Rathkeale (
) is a town in west
County Limerick
County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...
, in Ireland. It is 30 km (18 mi) southwest of
Limerick
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 ...
city on the
N21 road to
Tralee
Tralee ( ; , ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the River Lee') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in ...
,
County Kerry
County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...
, and lies on the
River Deel. The town is in 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 ...
and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of the same name.
[
It has a significant ]Irish Traveller
Irish Travellers (, meaning ''the walking people''), also known as Mincéirs (Shelta: ''Mincéirí'') or Pavees, are a traditionally List of nomadic peoples#Peripatetic, peripatetic Indigenous peoples, indigenous Ethnic group, ethno-cultural g ...
population, and since 1995, almost half the town residents have been members of the travelling community. Rathkeale also has the largest concentration of descendants of the German Palatines
Palatines () were the citizens and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, princes of the List of states in the Holy Roman Empire, Palatinates, Holy Roman States that served as Kaiserpfalz, capitals for the Holy Roman Emperor. After the fall of the Holy ...
who immigrated to Ireland in the early 18th century.
Rathkeale has shopping facilities, a museum, two primary schools, and a community college (, founded in 1995). The town has a large Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
parish church, St. Mary's, Augustinian Abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
ruins, and the Holy Trinity Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
church.
History
On the southwestern edge of the town is the 15th-century tower house of Castle Matrix. The castle was built as a fortress during the early 1400s by Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond, and was later the home of Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond. It contains a display of art objects, holds historical records, and is one of a series of significant Desmond properties in County Limerick (see also Adare, Askeaton, and Newcastle West
Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicised Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city. It is also the county t ...
).
In the cemetery of the Holy Trinity Church are many gravestones bearing names of Irish Palatine
A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times. families. These families came from Rheinland-Pfalz, in the Rhineland Palatinate, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
as refugees in 1709. Many of their descendants now live in North America. The region around Rathkeale, namely the townlands of Killeheen, Ballingrane, and Courtmatrix, contains the largest concentration of Palatine descendants in Ireland today. Rathkeale's former railway station on the closed North Kerry railway line from Limerick
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 ...
to Tralee
Tralee ( ; , ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the River Lee') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in ...
has been converted into the Irish Palatine Museum.
Transport
Bus:
Rathkeale is served by Bus Eireann routes 13 and 14 which operate between Limerick and Tralee and Killarney respectively.
Railways:
Rathkeale railway station opened on 1 January 1867, closed for passenger traffic on 4 February 1963, and permanently closed on 2 December 1974. The Great Southern Trail, an off-road trail for cyclists and walkers, is a greenway rail trail
A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...
which follows the route of the former Limerick-Tralee railway line between Rathkeale and Abbeyfeale.
People
* Sean (Jackie) Finn, Brigadier of the 4th (Rathkeale) West Limerick Battalion of the IRA during the Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
was a native of Rathkeale. His grave in the local graveyard features an impressive Celtic cross.
* The town is reportedly home to many members of the Rathkeale Rovers crime group, who own much of the property within the town.
Sport
* Mick Neville Park, a large GAA training facility in Rathkeale, which is owned by Limerick GAA. It is used by the county teams for training and some matches. It also hosts several club games throughout the GAA season.
* Rathkeale A.F.C., who compete in the Limerick Desmond League Premier Division. Their home ground is at Holy Cross, just outside the north side of the town.
* Rathkeale GAA, who have both hurling and football teams. Their home ground, nicknamed "the bog garden," is just outside the north side of the town.
See also
* List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{Authority control
Towns and villages in County Limerick
Townlands of County Limerick
Civil parishes of County Limerick
Irish Travellers