Firies
Firies
Na Foidhrí | |
---|---|
Village | |
![]() Firies, Church of St Gertrude | |
Coordinates: 52°10′14″N 09°35′52″W / 52.17056°N 9.59778°W | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | Munster |
County | County Kerry |
Elevation | 20.978 m (68.827 ft) |
Population (2016) | |
• Total | 558 |
Firies (officially Firies; Irish: Na Foidhrí)[1] is a village in County Kerry, Ireland in the barony of Magunihy. It is situated midway between the hub towns of Killarney (14.5Km), Tralee (16km), Castleisland (16km) and Killorglin (13km).[2] It is on the R561 road between Farranfore and Castlemaine. The population in 2011 was 491.[3] There are two principal rivers, namely the Maine and its chief tributary, the Brown Flesk.
Education
Opened in 1991, Firies National School is a rural 16 teacher school with 5 special needs assistants. There are currently 273 pupils enrolled. It is actively involved in the Green Schools Initiative, Discovery Science and the Aistear Programmes.[1]
Firies Castle
On a rock outcrop 855 meters south of the village is the fragmentary remains of a rectangular tower. The ground-floor appears to be occupied by a single chamber which was covered by a rounded vault which is almost entirely fallen. Only part of the walling above ground-floor level survives.[4]
Firies Castle was built by the O’Connors. It is in the townland of Firies, in the parish of Firies, in the barony of Magunihy and in the county of Kerry. It was built in the thirteenth century and it was knocked in the sixteenth century. It was a very small castle. It is in a ruin with over two hundred years. Numerous woods flourished for miles around it. It is from these woods that Firies got its name.[2]
Notable people
- Bishop Eamonn Casey, Irish clergyman
See also
References
- ^ "Fieries". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ "Fieries" (PDF). Kerry County Council. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ Central Statistics Office, 2012 Census 2011 Population Classified by Area (Formerly Volume One)
- ^ "Archaeological Survey Database". National Monuments Service. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
External links
Media related to Firies at Wikimedia Commons