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Cathair Saidhbhín, Little Sadhbh's stone fort

The market town of the Iveragh Peninsula, below Bentee on the River Fertha, looking out over Valentia Harbour.

The name

Cahersiveen's Irish name is Cathair Saidhbhín, "Little Sadhbh's stone ringfort". The town lies on the lower slopes of Bentee (376 m), on the River Fertha, about 50 km west of Killarney, and is the main town of the Iveragh Peninsula. It sits within the Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve, the first Gold Tier dark-sky reserve in the northern hemisphere.

Cahersiveen in numbers

1,297
People living in the town (2022 census)
1775
Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator, is born at Carhan, just outside town
1888–1902
The O'Connell Memorial Church is built
1893–1960
The railway links Cahersiveen with Farranfore and Killarney

Forts, a castle and the Liberator

Across the river, the stone forts of Cahergall and Leacanabuaile and the 16th-century tower house of Ballycarbery Castle stand within a short distance of each other. The Iveragh estate passed to Trinity College Dublin under a royal grant in 1597. The modern town grew in the 19th century: the engineer Alexander Nimmo first came in 1811 and the main road into town was built in 1822. Daniel O'Connell (1775–1847), born at Carhan, is remembered in the O'Connell Memorial Church, one of the few Catholic churches named after a lay person.

Town landmarks

Highlights in town and just across the river.
  1. 1

    O'Connell Memorial Church

    Built between 1888 and 1902 in memory of Daniel O'Connell; a memorial in the grounds faces his birthplace at Carhan.

  2. 2

    The Old Barracks

    A Royal Irish Constabulary barracks of the 1870s by Enoch Trevor Owen, built in a castle-like 'Schloss' style and now a heritage centre. The story that it was built from plans meant for India is a local myth.

  3. 3

    Carhan

    Daniel O'Connell's birthplace, just east of the town, near Carhan Wood.

  4. 4

    Cahergall Stone Fort

    A large stone ringfort across the river, a short drive or walk from town.

  5. 5

    Leacanabuaile Stone Fort

    A stone fort close to Cahergall, on a rise overlooking Valentia Harbour.

  6. 6

    Ballycarbery Castle

    The ruins of a 16th-century tower house, later extended to an L-shaped plan.

  7. 7

    White Strand and Béal Trá

    Beaches across the river where volcanic geology is preserved in the rocks.

Dark skies

Cahersiveen lies inside the Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve. On a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is visible from the edge of town.

People of Cahersiveen

Notable People of Cahersiveen

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