Tralee Bay () is located in on the west coast of

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 ...

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 situated between Kerry Head on the north side and the Maharees on the west and extends eastwards as far as the bridge at Blennerville. Several small rivers feed into the bay through the town of

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 ...

. Villages around the bay include;

Ballyheigue Ballyheigue ( ), officially Ballyheige (), is a coastal town and civil parish in County Kerry, Ireland. It is northwest of Tralee along the R551 road. It is a scenic locale which forms part of the Wild Atlantic Way and has several miles of bea ...

Fenit Fenit () is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland, located on north side of Tralee Bay about west of Tralee town, just south of the Shannon Estuary. It is also a civil parish. The bay is enclosed from the Atlantic by the Maharee spit whi ...

, Kilfinora,

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

, Blennerville, Camp and Castlegregory.

General information

The hinterland of Tralee Bay is rich in historic content covering most major eras in the origins and development of the Island and the Nation, from the mythological history, social and industrial development to relatively recent political evolution. In conjunction with Barrow Harbour, the following list of people, items, places and events are indicative and relevant; *

Scotia's Grave Scotia's Grave or Scota's Grave is a rock feature south of Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. It is beside a stream called the Finglas (''Fionnghlas'' - 'clear stream'), in a wooded glen called Gleann Scoithín, anglicized 'Glenscoheen' or 'Glanas ...

* Cathair Cun Ri * Ring Forts or Raths * Sou Terrains *

* Blennerville * Blennerville Windmill *

Saint Brendan Brendan of Clonfert (c. AD 484 – c. 577) is one of the early Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is also referred to as Brendan the Navigator, Brendan the Voyager, Brendan the Anchorite, and Brendan the Bold ...

* Tralee Ship Canal *

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

Ardfert Cathedral The Ardfert Cathedral () is a ruined cathedral in Ardfert, County Kerry, Ireland. Dedicated to Saint Brendan, it was the seat of the Diocese of Ardfert from 1117. It is now a heritage tourism site. History Ardfert was the site of a Celtic C ...

Roger Casement Roger David Casement (; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during World War I. He worked for the Britis ...

* Jeanie Johnston *

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Aud The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD; also abbreviated A$ or sometimes AU$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; and also referred to as the dollar or Aussie dollar) is the official currency and legal tender of Au ...

* Bee Hive Huts * Fenit Harbour * Irish Lights *

RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. Founded in 1824 ...

* Maharee Islands *

Dingle Peninsula The Dingle Peninsula (; anglicised as Corkaguiny or Corcaguiny, the name of the corresponding barony) is the northernmost of the major peninsulas in County Kerry. It ends beyond the town of Dingle at Dunmore Head, the westernmost point of m ...

* Liebherr Container Cranes * Oyster Beds * Bird Sanctuary * Fenit Viaduct * Fenit Railway Station and Branch Line

Maps and charts

Ordnance Survey of Ireland Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI; ) was the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland. It was established on 4 March 2002 as a body corporate. It was the successor to the former Ordnance Survey of Ireland. It and the Ordnance Survey of ...

, Discovery Series Map ref No. 71 Kerry. Scale 1:50,000 *

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom that was responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Historically, its titular head was the Lord High Admiral of the ...

Navigation Chart Ref No. 2739. Scale = 1:37,500.

Place names and features

Generally, clockwise from Kerry Head; * Kerry Head *Ballyheigue Pier *

*Blackrock *

Banna Strand Banna Strand (Irish language, Gaeilge: Trá na Beannaí), also known as Banna Beach, is a beach in North Kerry, Ireland. It is an Atlantic Ocean beach extending from the Smallrock (Roc Beag) and Blackrock in the North to Carrahane at its south ...

* Illaunnabarnagh (rock) * Mucklaghmore rock * Illaunnacusha, rock * The Rose rock * Barrow Golf Links * Fenit Island * Barrow Harbour * Little Samphire Island * Samphire Lighthouse * Wheel Rock *Black Rock *Spa * Tralee Ship Canal * River Lee from Tralee * Blennerville Bridge * Blennerville Windmill * Blennerville * Bealathaleen Creek * Derrymore Island * Derrymore Strand * Carrigagharor Point * Aughacasla Strand * Castlegregory *

Lough Gill Lough Gill () is a freshwater lough (lake) mainly situated in County Sligo, but partly in County Leitrim, in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Lough Gill provides the setting for William Butler Yeats' poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree". Location a ...

* The Trench River * Kilshshannig point * Illaunlea rock * Callahangrin headland * Mucklaghbeg rock * Minnaun Point * Illaunturlogh island * Illauntannig island * Reennafardarrig island * Illaunboe island * Illaunimmil island * Inishtooskert island * Magharee Islands or ''The Seven Hogs'' * The Maharees * Scraggane Bay * Minnaun * Illaunnanoon * Doonagaun Island

Items of interest

*A bird sanctuary is located on the south side of the bay on the low-lying land of Derrymore Island. *Little Samphire is a low-lying rock in the Bay on which a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

stands. The lighthouse, operated and maintained by the

Commissioners of Irish Lights The Commissioners of Irish Lights (), often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacent seas and islands. As the lighthouse a ...

also marks the limit of the harbour area under the control of Tralee and Fenit Harbour Board. *Great Samphire Island is a small rock in the Bay around which is built the harbour and port of

. The name comes from the rather rare yellow samphire plant that grows there. A monument to Saint Brendan the Navigator is located at the apex.
Tralee Golf Club
overlooks the whole bay from an elevated position at Barrow.
Tralee Bay Sailing Club and a Sailing School
along with Fenit Marina provide leisure boating facilities. *Shore based angling is a popular pastime practised from the viaduct leading out to the harbour. *Several angling boats are licensed to take recreational anglers out on the bay.
Tralee Bay Sea Angling Club
the largest sea angling club in Ireland, has its clubhouse in Fenit Harbour.

Vessels sunk and wrecked

*Integrity 13/3/1837. Lost off Brandon Head, en route from Tarbert to the Clyde. *Audrey Anne 5/12/1998. 65 foot trawler lost off Brandon Head. *Brothers 4/5/1841. A Dingle hooker carrying potatoes for the Protestant colony at Dingle. *Saint Lawrence 7/2/1840. A barque went ashore at Ballyheigue Bay. *Port Yarrock 29/1/1894. Sank in Brandon Bay, en route from Santa Rosilia, California. All 22 crew lost."A Gallant Barque" by Sheila Mulcahy, Published and Printed by The Kerryman, 1999. ISBN o 946277 25 7 P/bk See also "http://www.irishwrecksonline.net/Lists/KerryListB.htm" for much more detailed information.

Adjacent bays

Brandon Bay is the next bay to the south west and the

Shannon Estuary The Shannon Estuary in Ireland () is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to the south. Th ...

is located to the north. Barrow Harbour is a bay located in the bay, east of Fenit Island.

References

Bibliography

* Discovering Kerry, T.J. Barrington, 1976, Blackwater, Dublin * Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast, Vol 3. by Edward J Bourke. * A Gallant Barque, by Sheila Mulcahy, Published and Printed by The Kerryman, 1999. ISBN o 946277 25 7 P {{coord, 52, 17, N, 9, 56, W, region:IE_type:waterbody, display=title Bays of County Kerry Ramsar sites in the Republic of Ireland

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...