Rathkeale

Rathkeale () is a town in west County Limerick, in Ireland. It is 30 km (18 mi) southwest of Limerick city on the N21 road to Tralee, County Kerry, and lies on the River Deel. The town is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.

It has a significant Irish Traveller 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 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 parish church, St. Mary's, Augustinian Abbey ruins, and the Holy Trinity Church of Ireland 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).

In the cemetery of the Holy Trinity Church are many gravestones bearing names of Irish Palatine families. These families came from Rheinland-Pfalz, in the Rhineland Palatinate, Germany 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 to Tralee 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 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 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

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Towns and villages in County Limerick
Townlands of County Limerick
Civil parishes of County Limerick
Irish Travellers