Ballybunion

Ballybunion Baile an Bhuinneánaigh
Town
Ballybunion Castle and coastline
Ballybunion Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°30′36″N 9°40′19″W / 52.510°N 9.672°W / 52.510; -9.672
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Kerry
Elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Population  (2022)[1]	1,618
Irish Grid Reference	Q862415

Ballybunion or Ballybunnion (Irish: Baile an Bhuinneánaigh)^[2] is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Kerry, Ireland, on the Wild Atlantic Way, 15 km (9 mi) from the town of Listowel. As of the 2022 census, Ballybunion had a population of 1,618.^[1]

Name

The Placenames Database of Ireland associates the town's Irish language name, Baile an Bhuinneánaigh or the 'town(land) of An Buinneánach', with the Anglo-Norman surname "Bunyan".^[2] The Bunyan (Bonzon) family were historically associated with Ballybunion Castle.^[3]

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes promontory fort and ring fort sites in the townlands of Ballybunion and Doon West.^[4]

Ballybunion Castle was built in the early 16th century, on the site of an earlier promontory fort, by the (Geraldine) Fitzmaurice family.^[5] The castle was associated with the Bunyan family until the late 16th century, when William Óg Bunyan's lands were confiscated following the Desmond Rebellion.^[3] The castle has been a protected national monument since the 1920s.^[5]

A number of buildings within the town itself date to the 19th century, with the former Church of Ireland church (now a public library) and the Roman Catholic church dating to 1879 and 1897 respectively.^[6][7]

Tourism

Ballybunion has two main beaches, divided by the Castle Green. The Ladies Beach is to the right and the Men's Beach to the left – names arising from the fact that both sexes previously swam on separate beaches.^[8] Further to the left of the Men's Beach lies the Long Strand, a 3.2 km stretch of sand, overlooked by the sand dunes of Ballybunion Golf Club.

In the summer, Ballybunion attracts tourists, and the beaches near Ballybunion are a common surfing site, with a dedicated surf school on the Men's Beach. Other traditions include seaweed baths, featuring sea water with serrated wrack. The town itself has a number of restaurants, pubs and cafes, and schools. A statue in the town commemorates a golfing visit, in 1998, by then US President Bill Clinton.^[9]

Sport

Golf

Ballybunion Golf Club was founded in 1893 and was previously ranked at number seven in Golf Digest's "100 Best Courses Outside the USA".^[10] There are 2 courses, the Old Course and the Cashen Course, both situated beside the beach. The club hosted the Murphy's Irish Open in 2000 and the Palmer Cup in 2004.^[11]

Gaelic football

The local Gaelic football team, Beale GAA club, is named for a small townland a couple of miles up the coast from Ballybunion. Founded in 1972, the club's colours are green and red.^[12] It fields teams in competitions organised by the North Kerry Football Board.^[13]

The club's grounds, at Stack Park, are situated off Sandhill Road.^[14] This floodlight pitch provides training and matches for several divisions of players (incl under 8s, 10s, junior, and senior) as well as ladies football.^{[citation needed]}

Health and leisure

Ballybunion Health & Leisure Centre opened in 2007 and is situated on Kit Ahern Road.^[15]

Notable people

• Patrick Joseph James Keane (1872–1928), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento in California^[16]
• Denis "Ogie" Moran (b. 1956), Gaelic footballer
• Eoin Liston (b. 1957), Gaelic footballer
• Richard Wall (b.1976 or 1977) film and TV actor^[17]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Surfing in Ireland

Further reading

• Houlihan, Danny (2011). Ballybunion: An Illustrated History. History Press. ISBN 9781845889999.

References

This page was last edited on 16 March 2024, at 23:19