Kenmare Heritage Trail
Kenmare Heritage Trail
Please ask for map and walk this Heritage trail .
1.FAIR GREEN.
Fairs and markets were held here frequently. The triangular green was enclosed in the last century and remains the property of the Dereeen Estate, formerly Landsowne Estate.
2.ROSE COTTAGE.
Rose cottage and the house adjacent to it formed the temporary home of Abbess Mary O’ Hagan and six nuns from the Poor Clare Convent.
3.HOLY CROSS CHURCH.
Kenmare’s Holy Cross Church was consecrated in 1864.The architect was Charles Hansom.
4.KENMARE POOR CLARE CONVENT.
The building was a convent of the Sisters of Poor Clare from 1862 to 1993. The Convent was the home of Sister Mary Francis Cusack , the Nun of Kenmare from 1862 to 1881.
5.MAIN STRRET.
Main Street was formerly named William Street in honour of the 1st Marquis of Landsdowne, William Petty- Fitzmaurice who was raised in Lixnaw , County Kerry, was the Prime Minister of England in 1781.The 1st Marquis was responsible for the planning of the urban X shaped plan of the town in the 1770s.
6.KILLOWEN CHURCH.
Killowen church of Ireland dates to 1814 and was built in a Georgian Gothic Revival style. The internationally renowned composer Ernest John Moeran (1894-1950) was buried here in 1950.
7.LANDSDOWNE ARMS HOTEL.
The hotel was built as an Inn in the 1790s and was named after the Landsdowne Family,who were landlords of a vast acreage in Kerry, including the entirety of the Kenmare region. In the nineteenth century the hotel benefitted from the growth of the Bantry-Killarney tourist and was a stopping point for cars on organizing excursions.
8 .HENRY STREET.
This street was named in honour of the 3rd Marquis of Landsdowne, Henry Petty –Fitzmaurice (1780-1863). Who oversaw a number of major stages in the development of Kenmare.
9.THE OLD MARKET HOUSE .
This three story Classical style building was designed by the renowned English architect Sir Charles Barry for the 3rd Marquis of Landsdowne.
10. EMMET PLACE / MARKET STREET
This lane, formerly Pound Lane was the location of the cattle pound. During the nineteenth century many of Kenmare’s tradesmen, such as leather worker , blacksmith and tin smiths , lived here. The change of name from Pound Lane to Emmet Place in early twentieth century and signifies the developing nationalist ethos of Kenmare at that time.
11. KENMARE STONE CIRCLE.
This is the biggest stone circle in the south –west of Ireland. In the centre of the circle is a type of burial monument known as a Boulder Burial. These are rarely found outside of south-western Ireland.
12. CROMWELL’S BRIDGE.
The antiquity of this bridge is unknown. Local folklore believes it was built in circa. the 11th century.
13. OUR LADY’S WELL.
Our lady’s well is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The well is visited by devotees throughout the year but on the fifteenth of August special pilgrimages take place.
14. KENMARE PIER.
Kenmare Pier is set within Kenmare River (locally known as Kenmare Bay) – a 40km long inlet of sea which separates the two Peninsulas The Beara , on the south of the river , from the Iveragh on the north. The pier played a role in Kenmare’s economic devolvement throughout the 19th century.
15. REENANGROS PARK.
Reenagross Park was planted by the 1st marquis of Landsdowne over 200 years ago.
