Kenmare ( ) is a small town (pop. 1844 - CSO 2002) in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The Irish name for the town 'An Neidín' translates into English as 'The Little Nest'. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of Ceann Mhara "head of the sea", which refers to the furthest point inland reached by the sea.

Location

Politics

It forms part of the Kerry South electoral constituency. Mark Daly, elected a member of Seanad Éireann in 2007, is from Kenmare. Nearby towns and villages are Tuosist, Ardgroom, Glengarriff, Kilgarvan, Killarney, Templenoe and Sneem.

History

The three main streets that form a triangle in the centre of the town are called Main Street (originally William Street, after Sir William), Henry Street (after the son of William) and Shelbourne Street (Henry Petty became the first Earl of Shelburne). This name was also later applied to Shelbourne, Dublin.

However, the area has more ancient roots. There is one of the biggest stone circles in Ireland very close to the town, showing occupation by Celtic peoples long before English occupation. The circle has 15 stones around the circumference with a bolder dolmen in the centre.

Vikings are said to have raided the area around the town which at that time was called Ceann Mhara, which means "head of the sea" in Irish.

The convent in the town, the Poor Clare Sisters, was founded in 1861 by Sister Mary Frances Cusack, who was also an author and publisher of many books. The convent established a lace-working industry and Kenmare Lace became noted worldwide.

The town is noted for receiving Ireland's tidiest town award in 2000 and being a runner-up in 2003 and 2008. The Catholic Church in the town contains stained glass from Franz Mayer & Co..

The town library is one of the Carnegie Libraries funded by Andrew Carnegie. It opened in 1915, and the architect was R.M. Butler.

Tourism

Kenmare lies on two of the more famous Irish tourist attractions, the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara, approximately 32 kilometres (20 miles) from Killarney. As a result it is a very popular tourist destination and many of the businesses in the area cater to tourists. Since the late 1990s this has led to a large amount of construction work, with land being sold at very high prices to developers wishing to build estates of holiday homes. This has led to a significant increase in the town's population, particularly during the peak tourist season, and prompted fears among some residents that the town is becoming overdeveloped and losing much of its identity.