Sneem
| Sneem Irish: An tSnaidhm | |
| County Kerry | |
|---|---|
 Sneem, from the bridge | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | V687670 |
| Location: | 51°50’18"N, 9°53’59"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 386 (2022) |
| Local Government | |
Sneem is a village situated on the Iveragh Peninsula, and on the Ring of Kerry, in County Kerry. It stands beside the estuary of the River Sneem which expands here to the broad bay known as the Kenmare River, 14 miles west of Kenmare. The N70 road runs through the town
The 2022 census recorded a population of 386. This is though a tourist area, and the population increases during the summer months.[1]
Name
The Irish village name An tSnaidhm means "the knot" in English.[2] 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, and a bridge in the middle of the village, viewed from overhead, acts as a knot between the two squares.[3]
History
In A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, published by Samuel Lewis in 1837, Sneem is notes as consisting of a harbour, a collection of houses, a church, a chapel and a "constabulary police force".[4]
Former French president Charles de Gaulle visited Sneem in May 1969, and a monument to him now stands in the village's North Square.[5]
A book, Sneem, The Knot in the Ring, recounts the area's history.[6] In 2000, a time capsule was buried in the centre of the town, to be opened in 2100.
About the village
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.[7]
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 India and bought the island. It was burned down in 1922 during the Irish Civil War 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.[8][9][10]
Outside links
References
- ↑ "Clock is ticking: Sneem is waiting for news of new GP". The Kerryman. Independent News & Media. 12 August 2017. https://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/news/clock-is-ticking-sneem-is-waiting-for-news-of-new-gp-36013302.html. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ↑ An tSnaidhm / Sneem: Placenames Database of Ireland
- ↑ E., Stoakley, T. (1986). Sneem : the knot in the ring (2nd and enl. ed.). Sneem, Co. Kerry: Sneem Tourism Association. ISBN 0951163000. OCLC 18192375.
- ↑ Lewis, Samuel (1837). A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. S. Lewis and Co..
- ↑ Lucey, Anne (2019-06-07). "50th anniversary of visit by Charles de Gaulle to be marked in Co Kerry" (in en). https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30929288.html.
- ↑ Stoakley, T.E. (1986). Sneem: The Knot in the Ring. Sneem, Co. Kerry: Sneem Tourism Association. ISBN 0-9511630-0-0.
- ↑ "1860s – Derryquin Castle, Sneem, Co. Kerry". Archiseek.com. http://archiseek.com/2012/derryquin-castle-sneem-county-kerry/#.UQAgM_L62gM.
- ↑ "Co. Kerry, Rossdohan House (Sneem)". Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720=1940. https://www.dia.ie/works/view/15037/building/CO.+KERRY%2C+ROSSDOHAN+HOUSE+%28SNEEM%29.
- ↑ "Rossdohan House, Dunkerron South, Kilcrohane, Rossdohan Island". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/site/2162/rossdohan-house-dunkerron-south-kilcrohane-rossdohan-island.
- ↑ "Re: Re: 'Dutch Billys')". archiseek.com. https://www.archiseek.com/discussion/reply/re-dutch-billys-59/.