in 1623. Completed in 1861, and serving the diocese of Kerry, St. John’s backs up to the Rose Garden in Tralee’s Town Park. Its impressive steeple is 200 feet tall.
Within this 19th century Gothic Revival structure is the Denny family bible, dating back to the time of Sir Edward Denny in 1639. Perhaps THE outstanding feature in St. John’s is the 1861 “Great Sanctuary (stainedglass ) Window.” Created by Michael O’Connor, it is ranked amongst the finest of its example in Western Europe. In the lower portion of the window, its 14 panels depict Christ, John the Baptist, and the twelve apostles. A unique feature of this portion of the window is that all the apostles are named and given an identifying symbol, unique to each one ( presumably so the illiterate of the time could recognize them).
Following a ten year renovation project, the church took on its present configuration in 1960. It is a dominant landmark within the town, with its steeple being visible from most neighborhoods.

As a Gothic Revival piece of architecture , St. John the Baptist Church serves the diocese of Kerry.

One of the prettiest scenes we observed in Tralee was this one of the church from the town’s Rose Garden.

St. John the Baptist church looks quite different in this 1890 photo.

While this current structure is only 165 years old (relatively young for a European Church), it still is impressive.

The statuary and the stained glass windows are stunning.

Amongst the finest of its style in Western Europe, the “Great Sanctuary Window” is the most impressive of the church’s windows.

One of the church’s most important artifacts is this 1639 Denny Family bible...

Sir Edward Denny, one time governor of County Kerry and nephew of Queen Elizabeth I, was one of the more prominent members of the Denny family. He was responsible for the landscaping of what was to become Tralee’s Town Park.

Ireland’s National Folk Theater has its home in the “Siamsa Tire”(meaning “entertainment of the land”) theater and art center in the middle of Tralee’s Town Park. This professional repertory company draws its members from the local community.
Siamsa Tire’s origins date back to 1957, when Father Pat Ahern was sent to County Kerry in order to form a new choir in Tralee’s St. John’s Church. Because of the success of this new choir, Fr. Ahern decided to stage a Passion Play, called “Golgotha” (meaning Mount Calvary outside Jerusalem) in 1963. As a result of the success of this play, Fr. Ahern then decided to explore other options for this informal group.
The mission of the group was to preserve, through music, song, and dance, the traditions ,of Northern Kerry. This included the “Munnix” style of the traveling dancers [developed by Jeremiah Molyneux (aka “Munnix”) , a master of time and rhythm, in 1883]. Munnix dancing was based on the “work songs” that accompanied many traditional occupations in rural Ireland.
During those early years, the group performed in a variety of venues throughout Ireland. In 1968, Michael Maye, a representative of the National Tourism Board, suggested the group stage a season of productions through the summer months. By 1991, Siamsa Tire was performing its first summer season in the new, custom built, theater and art center (which bears the group’s name) in Tralee’s Town Park . This new venue is considered one of the best arts facilities in the country.
Over the past forty years, Siamsa Tire has built an international reputation around its role of preserving Irish cultural life. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening performance we were able to attend.

Officially opened in 1991, the Siamsa Tire theater and art center is considered to be one of the best facilities of its kind in all of Ireland

Through their unique style of music and dance, they strive to preserve Ireland’s rural culture.

The theater is designed to give visitors a feeling of being part of the performance.

Their performances are rooted in the “work songs” that were associated with traditional occupations of rural Ireland.

Part of that heritage included what we have come to know as “step dancing.”

On the night that we saw a performance, it was entitled “Turas ( in Gaelic, meaning “world journey”); A Journey of Music, Song and Dance.”

It was quite an interesting and fun evening.

Windmills ( which convert the energy of the wind in order to grind grain, pump water, or both) first appeared in Persia during the ninth century and spread quickly to other parts of the world. The earliest reference to windmills in Northern Europe dates to 1185.
In the Blennerville neighborhood of Tralee is a 70 foot tall, five floor windmill constructed in 1800 by Sir Roland Blennerhorsett. It was designed to mill grain for the local inhabitants, as well as for export to Great Britain. Standing as a dominant landmark in Tralee Bay ( where the town meets the Dingle Peninsula), the mill houses a visitors center, craft center, model railroad, art gallery, and a restaurant.
Blennerville was a main port for emigration from County Kerry ( including for some of Lorraine’s ancestors) during the Great Famine years (1845 to 1848) and was home to the famous barque “Jeanie Johnson” (an example of the infamous “coffin ships” of the emigration era). One of the exhibits at the windmill’s visitor center is dedicated to the history surrounding the emigration efforts . We learned that it was cheaper for these Irish emigrants to travel to Canada than it was to enter the U.S. through Boston (or even New York, which was the most expensive).
By the end of the 19th century, the windmill began to show signs of decay from reduced usage as a result of the development of the steam engine and the creation of the Tralee Ship Canal. By 1981, the Tralee Urban District Council had purchased the windmill and began the process of restoration. Even though this is predominantly a tourist attraction now, it is still considered to be a working windmill. When its 60 foot long sails are turning, it is an extraordinary sight.

Walking beside the Tralee Ship Canal, we were able to spot the Blennerville Windmill from quite a distance (it dominates the landscape that much).

Looking at its backside from beside the visitor center.

This view could be a postcard.

While looking somewhat serious here, Donal, our tour guide, tried to be quite humorous.

This miniature grinding wheel gave us a feel for the effort it took to mill grain.

On a much bigger scale, this is the mechanism that turned the huge grinding stones.

Once the grain has been milled, it flows through this device and into bags for storage.

When the sails are engaged, this is what controls the whole process of the mill.

This diorama depicts the mill and the harbor during its heyday.

Next to the windmill, as part of the visitor center building, is this model railroad setup.

During the Great Famine, folks flooded out of Ireland, from ports like Tralee, headed towards the “New World.”

Their existence on these “coffin ships” was deplorable.

One such ship was Tralee’s famous “Jeanie Johnson”, whose replica now calls Dublin its home port.

Museums provide a link between a community and its past history. Such is the case with the Kerry County Museum, located within the Ashe Memorial Hall at the center of Tralee (next to the Town Park). Developed by the Tralee Urban District Council between 1991 and 1992, the museum is dedicated to presenting the heritage of County Kerry.
On the ground floor, the museum focuses on the early beginnings of the area with a re-creation of a medieval town.This amazing project did give us a small taste of what life was like here back in the Middle Ages. Upstairs, the exhibits are devoted to the archeological and more modern history of County Kerry. Included in these exhibits are Sunflower pins from the Bronze Age; dueling pistols used by Daniel O’Connell (an Irish political leader in the early part of the 19th century); and a medieval brooch rescued from a turf fire after being lost for a thousand years.
​ While this is not a huge museum compared to some of the others we’ve visited during our travels, it never-the-less was quite interesting and worth a visit.

Sitting at the base of Tralee’s Denny Street, between two sections of the Town Park, the Kerry County Museum offers a perspective on the history of the area that is a bit different from other facilities of its type...

... with its re-creation of a medieval town.

We could easily envision what life was like here back in the Middle Ages...

... but I am not sure I would have enjoyed living back then. Life was tough...especially without the usual amenities to which we’ve grown accustomed .

On the upper floors, the exhibits are of the more traditional museum types, such as 19th and 20th century quilts...

...and artifacts excavated from local archeological sites.

This is a Sunflower pin from the Bronze Age.

Irish political leader, Daniel O’Connor owned these dueling pistols (we don’t know if he ever used them).

Lost for over 1000 years, this medieval brooch was rediscovered during a turf fire.

All-in-all, I would say we had a fun visit to this museum.

One of the largest urban public parks in Ireland is the 35 acre “Town Park” in the heart of Tralee. Known locally as “The Green,” it sits on Denny Street, adjacent to the Kerry County Museum. The park is also home to Ireland’s National Folk Theater, “Siamsa Tire” ( meaning “entertainment of the land”).
Tralee Town Park was constructed on the site of the old “Castle Demesne” built by the Denny family in the 17th and 18th centuries. The castle was demolished in 1826 to make way for the construction of Denny Street. Edward Denny then landscaped the remaining property with trees, gravel paths, an ornamental grotto, and a gatekeepers lodge. When Edward died, the family offered to sell the property to the Town Council, which refused to purchase it. It was eventually sold to Henry Clements-Finnerty, who decided to charge an admission fee for the public to gain access to the park. In 1922, the Tralee Urban District Council agreed to buy the property, which officially became known as the “Tralee Town Park.”
Thirty-five different varieties of roses, covering three acres, make up the famous Rose Garden, within the heart of the park, which is dedicated to the annual Rose of Tralee International Festival. Surrounding a bronze statue of Mary O’Connor, the original Rose of Tralee from the famous Ballard, is the glass “Rose Wall,” featuring all the names of the winners of the Rose of Tralee Festival since 1959.
Also enclosed within the park is the “Garden of Senses”(since 1987) designed to feature each of our five senses.; SOUND is represented by the Hornes of Clogherclemi (from the Bronze Age);TASTE is represented by the Cauldron of the Dagda ( the Great God) supposedly a vessel of endless bounty;SIGHT’s exhibit is the Standing Stone which is aligned with the Skiabh Mis Mountain, and reportedly looks back to a mythical time;TOUCH’s representation is the Henge, “...a modern, rhythmic and tactile response in stone to an important Neolithic settlement ...at Ballycarty;”and SMELL was represented by the scent from all the roses.
We had the opportunity to meet the head gardener, Brendan Enright, who spent time explaining the many issues facing him to keep the park looking pristine, especially when approaching the time for the Rose of Tralee festival.. We were fortunate to have run into him as we explored the park, and thanked him for his hospitality and friendliness.

One of our favorite vistas in Tralee Town Park was of this old tree. Nature has a way of creating some incredible specimens.

This 35 acre park in the center of town is a really peaceful and relaxing piece of landscape...

... but the three acre Rose Garden was unbelievably stunning (pictures like this, with St. John’s Church in the background, just do not pay it justice).

Brendan Enright, the head gardener, told us there are 35 different varieties of roses here.

One of the unique features in the park is the garden devoted to the five senses...

Sound is represented by the Horns of Clogherclemi...

... Taste by the Cauldron of the Dagda (The Great God).... a vessel of endless bounty...

...the Standing Stone , which is aligned with the Skiabh Mis Mountan, represents Sight.

...Touch is symbolized by The Henge, representing the Neolithic settlement at Ballycarty...

... while Smell is handled by the many roses surrounding this section of the park.

In another portion of Tralee’s Town Park is the “Siamsa Tire” (translates to mean “entertainment of the land”), Ireland’ National Folk Theater ( more on this in a later posting).

Close to the main entrance is this statue of Mary O’Connor, the original Rose of Tralee from the famous Ballard, standing with William Mulchinock, who according to one legend, penned the famous Ballard out of love for Mary. In the background, you can glimpse a portion of the glass “Rose Wall” which features the winners’ names from the annual Rose of Tralee International Festival since its inception in 1959. Contestants can come from any part of the world, as long as each has some Irish heritage.

Lyrics to the Rose of Tralee Ballard.

Tralee (in the Irish language meaning “strand of the Lee River) is in Southwest Ireland, on the north side of the Dingle peninsula, and serves as the capital of county Kerry.
The town is situated at the head of Tralee Bay and at the base of an ancient roadway that heads south over the Shieve mountains. There’s a story which claims that along this road is a large boulder known as “Scotia’s Grave,” reportedly the burial place of an Egyptian Pharoah’s daughter.
Founded in the 13th century by the Anglo-Normans, Tralee was the stronghold of the Earls of Desmond for a number of centuries. During the mid-13th century, the Dominican Order founded a monastery in Tralee. Elisabeth I’s troops burnt the town in 1580, following what was known as the “Desmond Rebellion”against the English incursion into the area. Elisabeth I then regifted the town to the Denny Family.
During the 19th century, the layout of Tralee was redesigned to its current configuration. It was during this redesign that the Tralee Canal was built to the ocean so that larger ships could sail up to the town. This two mile long canal, with lock-gates and a wooden swing bridge, was completed in 1846.
From 1919 to 1923, during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War, Tralee was rocked by violence; all businesses were closed for one week and many houses were set afire. This caused a near famine in the area, which only ended after an international outcry.
Today, tourists have several attractions to visit, including a number of ancient Ring Forts. Perhaps the most notable attraction here is the annual “Rose of Tralee International Festival” ( begun in 1959) inspired by a 19th century Ballard created by Mordaunt Spencer (although an alternate theory claims it was created by William Mulchinock, a wealthy Protestant, out of love for Mary O’Connor , a poor Catholic maid in service to his parents).
Among the famous who have called Tralee home were Saint Bernard (navigator); Christie Hennessy (singer/songwriter); Richard Johnson (President of the High Court); Arthur O’Leary ( composer/pianist); and Timothy Murphy (actor).

Even though Tralee is the capital of county Kerry, it still has a small town feel to it.

At the head of Denny Street (presumably named after the Denny family who were granted title of the land by Elizabeth I in the late 16th century) is this statue of a Pikeman, which is dedicated to those who died in the 1780 Irishmen’s Rebellion.

We are standing in front of the Tralee History museum near the center of town.

Locally known as “The Green,” Tralee’s 35 acre Town Park is one of the largest urban public parks in Ireland.

It’s main feature is the Rose Garden...

... which highlights the town’s major yearly event; The Rose of Tralee International Festival. This bronze statue by Irish sculptor Jeanne Rynhart immortalizes the famous Ballard .

Part of the Rose Garden has been dedicated to Massachusetts Native, Rose Kennedy by her daughter, Jean Kennedy Smith, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.

There are a number of ancient Ring Forts located around the Tralee area.

What these Ring Forts looked like in their heydays is depicted in this diorama.