Castlegregory is a village in County Kerry, Ireland. It is situated on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula, halfway between Tralee and Dingle. As of the 2016 Census, Castlegregory had a population of 250. Castlegregory was named after a castle built by Gregory Hoare in the 16th century. It is the principal village in Lettragh, the name given to the northern side of the Dingle Peninsula.
Geography
The village is located at the foot of a sandy peninsula called the Maharees separating Brandon Bay to the west from Tralee Bay on the east. Off the peninsula are a number small islands, called the Seven Hoggs, or the Maharee Islands. A small fishing harbour is located at Fahamore on Scraggane Bay, about 5 km outside the village at the tip of the Maharees peninsula. The village is surrounded by the mountains of the Dingle peninsula and overlooked directly by Beenoskee and Stradbally Mountains. To the west is Brandon Mountain. Castlegregory is also the name of a Roman Catholic parish which includes parts the north east area of the Dingle Peninsula, and is served by two churches. The village is a tourist destination and it is near to a number of beaches located on the Maharees peninsula. Castlegregory Golf and Fishing club, a nine-hole links golf course, is located to the west of the village on the shores of Lough Gill.
History
On the largest of the Magharee Islands, Illauntannig are the ruins of a 7th-century monastic site founded by St Senach. On this site there are two oratories, three beehive huts, and three examples of a leacht.
Local events
Castlegregory Pattern Day was traditionally celebrated on 15 August, when the tradition is to eat locally-made mutton pies. In recent years it has been expanded into a three-day summer festival. The Wren's Day on the 26th of December is also celebrated. The traditional straw dresses have given way to pajamas, curtains, Halloween masks, and Christmas decorations, but there is still traditional Irish music to be heard.
Sport
Castlegregory GAA Club was first known as Castlegregory Allen, named after William Allen, one of the Manchester Martyrs. The club took part in the first Kerry County Championship played in 1889. For over 40 years football was played on a pitch with a 21 feet gradient from top to bottom, however a new ground was opened on 17 May 2003.
Transport
Castlegregory was the terminus of a branch line of the Tralee and Dingle Light Railway. The railway station opened on 1 April 1891, closed for passenger and goods traffic on 17 April 1939. It connected to the main Tralee - Dingle route at Castlegregory Junction. This main route also closed to passenger traffic the same day, but was to remain open for a once-daily goods train until 1947, after which nothing but a monthly Tralee - Dingle cattle train operated until the main line's final closure in 1953.
