Ventry

Ceann Trá Ventry
—  Village  —
Ceann Trá Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°08′00″N 10°21′59″W / 52.133383°N 10.366459°W / 52.133383; -10.366459Coordinates: 52°08′00″N 10°21′59″W / 52.133383°N 10.366459°W / 52.133383; -10.366459
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Kerry
Population (2006)
– Urban	405
Irish Grid Reference	Q381006
Ceann Trá is the only official name.

Dunbeg Fort

Ceann Trá (known in English as Ventry, an anglicization of Fionntrá) is a Gaeltacht village in County Kerry, Ireland. Located on the Dingle Peninsula, 7 kilometres west of Dingle, the village of Ventry was once the main port of the peninsula.^{[citation needed]} Due to its long sandy beach Ventry is now a popular tourist destination.

Six kilometres west of Ventry are the ruins of Dunbeg (An Dún Beag), an Iron Age promontory fort on the edge of a steep cliff. Near Dunbeg is Kilvickadownig, home to other archeologial ruins, including examples of the beehive house and the grave of Caol or Cháil Mic Crimthainn, the last to die in the Battle of Ventry from the well-known Fenian Cycle myths.

A site of interest in Ventry parish is Rahinnane Castle, which was the residence of the Knight of Kerry. The Knight of Kerry lived there until Cromwellian times. The castle was built on the site of an old ringfort. The ringfort was built up and a second added with walls of six metres (20 feet), giving the appearance that there may have been a moat, although there never was one. Rahinnane Castle still has its very tiny, narrow, stone stairs, from the first to second floors, which can be carefully climbed.

Ventry is home to Páidí Ó Sé, the footballer, who owns a pub across from the parish church. Canon James Goodman, the music collector, was raised in Ventry.

Ventry Bay

The bay or harbour is a suitable anchorage for sailing and fishing boats. On 4 October 1939, German submarine U-35 entered Ventry Bay and landed 28 Greek sailors of the MV Diamantis. Their ship had been torpedoed by a U-boat. The event was commemorated with a plaque in October 2009. Guests included the German Ambassador Dr. Busso von Alvensleben and the Mayor of the Oinousses Islands in the Aegean, Evangelos Elias Angelakos who unveiled the memorial stone[1] and members of London's Greek shipping community.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

• Dingle Peninsula Tourism: Ventry
• Dingle Peninsula Visitor's Guide: Ventry
• Greek freighter DIAMANTIS, sunk on 3 October 1939 by German U-Boat U-35
• Live weather station: Ventry