Garrykennedy (''Garraí Uí Chinnéide'' in
Irish) is a
townland
A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
, settlement and harbour in the historical
Barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Owney and Arra,
County Tipperary
County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. It is located on the eastern shore of
Lough Derg, 2 km north of
Portroe
Portroe () is a village in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The village is located on the R494 road (Ireland), R494 regional road, 2km from the eastern shore of Lough Derg (Shannon), Lough Derg and 11km west of the town of Nenagh. ...
.
Buildings and structures of note
Garrykennedy Castle, a ruined
tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...
located beside the water was once an
O'Kennedy
The O'Kennedy family (Irish language, Irish: ''Ó Cinnéide''), sometimes Kennedy, were an Irish royal dynasty, a sept of the Dál gCais, founded in the Middle Ages who were Kings of Ormond. Their founder was the nephew of High King of Ireland ...
clan home built in the 15th Century. By the mid-17th Century the castle was already a ruin.
The harbour was once important for transporting goods, particularly
slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
from nearby mines. The present
quay
A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...
, built about 1780 is classified as being of Architectural, Archaeological and Technical interest but is now a leisure facility with a modern
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
nearby. Cruisers are particularly attracted here by the local
pub
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
s, known for their food and music.
The older harbour has many abandoned boats there.
Recreation
Garrykennedy
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
is a popular spot for tourists to park their boats. The Harbour has two
mooring
A mooring is any permanent structure to which a seaborne vessel (such as a boat, ship, or amphibious aircraft) may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to ...
spots, a
pumpout, a service block and a
slipway
A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving smal ...
.
Garrykennedy has a sailing club which organises races and social events during the summer.
There is also a Fishing Club, which holds fishing competitions and has a policy to encourage young people into the sport. It is also active in stream rehabilitation projects in the area.
Garrykennedy Duck Sanctuary is located near the quay.
The
Lough Derg Way, a
long-distance trail
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...
begins in
Limerick City
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
and passes through Garrykennedy on its way to
Dromineer. It is designated as a
National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the
Irish Sports Council and is managed by
Shannon Development
Shannon Development (legally the ''Shannon Free Airport Development Company Limited'' formerly known as SFADCO) was an important regional development body for the Shannon Region of Ireland. Its area in the lower River Shannon basin comprised al ...
,
Tipperary County Council and Tipperary Integrated Development Company. The trail was reconfigured and relaunched in 2011 with many sections taken off-road aided by an investment of €115,000 under the
Comhairle na Tuaithe Walks Scheme, which supports landowners to maintain trails that cross their land.
The trail connects with the
East Clare Way at Killaoe.
There is a signposted walk through the nearby woods and more unmarked trails. A small rocky shore often referred to as the ''flat rocks'' or ''slippy rock'' is on the walk. There are also wooden sculptures in the forest and chairs made out of chopped down trees. In 2020 the pathways have had new bridges, steps and concrete and tarmac. Changes have been made to make it more wheelchair accessible, thus improving the quality of the forest.
There is a playground in the harbour made out of wood and multiple barbeque spots for families to cook food.
Housing and settlements
Most of the population is near the harbour.
Nature and geography
The area is mostly flat with slopes gradually rising towards the
Arra Mountains. Two streams flow into
Lough Derg on each side of the village. Garrykennedy forest has mixture of trees but mostly contains
ash,
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
and
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...
. The shore is home to many waterfowl and the forest is home to many small mammals. A family of
swan
Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...
s live on the shore and lay eggs on islands nearby. Some
mink
Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...
s live at the shore as well. A
heron
Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...
and a
cormorant
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...
can be spotted on the lake. There is a small spring in the forest and the shore has small rocks scattered all around.
References
Works cited
*
{{Coord, 52.9050597, N, 8.3452611, W, display=title
Townlands of County Tipperary
Populated places on the River Shannon