Tarbert | |
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Town | |
Coordinates: 52°34′21″N9°22′30″W / 52.572386°N 9.375114°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Province | Munster |
County | County Kerry |
Local electoral area | Listowel |
Dáil constituency | Kerry |
EU Parliament | South |
Population | 546 |
Irish Grid Reference | R065477 |
Tarbert (Irish : Tairbeart, meaning 'peninsula' or ' isthmus ') [2] is a village in the north of County Kerry, with woodland to the south and the Shannon estuary to the north. It lies on the N69 coast road that runs along the estuary from Limerick before turning inland at Tarbert towards Listowel. As of the 2022 census, Tarbert village had a population of 546. [1]
Tarbert is in the historical barony of Iraghticonnor in the civil parish of Kilnaughtin. [2] Located on the N69 and N67 roads, Tarbert is connected by ferry (across the Shannon estuary) to Killimer in County Clare. [3]
The nearby island is linked to the mainland by a short isthmus. There is a car ferry service from the island to the town of Killimer in County Clare. This service, operated by Shannon Ferries, provides a link between the N69 in County Kerry and the N67 in County Clare.
Also on the island is a small lighthouse and an electricity plant, Tarbert Power Station, with four oil-fired turbines and a capacity of 640MW. This plant, opened in 1969, was the site of an explosion in 2003 that killed two workers and seriously injured another. The plant was due to be de-commissioned in 2010, with the loss of 130 jobs. However, the plant was purchased by Spanish power company Endesa in January 2009. [4] As of 2023, the plant was operated by SSE. [5]
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Source: Central Statistics Office. "CNA17: Population by Off Shore Island, Sex and Year". CSO.ie. Retrieved 12 October 2016. |
Tarbert's bridewell is a former courthouse and prison in the village. Built in 1831, it was used for trying local court cases and for holding prisoners awaiting transfer to the County Jail in Tralee. The jail closed in 1874 but the courthouse continued in use until the 1950s. In 1993, the complex was reopened as a museum and visitor centre. [6]
Tarbert Lighthouse came into operation on 31 March 1834 H.T.L.H. [7] Tarbert Island lighthouse, which is still operational, is a harbour light to guide vessels passing up and down the Shannon estuary. It is built on a tidal rock on the north side of Tarbert Island and a cast iron bridge connects the lighthouse to the shore.[ citation needed ]
Fort Shannon was a coastal artillery fortress, near Tarbert, built by the Irish Army in 1942 to protect the River Shannon against potentially hostile warships during The Emergency (as World War II was known in Ireland). It was the only such fortress to have been built by the Irish Government since independence. It was reduced to a care and maintenance basis in 1946 and completely abandoned several years later. [8]
Tarbert House is a historic country house dating from 1690. It was built by the Leslie family, and is still owned by them. [9]
St Mary's Catholic Church is in Tarbert parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kerry. [10] It was built in 1833. [11]
There are two schools in the area: Tarbert National School (primary) and Tarbert Comprehensive (secondary). As of 2024, the secondary school had an enrolment of 501, [12] and the national (primary) school had 138 pupils. [13]
The local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club, Tarbert GAA, is based in Shannon Park in the village. [14]
County Clare is a county in the province of Munster in the Southern part of the republic of Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 127,938 at the 2022 census. The county seat and largest settlement is Ennis.
County Kerry is a county on the southwest coast of Ireland, within the province of Munster and the Southern Region. It is bordered by two other counties; Limerick to the east, and Cork to the south and east. It is separated from Clare to the north by the Shannon Estuary. With an area of 4,807 square kilometres (1,856 sq mi) and a population of 156,458 as of 2022, it is the 5th largest of Ireland's 32 counties by land area, and the 15th most populous. The governing local authority is Kerry County Council.
Kilrush is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is also the name of a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. Kilrush is one of the listed Heritage Towns of Ireland. The area was officially classified as part of the West Clare Gaeltacht, an Irish-speaking community, until 1956.
Ennistymon or Ennistimon is a country market town in County Clare, near the west coast of Ireland. The River Inagh, with its small rapids known as the Cascades, runs through the town, behind the main street. A bridge across the river leads to nearby Lahinch. The town is at the junction of the N67 and N85 roads.
Tarbert is a place name in Scotland and Ireland. Places named Tarbert are characterised by a narrow strip of land, or isthmus. This can be where two lochs nearly meet, or a causeway out to an island.
Inis Cathaigh or Scattery Island is an island in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland, off the coast of Kilrush, County Clare. The island is home to a lighthouse, a ruined monastery associated with Saints Senan and Canir, an Irish round tower and the remains of an artillery battery. The last residents left in 1969. Most of the island is now owned by the Office of Public Works, who run a small visitor centre and carry out repairs and maintenance on the island; it was bought by Dúchas in 1991.The Irish name Inis Cathaigh was formerly anglicised Iniscathy, which later became Iniscattery and finally Scattery.
Ballylongford is a village near Listowel in northern County Kerry, Ireland.
Tarbert a place name in Scotland and Ireland.
Loop Head, is a headland on the north side of the mouth of the River Shannon, in County Clare in the west of Ireland.
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. The estuary defines the main boundary between County Kerry/County Limerick to the south and County Clare to the north.
Glin is a village in the northwest of County Limerick, Ireland. It is on the south shore of the River Shannon's estuary, on the N69 road between Foynes and Tarbert. The population of the village at the 2022 census was 644.
Killimer is a village in County Clare, Ireland, in a civil parish of the same name. It is located on the northern bank of the Shannon and the N67 which passes through the village.
Shannon Foynes Port is a port operating company managing the operations of cargo facilities within the Shannon Estuary. It is the second largest port in Ireland. It is operated and managed by the Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC), whose main operating office is based in Foynes, County Limerick. SFPC has statutory jurisdiction over all marine activities in the estuary between a line drawn from Kerry Head to Loop Head, and Limerick.
Shannon Ferry Group is an Irish private company that operates a ro-ro ferry crossing of the Shannon Estuary between counties Clare and Kerry. The company is based in Killimer County Clare, with the service operating between Killimer and Tarbert County Kerry. It currently operates two ro-ro ferries, Shannon Dolphin and Shannon Breeze. It is the longest domestic ferry service in Ireland.
The Wild Atlantic Way is a tourism trail on the west coast, and on parts of the north and south coasts, of Ireland. The 2,500 km driving route passes through nine counties and three provinces, stretching from County Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula in Ulster to Kinsale, County Cork, in Munster, on the Celtic Sea coast.
Shannon Rangers is a North Kerry Divisional Gaelic football team in County Kerry, Ireland, based around the Shannon Estuary. Founded in 1940, the team compete in the Kerry Senior Football Championship, which they have won on 5 occasions. They also won the inaugural Munster Senior Club Football Championship in 1964.
The R550 road is a regional road in Ireland, located on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry.
Asdee or Astee is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland.
SSE Thermal is the thermal power generation subsidiary of British company SSE plc.
Tarbert Power Station is an oil fired power station situated on the Shannon Estuary in Tarbert, County Kerry, Ireland. Construction commenced in October 1966 and the first block was commissioned in 1969. The station comprises two 60 MW and two 250 MW oil fired steam turbines. It was the largest station of ESB during the 1980s. The plant was sold to Endesa in 2009, and subsequently to SSE in 2012. Until early 2022 it was scheduled for closure by the end of 2023. However, due to the 2021–2024 global energy crisis, Tarbert station will maintain operation for an indefinite amount of time, until enough low-carbon generating capacity will be available as a replacement.