This week
we pay a visit to the awe-inspiring Kingdom of Kerry. The county seat, Tralee
stands on the spectacular west coast of the county, and serves as a gateway
to the magnificent Dingle Peninsula. This bustling town is 185 miles south
west of Dublin, and just about 80 miles from Shannon Airport. The town hosts
the world-renowned "Rose of Tralee" festival every year.
History
The history of Tralee is basically the history of the
Desmond family, the big noise in the town since the Middle Ages. The last
melancholy episode of the Desmonds ended in the beheading of the Earl himself,
and his head being sent to Queen Elizabeth I. This was then exposed for
all to see on London Bridge. For more information see the excellent Kerry
County Museum in the Ashe Memorial Hall. Very imaginative exhibitions trace
Irish history back to 500 BC.
Anything else in the town?
Well, apart from strolling around and taking the salt air, there’s a fine
19th century Dominican church with many preserved ancient sculptured stones.
There’s also the Tralee-Blennerville Steam Railway, a must for railway enthusiasts
and a pleasant journey for the rest of us. Also, look out for the Crimean
and Indian Mutiny memorials outside the courthouse. These are reputed to
be the inspiration for the song the Kerry Recruit. “So sez I to myself,
such a pity to see, a fine strappin’ lad cutting turf round Tralee.” So
off our merry recruit went to the wars instead of staying home to appreciate
the scenery.
Best Song about Tralee
The greatest Tralee tune has to be William Mulchinock’s Rose Of Tralee —
the anthem for the annual International Rose of Tralee contest.
So the scenery is good?
The best. You’ve a choice of Dingle Bay, the Ring of Kerry, the Beara Peninsula,
the Stack Mountains, the Slieve Miskish Mountains and, of course, Tralee
Bay. And you can do them by car, coach, horseback, jaunting car or bicycle.
What about accommodation?
Any amount. B&Bs, hostels (five at the last count) and hotels ranging from
basic to luxurious.
What about eating and drinking? The visitor is spoiled for choice with cafes and restaurants aplenty.
Possibly only Kinsale can rival it in the restaurant stakes (no pun intended).
And, the situation is much the same with the pubs — the craic steams along
in dozens of establishments every night. There’s Seán Óg’s for traditional
music and turf fires, the Pikeman Bar in the centre of town for both eating
and drinking, and the Fiddler’s Bar near the Brandon Hotel for meeting a
cross-section of the cosmopolitan crowd that gathers in the town of a summer’s
evening. For a spot of high thespian culture check out what’s on at the
Folk Theatre of Ireland in the Siamsa Tire Theatre.
