Derrynane

Village in Munster, Ireland

Derrynane Doire Fhíonáin
Village
Derrynane Bay
51°45′55″N 10°07′15″W / 51.765396°N 10.120897°W / 51.765396; -10.120897
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Kerry
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	V543587

Derrynane, officially Darrynane (Irish: Doire Fhíonáin, meaning 'oak-wood of Fíonán'),^[1] is a small village in the civil parish of Kilcrohane in County Kerry, Ireland. It is located on the Iveragh peninsula, just off the N70 national primary road near Caherdaniel on the shores of Derrynane Bay.

History

A dolmen (or Stone Age passage grave) in the area may date from 3000 BC. Around Derrynane, sites dating from 2000 BC, are associated with the Beaker people who were mining for copper in the area.^[2]

Saint Fionan founded a monastery in the area in the 6th century.^[2]

In the 18th century, Derrynane harbour became a thriving centre for trade with France and Spain.^[2]

Places of interest

Derrynane is the site of Derrynane Abbey and Derrynane House. The latter was the home of Daniel O'Connell and is now a National Monument and part of a 320-acre (1.3 km²) national historic park.^[3]

Staigue Fort, one of Ireland's finest examples of an ancient ringfort, is located approximately 7 kilometers east from Derrynane. Another stone ringfort, Loher Cashel, lies 4 km to the northwest.

There are sightseeing trips to the Skellig Islands from Bunavalla daily during the summer season (weather dependent).^[4]

Sport

Caherdaniel Village is home to Derrynane Gaelic Athletic Association club.^[5]

People

Benoîte Groult (1920–2016), a French journalist, writer, and feminist activist had a holiday home in Derrynane and spent the summer there from 1977 till 2003. The French president François Mitterrand visited her there in 1988;
Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill, was another member of the O'Connell clan and a noted poet and the composer of Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire.

References

^ "Doire Fhíonáin / Darrynane". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Commission. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Derrynane History". My Derrynane. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
^ "Derrynane National Historic Park and Gardens". derrynanehouse.ie. Office of Public Works. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
^ "The Skipper". Skellig Tours. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
^ "Derrynane GAA". Derrynane GAA website. Retrieved 27 June 2008.