Waterville, County Kerry

Waterville An Coireán
—  Town  —
Motto: "The Little Whirlpool"
Waterville Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°49′39″N 10°10′20″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Kerry
Population (2002)
• Urban	538
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference	V499659
Website	www.visitwaterville.ie

Ballinskelligs Bay in Full Tide

Waterville, historically known as Carrean (Irish: an Corráin, meaning "the crescent"), is a village in County Kerry, Ireland, on the Iveragh peninsula. The town is sited on a narrow isthmus, with Lough Currane on the east side of the town, and Ballinskelligs Bay on the west, and the Currane River connecting the two.

The town's name in Irish refers to the river in the case of "The Little Whirlpool", or "The Sickle" refers to the shape of Ballinskelligs Bay on which the town sits; the name however has been transplanted onto the lake with the Irish name being Loch Luíoch or Loch Luidheach.

The Butler family built a house at the mouth of the River Currane in the latter part of the 18th century. They named their house and estate Waterville. The village that developed on the estate during the first half of the 19th century was also named Waterville.

The N70 Ring of Kerry route passes through the town. Waterville has a population of 538 (CSO 2002).

History

Waterville Golf Links

The first successful transatlantic cable was finally laid after a number of attempts in 1865 by the Anglo American Telegraph Company between Heart's Content in Newfoundland and Labrador and Valentia Island near Waterville. In the 1880s, Cyrus Field's Commercial Cable Company laid the first Transatlantic telegraph cable from the nearby townland of Spunkane to Canso, Nova Scotia. The cable station brought much activity to Waterville and increased the town's size.

Telegraph cables

On July 13, 1866, the Great Eastern steamed westward from Valentia Island laying telegraph cable behind her. The successful landing at Heart's Content, Newfoundland on July 27, established the first telegraph link between Europe and the United States.

Later, additional cables were laid from Valentia Island and new stations opened at Ballinskelligs (1874) and Waterville (1884) making County Kerry a focal point for intercontinental communication.

There were strong proponents on both sides of the Atlantic and few more so than the Knight of Kerry [citation/disambiguity needed] who fought to have the cable come to Valentia Island.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2000, the cable stations received an International Milestone Heritage Site Award from the IEEE (Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers Inc USA) for their significance in the history of electrical science. The Kerry cable stations are recognised as World Heritage Communications Sites.

People

Bronze statue of Charlie Chaplin

• The town was a favourite holiday spot of Charlie Chaplin and his family who used to stay in The Butler Arms Hotel. There is a statue of him in the centre of the village in his memory. The community has also obtained permission from the Charlie Chaplin estate to hold the inaugural Charlie Chaplin Comedy Film Festival in the spirit of Charlie Chaplin.
• It is the home of Mick O'Dwyer, Gaelic footballer and former Kerry senior football manager in the 1970s and 1980s. The landowners in Waterville and its environs were the Marquess of Landsdowne, the Hartopps and the Butlers. Both the Hartopps and Butlers were considered good landlords who were helpful to tenants and created employment. The Hartopp Arms Hotel was recorded as elegant as early as 1858.

Sport

• Waterville Golf links has been voted the 5th best golf course in UK and Ireland.
• The newly opened Skellig's Bay Golf Club has been listed as 67th in the same vote.
• Waterville GAA is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club. The club has been rebuilt and includes a gym.

Website

South West Kerry Communities developed a website for Waterville and launched it on 13 February 2009. The community has arranged to hold the inaugural Charlie Chaplin Comedy Film Festival on 25th-28th August 2011

Tech Amergin

The Tech Amergin adult education centre (named after a mythical explorer to the area) has been refurbished. It offers successful events and shows, as well as exhibitions and vocational training.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

• - Charlie Chaplin Comedy Film Festival taking place 25th - 28th August
• Waterville - Ring of Kerry
• South West Kerry Communities
• Old Cable House, Waterville
• IEEE Global History Network
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