Asdee

Asdee or Astee ( meaning the "black waterfall") is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ringfort sites, to the west of the village, which were built between 600AD and 900AD.

At the turn of the 12th century, the O'Connors, Kings of Kerry, moved from their stronghold at Doon Point ( Ballybunion) to ''Clár an Easa Duibhe'' (meaning "plain of the black waterfall"), where the village is now situated. This move was undertaken to facilitate an alliance between the O'Connors and the O'Brien dynasty, then Kings of Thomond. The waters around ''Clár an Easa Duibhe'' allowed the O'Connors passage to the O'Brien stronghold of what is now County Clare.

By 1146, the O'Connor's had built a castle in the area and the area became known as ''Caisleán Easa Duibhe'', or "castle of the black waterfall". Three kingships ruled from ''Caisleán Easa Duibhe'', before the O'Connors moved to Carrigafoyle Castle (near Ballylongford) at the end of the 12th century. The castle in ''Caisleán Easa Duibhe'' subsequently fell into disrepair, and some of the stone from the castle was ultimately used in the building of three houses beside the church in the village.

The black waterfall, from where the village gets its name, was quarried prior to the mid-18th century, leaving a smaller version of the original waterfall remaining a short distance upstream of the village.

Jesse James

The village has an association with Jesse James, whose ancestor, John James, lived in Asdee, having moved from the United Kingdom, before migrating to the United States in the mid-17th century. Jesse James was born in Kearney, Missouri in 1847, going on to become one of the most well-known outlaws in the American Wild West.

Amenities

Beach

Littor Strand is a Green Flag beach which stretches along the estuary into the adjoining Beale Beach. The nearby estuary is home to Bottlenose Dolphins and migrant waders and Brent Geese. The beach also plays host to several resident species of birdlife, including Oystercatchers, Curlews, Dunlins, and several types of Seagull.

Shannon Way Trail

The Shannon Way Walking Trail gives views of the Shannon Estuary. Stretching from Cnoc an Óir to Tarbert, the trail gives views of North Kerry, Clare, Limerick, and as far as Galway on a clear day.

Built heritage

Tullahinell House

Tullahinell House, known locally as "The Buildings", was the former landlord's residence of Maxwell V. Blacker-Douglas. During the Great Famine (Ireland), Great Famine of the mid-19th century, Douglas provided employment on his farm for some people in the area.

There was a mill here in the late-1800s, the stream for which no longer exists, having originally been artificially diverted.

During the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), "The Buildings" was sometimes used as a refuge for members of the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army. During this period, it also hosted a meeting of senior Republican figures, including Cathal Brugha and Arthur Griffith.

Church

The church in the village was built in 1835 and extended and renovated in 1964. Its original construction was largely funded by the Hickie family. Originally from County Clare, ancestors of the Hickies had been hereditary physicians to the Kings of Munster, before their lands were confiscated in the 1650s following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. After moving to the area, the family built Kilelton House, between Asdee and Ballylongford.

St Eoin's well

St Eoin's Well, located near the village, hosts an annual mass every June. This holy well was traditionally believed to have healing properties.

See also

* List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland

References

External links

AsdeeVillage.com

{{County Kerry

Towns and villages in County Kerry