Tralee (Trá Lí in Irish Gaelic) is a small town in County Kerry in the Republic of Ireland. It’s located at the beginning of the Dingle Peninsula, making it an ideal place to set up your HQ while exploring the surrounding area! Don’t miss its museums, its golf course and its magnificent windmill, one of the largest in Ireland!
Tralee’s origins date back to the 13th century, during the Norman Invasions. They built a medieval town controlled by the Earl of Desmond. They built a castle and established a Dominican order.
It was in 1580 that the town was burnt down in reaction to the Desmond family’s rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I. Tralee was given to Edward Denny in 1587 by the Queen of England. He undertook major reconstruction work on the town.
Nevertheless, Tralee’s current appearance dates back to the early 19th century. Most streets and avenues now feature a typical Georgian style. The site of the old medieval castle was finally razed to the ground in 1826 to make a grand avenue, known as Denny Street. At one end is the Ashe Memorial Hall, dedicated to the memory of Thomas Ashe, an Irish Volounteer who took part in the Easter Rising of 1916.
A city marked by the War of Independence and the Irish Civil War
In the course of its history, Tralee has not escaped the troubled times of the Irish War of Independence and Civil War. The Black and Tans are said to have laid siege to the town in 1920 in response to IRA murders. The siege deprived Tralee of food for over a week, and many houses were burnt down.
Despite the withdrawal of the British army, Tralee became the scene of a bloody guerrilla war that lasted until 1923. Today, Tralee is County Kerry’s largest town. Its flourishing economy has made it a dynamic town on a human scale. It retains its warmth and the Irish charm it is so well known for.