Kerry

I

Introduction

Kerry, maritime county in the south-west of the province of Munster, Republic of Ireland, bounded by the estuary of the River Shannon to the north, Limerick and Cork to the east, and by Cork to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It has a land area of 4,701 sq km (1,815 sq mi) and is largely an agricultural county much visited by tourists for its loughs, deep valleys, jagged peaks, and indented coastline.

II

Land and Resources

The coastline is deeply indented by the estuary of the Kenmare River, Dingle Bay, and the Bay of Tralee. Many islands fringe the coast, the principal of which are the Blasquet group, Valentia, and the Skelligs, which at up to 215 m (700 ft) high are the haunt of puffins, guillemots, petrels, fulmars, and gannets.

The Kerry Mountains are located on three peninsulas in the county. On the northernmost peninsula, between the bays of Tralee and Dingle, is Brandon Mountain, rising to 953 m (3,127 ft) in the Slieve Mish range. On the central peninsula, between Dingle Bay and the Kenmare River, is Macgillicuddy's Reeks, a mountain range that includes Carrantuohill, the highest summit in Ireland at 1,041 m (3,414 ft). With a high rainfall there are very deep peat bogs. Slate and limestone is quarried. Beyond the mountain range lies a rich, generally level farming land. On the southern peninsula, between the Kenmare River and Bantry Bay, are the Slieve Miskish and the Caha mountains. The Lakes of Killarney discharge themselves through the River Laune to the sea. The principal rivers are the Feale, Maine, Inny, and Kenmare.

Kerry has a mild and moist climate. The average temperature in January is 7° C (45° F) and in July 16° C (61° F). The average annual rainfall is 2,000 mm (78 in) on the mountains and 1,000 mm (39 in) in the Shannon estuary.

III

Population and Administration

Kerry has an estimated population of 121,894 (1991), a fall of nearly 2 per cent since 1986. Roman Catholics make up 96 per cent of the population. Seven of the islands are inhabited, of which Valentia is the most populous with 680 people. Thirty per cent of the population of Kerry lives in towns. Tralee is the administrative centre for the county; there are town councils (formerly urban district councils) at Tralee, Killarney, and Listowel. Other towns in the county include Castleisland, Dingle, Kenmare, and Killorglin.

Most people speak English (the official second language), but few people speak Irish except in the Gaeltacht areas (where Irish is the first language): in 1991 there were 8,116, most of them in the Dingle, and the rest in the Ring of Kerry area. (See Celtic Languages.)

IV

Education and Culture

The Institute of Technology Tralee (ITT, founded 1977) offers higher education courses in a number of disciplines related to science and technology. Kerry is rich in literary associations, particularly in the northern part of the county. A number of prominent playwrights and authors were born there, including John B. Keane (born in Listowel, 1928), Brendan Kennelly (born in Ballylongford, 1936), and novelist and critic Dame Rebecca West (1892). Listowel Writers’ Week Festival, first held in 1971, takes place in late May each year and is one of Ireland’s leading literary festivals.