Holiday Home in County Kerry, Ireland
ABBEY VIEW, BALLINSKELLIGS

Kerry Culture

Ballinskelligs is located in one of Ireland's Gaeltacht areas, ie areas where Irish language and traditions are proudly maintained. A Gaelic college in Dungegan provides summer courses for Gaelic students.

Kerry is famous for its music and dancing. The Set is the most popular of the dances, and if you pop up to Rosie's in the local village of Dungegan on any Saturday night, you will see local people stepping out.

Kerry also boasts a proud tradition of storytellers (Seanchai). Ballinskelligs produced perhaps the most famous of them all, Sean O'Connell. Within one mile of Abbey View, on the side of the mountain, in the house were Sean lived, the pre-famine village of Cill Rialag, has been carefully restored. Sean lived there until his death in 1931.  There is a commemorative plaque on the wall of the house, formally dedicated by ex-Premier Charles Haughey, and this site is now a feature on most itineraries for visitors to the region.

On a par with music and dancing is the passion for sport, and Gaelic football in particular. Kerry has now won a record 32 All Ireland football championships having beaten Galway in 2000 to start off the new Millennium. Somehow, the well of talent has never dried, and those coming through strive to maintain the standards of skill and style that Kerry fans demand of their teams.