Cromane
Village
Native nameAn Cromán
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCounty Kerry
Unit prefMetric
Population as of2022
Population total206
Time zoneWET (UTC+0)
Time zone (DST)IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Coordinates52°6′22″N 9°53′49″W

Cromane ()[1] is a village located in County Kerry, Ireland. The village's Irish name, An Cromán meaning "hip bone",[2] derives from the shape of the peninsula, which resembles a hip when seen on a map. Cromane is 9 km (6 mi) west of Killorglin town and a similar distance to Glenbeigh when travelling south-west. As of the 2022 census, the village of Cromane had a population of 206 people,[3] up from 116 as of the 2016 census.[4]

Location

Cromane is located in the centre of County Kerry with views of the Dingle Peninsula to the north and the Iveragh Peninsula westwards.[citation needed]

Cromane is one of the few locations in the county where there is a 360-degree view of the Brandon Mountain Range, the Sliabh Mis Mountains and MacGillycuddy's Reeks, home to Ireland's highest mountain Corrán Tuathail.[citation needed]

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of midden, ringfort and standing stone sites in the townlands of Cromane Upper and Cromane Lower.[5][6]

Lios na Gaoithe, meaning "fort of the wind", is a placename preserved in local folklore near Cromane and is associated with an ancient ringfort and a reported standing stone.[7] The Irish Folklore Commission's "School's Collection" records a number of stories associated with the ringfort.[8]

In the early 19th century, a 10-tonne piece of Spanish marble, which was destined for use in the nearby church in Killorglin, fell into the waters a short distance from Cromane strand.[9] The marble slab has been "a local landmark since 1840".[9]

Economy

While Cromane was traditionally a salmon fishing village, since the mid-20th century, the area has become a centre for aquaculture. Ireland's largest natural mussel beds are located in nearby Castlemaine Harbour, and mussel cultivation is undertaken in the area.[10] Cromane has also become a base for growing oysters.[10][11]

Jack's Coastguard Restaurant is located in Cromane's former Coastguard Station. The building, which overlooks Castlemaine Harbour, was built in 1866 and was turned into a public house in 1961.[citation needed]

Sport

Gaelic football

Cromane GAA club, known as Réalt na Mara (a name shared by the village's church and primary school), has won a number of Kerry Novice Gaelic football titles.[12] Two Cromane GAA players, Donnchadh Walsh and Sean O'Sullivan, have won senior All-Ireland Championship medals with Kerry.[citation needed]

The Ladies' Gaelic football in Cromane, Cromane Ladies GFC, won the 2025 Munster Junior Ladies Football Club Championship title,[13] and went on to reach the 2025 All-Ireland Junior club final (losing by one point to of Kilkenny).[14]

Rowing

Cromane has a rowing club, in operation since 1956, that is part of the Kerry Coastal Rowing Association and the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation.[citation needed] Among the races in which the club competes is the traditional Seine boat race.[15] This race featuring crews of 12 oarsmen (two men to an oar) with a cox guiding them. The history of the Seine boat was one of fishing, specifically for mackerel, and fishermen used a seine-net.[16] Seine boat racing is unique to South Kerry and the Cromane crew traditionally competes against teams from other villages in the surrounding area.[citation needed] Each summer, Cromane hosts an annual regatta that features races for all ages from under-12s up to the adult Seine boat competition.[citation needed]

Notable people

  • John McCarthy, American computer scientist and cognitive scientist. His father came from Cromane.[17]
  • Sean O'Sullivan, won four All-Ireland medals with the Kerry senior football team.[citation needed]
  • Donnchadh Walsh, won three All-Ireland medals with the Kerry senior football team.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "An Cromán - Cromane". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Cromane". WanderPast. 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  3. ^ "Census Interactive Map - Towns: Cromane - Population Snapshot". visual.cso.ie. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Cromane (Ireland) Census Town". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  5. ^ O'Sullivan, Ann & Sheehan, John (eds.) (1996). The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry. Cork University Press. ISBN 9780902561847.
  6. ^ "Record of Monuments and Places - County Kerry", Dublin: National Monuments and Historic Properties Service, 1998
  7. ^ "NMS mapping data - KE055-003----". Retrieved 4 March 2026. – via heritagedata.maps.arcgis.com. KE055-003---- : Ringfort - rath : Cromane Upper [..] Lisnageeha / Lios na Gaoithe: This rath is located at the W side of the landward end of Cromane Spit [..] A single earthen bank encloses a roughly circular and densely overgrown area. [..] Within the enclosure at NW is a standing stone of tapered elevation [..] A second standing stone previously stood nearby outside the site
  8. ^ "Scoil na mBráthar, Tralee (roll number 16704) Lios na Gaoithe". Dúchas Schools' Collection. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  9. ^ Anne, Lucey (2 March 2004). "Developer rocks the boat over marble slab". The Irish. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Welcome to Cromane". Go Kerry. Archived 5 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Socio Economic Development Plan 2018 - 2022". Cromane Community Council. 3 March 2019. Archived 3 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  12. ^ "History - Cromane GAA Club". cromane.com. Archived 8 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ^ Kearney, Dan (1 November 2025). "Dominant Cromane win Munster Junior football title with 23 points to spare". The Kerrman. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  14. ^ "2025 AIB All-Ireland Junior Ladies Football Club Final – Muckalee (Kilkenny) 1-13 Cromane (Kerry) 2-9". munster.gaa.ie. December 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  15. ^ "Rowing back the years". Irish Times. 22 August 2009.
  16. ^ "[Martin Galvin making a seine boat, Dún Géagáin, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry.]". 1947. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019. – via digital.ucd.ie.
  17. ^ "Leading academic who coined the term 'artificial intelligence'"