Gneeveguilla
Encyclopedia
Gneeveguilla, officially Gneevegullia , is a small village in the Sliabh Luachra
region of South East County Kerry
, Ireland
. It lies about 19 km (11.8 mi) east of Killarney
, close to the County Kerry
/County Cork
border.
Gneeveguilla is situated in a region of scenic undulating hills and valleys and serves a rural hinterland consisting of dairy farms, pastureland and peatland. The beautiful agricultural environment around Gneeveguilla includes the townlands of Coom (Lower and Upper), Bawnard, Gullaun, Mausrower and Lisheen. At Mausrower, there used to be a large quarry in the early part of the 20th century, the remnants of which can be easily seen today as one approaches from the Killarney direction towards Lower Coom. Hence the junction at Lower Coom being known as the Quarry Cross.
The climate of Gneeveguilla is temperate, being similar that of the rest of the South West of Ireland, with continuously variable weather coming in from the Atlantic Ocean. In Winter it is often cooler than in Killarney (situated in a valley beside the Lakes of Killarney) due to the terrain of Gneeveguilla being some hundreds of metres more elevated than Killarney. Hence a few times during the Winter it is not uncommon for there to be no snow in Killarney, and yet just a relatively short distance away, near impassible snowbound conditions in Gneeveguilla. However snowy conditions typically persist for only some days at the most. Winter snow persists the longest on the MacGillycuddy's Reeks
, Ireland's largest and highest mountain range to the West of Killarney, which can be seen from Gneeveguilla on clear days.
The nearest market town to Gneeveguilla that hosts cattle marts and street markets is Castleisland
, toward the direction of Tralee; Knocknagree
, a village much nearer just across the County Cork
border beyond Lisheen, used to host cattle marts in earlier times but mart activity there apparently ceased at some point.
In the 19th century Gneeveguilla was the scene of a devastating event known as the Moving Bog.
On the night of Sunday 28 December 1896, after a prolonged period of bad weather, sleeping
families were awakened by a strange earthquake-like sound. When daylight broke, to their horror they realised that over 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of bogland was on the move in a southerly direction, taking everything before it. It followed the course of the Ownachree river into the river Flesk. The bog continued to move until New Year's Day and came to rest covering hundreds of acres of pastureland. The Moving Bog claimed all but one member of an entire family and their livestock.
Nearby Lisheen was the home of Julia Clifford
and Denis Murphy
, traditional musicians. Gneeveguilla is the heartland of the Sliabh Luachra
area, which gives rise to the term Sliabh Luachra style to describe the music style.Other famous exponents of this style to come from the Gneeveguilla area were renowned button accordion player Johnny O'Leary and renowned fiddle player Paddy Cronin, both of whom received the TG4 Gradaim Saol awards for their contribution to Irish music.
There is a statue in the village (nearby the parish church) in honour of the Sliabh Luachra-born master seanchaí (storyteller) Éamon Kelly (1914 – 2001). Here are two extracts from his second volume of autobiography, The Journeyman, published in 1998 by Marino Books. Here is an audiovisual of how Éamon Kelly told a story.
Gneeveguilla is home to Gneeveguilla AC, one of Ireland's successful grass roots athletics clubs. Established in 1978, it has enjoyed success in both local Kerry Athletics and at National Level.
Gneeveguilla is home to Ambrose O'Donovan, a former captain of the Kerry senior football team
which won the 'Centenary All-Ireland' All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
. Gneeveguilla won the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship in 2010, beating Finuge in the final in Austin Stack park in Tralee, They then went on to win the Munster Championship and lost the All-Ireland semi final by the smallest of margins, 1 point after extra time to St.James of County Galway
.
In recent years, a South East Kerry Settlements Local Area Plan has been drawn up by the Kerry County Council Planning Department. It identifies constraints and opportunities for the future development of Gneeveguilla village and its hinterland. It recommends a consolidated approach for village development, avoidance of scattered and ribbon development, and reflection of the rural fabric of the area in the nature of services. It recommends environmental and pedestrian safety improvements. It is hoped that these recommendations can be implemented over the coming years.
Literature
Sport
Sliabh Luachra
Sliabh Luachra is a region in Munster, Ireland, located around the River Blackwater, on the County Cork/County Kerry/County Limerick borderland.-Music and literature:...
region of South East County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It lies about 19 km (11.8 mi) east of Killarney
Killarney
Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...
, close to the County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
/County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
border.
Gneeveguilla is situated in a region of scenic undulating hills and valleys and serves a rural hinterland consisting of dairy farms, pastureland and peatland. The beautiful agricultural environment around Gneeveguilla includes the townlands of Coom (Lower and Upper), Bawnard, Gullaun, Mausrower and Lisheen. At Mausrower, there used to be a large quarry in the early part of the 20th century, the remnants of which can be easily seen today as one approaches from the Killarney direction towards Lower Coom. Hence the junction at Lower Coom being known as the Quarry Cross.
The climate of Gneeveguilla is temperate, being similar that of the rest of the South West of Ireland, with continuously variable weather coming in from the Atlantic Ocean. In Winter it is often cooler than in Killarney (situated in a valley beside the Lakes of Killarney) due to the terrain of Gneeveguilla being some hundreds of metres more elevated than Killarney. Hence a few times during the Winter it is not uncommon for there to be no snow in Killarney, and yet just a relatively short distance away, near impassible snowbound conditions in Gneeveguilla. However snowy conditions typically persist for only some days at the most. Winter snow persists the longest on the MacGillycuddy's Reeks
Macgillycuddy's Reeks
MacGillycuddy's Reeks is a mountain range in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. Stretching slightly over , it includes the highest peaks in Ireland and the only peaks on the island that are over . The highest of these is Corrán Tuathail or Carrauntoohil , followed by Binn Chaorach and Cathair na...
, Ireland's largest and highest mountain range to the West of Killarney, which can be seen from Gneeveguilla on clear days.
The nearest market town to Gneeveguilla that hosts cattle marts and street markets is Castleisland
Castleisland
Castleisland is a town and commercial centre in County Kerry in south west Ireland. The town is renowned for the width of its main street. Castleisland has a population of 2,170....
, toward the direction of Tralee; Knocknagree
Knocknagree
Knocknagree , is located in the north-west of County Cork in Ireland. Located on the R582 regional road it is 5 km north of Rathmore. It is approximately one mile from the Cork-Kerry border, and looks south towards the Blackwater River...
, a village much nearer just across the County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
border beyond Lisheen, used to host cattle marts in earlier times but mart activity there apparently ceased at some point.
In the 19th century Gneeveguilla was the scene of a devastating event known as the Moving Bog.
On the night of Sunday 28 December 1896, after a prolonged period of bad weather, sleeping
families were awakened by a strange earthquake-like sound. When daylight broke, to their horror they realised that over 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of bogland was on the move in a southerly direction, taking everything before it. It followed the course of the Ownachree river into the river Flesk. The bog continued to move until New Year's Day and came to rest covering hundreds of acres of pastureland. The Moving Bog claimed all but one member of an entire family and their livestock.
Nearby Lisheen was the home of Julia Clifford
Julia Clifford
Julia Clifford was a fiddler and Irish traditional musician.Julia Murphy was born at Lisheen, Gneeveguilla, County Kerry, part of an area in west Munster known as Sliabh Luachra one of eight children. Her father Bill played flute, fife, and fiddle and had a fife and drum band...
and Denis Murphy
Denis Murphy (Irish musician)
Denis Murphy was an Irish fiddler and noted traditional musician.Murphy was born in Lisheen, Gneeveguilla, County Kerry one of eight children of Bill and Mainie Murphy. His father played fife, flute and fiddle and had a fife and drum band. It was a house where music was played a lot with...
, traditional musicians. Gneeveguilla is the heartland of the Sliabh Luachra
Sliabh Luachra
Sliabh Luachra is a region in Munster, Ireland, located around the River Blackwater, on the County Cork/County Kerry/County Limerick borderland.-Music and literature:...
area, which gives rise to the term Sliabh Luachra style to describe the music style.Other famous exponents of this style to come from the Gneeveguilla area were renowned button accordion player Johnny O'Leary and renowned fiddle player Paddy Cronin, both of whom received the TG4 Gradaim Saol awards for their contribution to Irish music.
There is a statue in the village (nearby the parish church) in honour of the Sliabh Luachra-born master seanchaí (storyteller) Éamon Kelly (1914 – 2001). Here are two extracts from his second volume of autobiography, The Journeyman, published in 1998 by Marino Books. Here is an audiovisual of how Éamon Kelly told a story.
Gneeveguilla is home to Gneeveguilla AC, one of Ireland's successful grass roots athletics clubs. Established in 1978, it has enjoyed success in both local Kerry Athletics and at National Level.
Gneeveguilla is home to Ambrose O'Donovan, a former captain of the Kerry senior football team
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
which won the 'Centenary All-Ireland' All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
. Gneeveguilla won the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship in 2010, beating Finuge in the final in Austin Stack park in Tralee, They then went on to win the Munster Championship and lost the All-Ireland semi final by the smallest of margins, 1 point after extra time to St.James of County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
.
In recent years, a South East Kerry Settlements Local Area Plan has been drawn up by the Kerry County Council Planning Department. It identifies constraints and opportunities for the future development of Gneeveguilla village and its hinterland. It recommends a consolidated approach for village development, avoidance of scattered and ribbon development, and reflection of the rural fabric of the area in the nature of services. It recommends environmental and pedestrian safety improvements. It is hoped that these recommendations can be implemented over the coming years.
People
Music- Julia CliffordJulia CliffordJulia Clifford was a fiddler and Irish traditional musician.Julia Murphy was born at Lisheen, Gneeveguilla, County Kerry, part of an area in west Munster known as Sliabh Luachra one of eight children. Her father Bill played flute, fife, and fiddle and had a fife and drum band...
- Denis MurphyDenis Murphy (Irish musician)Denis Murphy was an Irish fiddler and noted traditional musician.Murphy was born in Lisheen, Gneeveguilla, County Kerry one of eight children of Bill and Mainie Murphy. His father played fife, flute and fiddle and had a fife and drum band. It was a house where music was played a lot with...
- Paddy CroninPaddy CroninPaddy Cronin is an Irish fiddler.Cronin was born in Ré Buí near Gneeveguilla, County Kerry in the 1920s. He was taught fiddle by Padraig O'Keeffe. In 1949, Seamus Ennis recorded him on acetate disc for Radió Éireann, copies of which are held in the Irish Traditional Music Archive. Shortly after...
- Johnny O'Leary
- Paudie Gleeson
Literature
- Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin
- Aogán Ó RathailleAogán Ó RathailleAodhagán Ó Rathaille, also spelt Aogán Ó Rathaille or Anglicised as Egan O'Rahilly , was an Irish language poet. He is credited with creating the first fully developed Aisling poem.-Early life:...
Sport
- Ambrose O'Donovan
- Fran O'LearyFran O'LearyFran O'Leary is an Irish soccer coach. He is currently the head men's soccer coach at Bowdoin College.From 1989 to 1991, he served as the head men's soccer coach at Elmira College, where he posted a 38-11-2 record. From 1992 to 1993, he moved to Kenyon College, where he posted a 32-4-4 record as a...
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland