Discover Tralee

Tralee (Trá Lí in Irish Gaelic) is a small town in County Kerry in the Republic of Ireland. It is located at the beginning of the Dingle Peninsula, making it an ideal place to set up your HQ while visiting the surrounding area! Don’t miss its museums, its golf green and its magnificent windmill, one of the largest in the whole of Ireland!

History of Tralee

Tralee, a medieval Irish town

The beginnings of Tralee go back more exactly to the 13th century, during the Norman Invasions. The latter built a medieval town then controlled by the Count of Desmond. They had a castle built there and instituted 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. Denny undertook a major reconstruction of the town.

Nevertheless, the present appearance of Tralee dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. Most of the streets and avenues now have a typical Georgian style. The site of the old medieval castle was finally razed to the ground to make a large avenue in 1826, known as Denny Street. At one end is the Ashe Memorial Hall, dedicated to the memory of Thomas Ashe, an Irish Volounteer who participated in the Easter Uprising 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 killings. The siege deprived Tralee of food for more than a week, and many houses were burned down.

Despite the retreat of the British army, Tralee was then the scene of a bloody guerrilla war that lasted until 1923. Today Tralee is the largest town in County Kerry. Its thriving economy has made it a dynamic town on a human scale. It retains its warmth and the Irish charm that is so much appreciated.