Ireland's history dates back thousands of years, but it is only since the Celts arrived (from around 600 B.C.) that language and culture really flourished. Since then, almost every town has been steeped in folklore and legend. Ballybunion has had more than its share of both. From invading Vikings and serpent-slaying monks, to ritual sacrifices and pitch battles on fair days, there's hardly a place you can walk around this sea-side haven that doesn't have a story to tell!
Cliff Path Walk- the history of Scolt Na Dhrida
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Druids layer is located on the Cliff Path Walk north of the town, overlooking a sheer drop to the rocks below. This area is steeped in folklore and legend, with magnificent views of the Wild Atlant...
The Shipwreck on Beale Beach
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One fateful night on Sunday the 30th of November 1834 as a stormy moon lit the Shannon estuary, a two-masted sailing ship called the Thetis made for shelter within the relative safety of the estuar...
The Serpent and The Monk
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Kilconly church and cell of St Chonnla
The remains of Kilconly church nestle in a small field just off the scenic Wild Atlantic Way route (S) as you head towards Ballybunion. A walk around this c...
Piper whose Life Spanned Three Centuries
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Tom McCarthy, the famous Uillean piper, was born in Doon, Ballybunion in 1799. It is said that he would wander the cliffs of Doon listening to the sounds of the wildlife around him, and on the foll...
Bloody Battle on Ballyeigh Strand
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Faction fighting in BallybunionDid you know that the shillelagh, or Irish blackthorn walking stick, was actually a murderous weapon used in highly structured, regularly scheduled fights (called fac...
The Caves of Ballybunion
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Ancient caves and underground passages have existed for millennia under the town of Ballybunion. These Sous Terra or Underground Chambers lie beneath the cliffs under the "Castle Green" and are tho...
Nine Daughters' Hole
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It was around the year 800 AD when a fleet of invading Viking Long-ships sailed along the coast of North Kerry and disembarked at Inis Labrinde, at the mouth of the Cashen river, beside Ballybunion...
Marconi Wireless Station
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The Marconi Wireless Corporation operated numerous pioneering radio stations in Canada, the United States, Ireland and the United Kingdom, as a way of providing marine radio communications between ...
Lartigue Monorail
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In 1888, a unique railway link was opened between the towns of Ballybunion and Listowel in North Kerry. This monorail-designed system was developed by the French engineer Charles Lartigue (1834&nda...
The Tragic Tale of Flight 923
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It was in late September 1962, that five-year old Michael Flahive from Ballybunion stood on the Bromore Cliffs and stared in amazement at a giant aircraft carrier dropping anchor in the Shannon est...
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