Sneem Explained
Sneem |
Native Name Lang: | ga |
Settlement Type: | Village |
Pushpin Map: | Ireland |
Pushpin Label Position: | right |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Ireland |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Ireland |
Subdivision Type1: | Province |
Subdivision Name1: | Munster |
Subdivision Type3: | County |
Subdivision Name3: | County Kerry |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Population As Of: | 2022 |
Population Footnotes: | [1] |
Population: | 386 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone1: | WET |
Utc Offset1: | +0 |
Timezone1 Dst: | IST (WEST) |
Utc Offset1 Dst: | -1 |
Coordinates: | 51.8384°N -9.8998°W |
Blank Name: | Irish Grid Reference |
Sneem [2] is a village situated on the Iveragh Peninsula (part of the Ring of Kerry), in County Kerry, in the southwest of Ireland. It lies on the estuary of the River Sneem which expands here to Kenmare Bay. The N70 road runs through the town, which is approximately 22km (14miles) west of Kenmare. While the 2022 census recorded a population of 386 people,[1] Sneem is located in a tourist area and the population increases during the summer months.[3]
Name
The Irish village name Irish: An tSnaidhm means "the knot" in English. Several explanations of the name have been offered:
- One is that a knot-like swirling is said to take place where the River Sneem meets the currents of Kenmare Bay in the estuary, just below the village.
- Another notes that Sneem village comprises two squares, North and South. A bridge in the middle of the village, viewed from overhead, acts as a knot between the two squares.[4]
- A less common explanation is that Sneem is the knot in the scenic Ring of Kerry.
History
A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, published by Samuel Lewis in 1837, states that at the time, Sneem consisted of a harbour, a collection of houses, a church, a chapel and a "constabulary police force".[5]
Former French president Charles de Gaulle visited Sneem in May 1969, and a monument to him now stands in the village's North Square.[6]
A book, Sneem, The Knot in the Ring, recounts the area's history.[7] In 2000, a time capsule was buried in the centre of the town, to be opened in 2100.[8]
Politics
The village is in the South and West Kerry electoral area of Kerry County Council, and the Dáil Éireann constituency of Kerry.
Historic buildings and places
Derryquin castle
Derryquin Castle was an 18th-century stone-built country house, now demolished, in the Parknasilla estate close to Sneem. Designed by local architect James Franklin Fuller, the house comprised a three-storey main block with a four-storey octagonal tower rising through the centre and a two-storey, partly curved wing. The building was equipped with battlements and machicolations.[9]
Rossdohan house
Rossdohan House on Rossdohan Island was built c.1875-1881 by architect John Pollard Seddon for Dr. Samuel Thomas Heard, a surgeon who had recently retired from his role in British Raj-era India and bought the island. It was burned down in 1922 and a new house built on the site in 1946 by architect Michael John Scott in the Dutch Cape style (resembling Groot Constantia in Cape Town). This second house was burnt down in 1955 and has remained a ruin since. Rossdohan Island and the remaining estate have a mixture of tree ferns and exotic plants still extant, many dating from the late 1800s.[10] [11] [12]
People
- Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, former President, lived nearby before his death; his state funeral was held in Sneem in March 1978
- Steve Casey, and his brothers Tom and Jim, were Irish athletes of the 1930s who competed in single scull rowing at the Charles River in Boston.[13] As well as being a rower, Steve Casey was both NWA and AWA heavyweight wrestling champion of the world five times between 1938 and 1947. There is a statue commemorating him in the village.
- William Melville, the first head of the British Secret Service, was born at nearby Direenaclaurig Cross.
- John Egan, Kerry Gaelic footballer, played for Sneem GAA. He won six All-Ireland medals, four of which were consecutive, and five GAA All Stars Awards.[14] Several years after his death in 2012, a life-size bronze statue of Egan was erected in Sneem's South Square.[15]
- Ronan Hussey, also a Sneem Gaelic footballer, has been a member of the Kerry senior football panel.[16]
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Census Mapping - Towns: Sneem - Population Snapshot . Central Statistics Office . Census 2022 . April 2022 . 15 June 2024 .
- Web site: An tSnaidhm / Sneem . Irish Placenames Commission . logainm.ie . 25 November 2020 .
- Web site: Clock is ticking: Sneem is waiting for news of new GP . Independent News & Media . The Kerryman . 12 August 2017 . 10 August 2022 .
- Book: E., Stoakley, T.. Sneem : the knot in the ring. 1986. Sneem Tourism Association. 0951163000. 2nd and enl.. Sneem, Co. Kerry. 18192375.
- Book: Lewis, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. S. Lewis and Co.. 1837.
- Web site: Lucey. Anne. 2019-06-07. 50th anniversary of visit by Charles de Gaulle to be marked in Co Kerry. 2020-11-25. Irish Examiner. en.
- Book: Stoakley, T.E.
. Sneem: The Knot in the Ring . Sneem Tourism Association . 1986 . Sneem, Co. Kerry . 0-9511630-0-0 .
- Web site: To be opened in 2100 . 13 February 2007 . Cashin . Joe . 12 October 2005 . PhotoFrom.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929055740/http://photofrom.com/img50366.htm . 29 September 2007 . dmy-all .
- Web site: 1860s – Derryquin Castle, Sneem, Co. Kerry. Archiseek.com . 2013-01-23.
- Web site: CO. KERRY, ROSSDOHAN HOUSE (SNEEM) . Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940 . 2022-08-10.
- Web site: Rossdohan House, Dunkerron South, Kilcrohane, Rossdohan Island . National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. 2022-08-10.
- Web site: Re: Re: 'Dutch Billys') . archiseek.com . 2022-08-10.
- News: The Dream Team from Sneem. The Irish Times. 2018-06-25. en-US.
- News: Death of Kerry legend John Egan, aged 59. .
- Web site: John Egan Memorial. 12 September 2017.
- News: Sneem in shock after death of ¨fanatical football man¨ . 6 June 2024 . The Kerryman . Irish Independent . 27 November 2007.