Ballybunion

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Seaside resort in County Kerry, Ireland

title: "Ballybunion" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["towns-and-villages-in-county-kerry", "beaches-of-county-kerry", "surfing-locations-in-ireland"] description: "Seaside resort in County Kerry, Ireland" topic_path: "geography/ireland" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballybunion" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Seaside resort in County Kerry, Ireland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
settlement_typeTown
nameBallybunion
native_nameBaile an Bhuinneánaigh
native_name_langga
image_skylineBallybunion Castle 5.JPG
image_captionBallybunion Castle and coastline
pushpin_mapIreland
pushpin_label_positiontop
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Ireland
coordinates
blank_name_sec1Irish Grid Reference
blank_info_sec1
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameIreland
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_name1Munster
subdivision_type2County
subdivision_name2County Kerry
unit_prefMetric
elevation_m30
population_as_of2022
population_total1,618
population_footnotes
::

| settlement_type = Town | name = Ballybunion | native_name = Baile an Bhuinneánaigh | native_name_lang = ga | image_skyline = Ballybunion Castle 5.JPG | image_caption = Ballybunion Castle and coastline | pushpin_map = Ireland | pushpin_label_position = top | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland | coordinates = | blank_name_sec1 = Irish Grid Reference | blank_info_sec1 = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Ireland | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Munster | subdivision_type2 = County | subdivision_name2 = County Kerry | unit_pref = Metric | elevation_m = 30 | population_as_of = 2022 | population_total = 1,618 | population_footnotes = Ballybunion or Ballybunnion () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Kerry, Ireland, on the Wild Atlantic Way, 15 km from the town of Listowel. As of the 2022 census, Ballybunion had a population of 1,618.

Name

The Placenames Database of Ireland associates the town's Irish language name, Baile an Bhuinneánaigh or the 'town(land) of An Buinneánach', with the Anglo-Norman surname "Bunyan". The Bunyan (Bonzon) family were historically associated with Ballybunion Castle.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes promontory fort and ring fort sites in the townlands of Ballybunion and Doon West.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Picturesque_Ireland_-_a_literary_and_artistic_delineation_of_the_natural_scenery,_remarkable_places,_historical_antiquities,_public_buildings,_ancient_abbeys,_towers,_castles,and_other_romantic_and(14755933286).jpg" caption="Ballybunnion Castle"] ::

Ballybunion Castle was built in the early 16th century, on the site of an earlier promontory fort, by the (Geraldine) Fitzmaurice family. It was destroyed by Lord Kerry in 1582. The castle was associated with the Bunyan family until the late 16th century, when William Óg Bunyan's lands were confiscated following the Desmond Rebellion. The castle has been a protected national monument since the 1920s. A number of buildings within the town itself date to the 19th century, with the former Church of Ireland church (now a public library) and the Roman Catholic church dating to 1879 and 1897 respectively.

Tourism

Ballybunion has two main beaches, divided by the ruins of Ballybunion Castle on the cliff top overlooking the sandy beaches. The one on the north is the Ladies Beach, and the one on the south is the Men's Beach, names arising from the fact that both sexes previously swam on separate beaches. Further south of the Men's Beach lies the Long Strand, a 3.2 km stretch of sand, overlooked by the sand dunes of Ballybunion Golf Club.

In the summer, Ballybunion attracts tourists, and the beaches near Ballybunion are a common surfing site, with a dedicated surf school on the Men's Beach. Other traditions include seaweed baths, featuring sea water with serrated wrack. The town itself has a number of restaurants, pubs and cafes, and schools.

Sport

Golf

Ballybunion Golf Club was founded in 1893 and was previously ranked at number seven in *Golf Digest*s "100 Best Courses Outside the USA". There are 2 courses, the Old Course and the Cashen Course, both situated beside the beach. The club hosted the Murphy's Irish Open in 2000 and the Palmer Cup in 2004. Located on Sandhill Road, the club has the largest, most formidable sand dunes in Ireland. Notable holes on the Old Course include the par-3 7th hole known as “Watson’s,” named after Tom Watson, who famously played the course during the 1981 Irish Open. Other notable professional golfers who have played the Old Course include Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Ian Baker-Finch. There have been other notable guests that have played there including in 2001 the late astronaut Neil Armstrong. A statue in the town commemorates a golfing visit, in 1998, by then US President Bill Clinton.

Gaelic football

The local Gaelic football team, Beale GAA club, is named for a small townland a couple of miles up the coast from Ballybunion. Founded in 1972, the club's colours are green and red. It fields teams in competitions organised by the North Kerry Football Board.

The club's grounds, at Stack Park, are situated off Sandhill Road. This floodlight pitch provides training and matches for several divisions of players (incl under 8s, 10s, junior, and senior) as well as ladies football.

Health and leisure

Ballybunion Health & Leisure Centre opened in 2007 and is situated on Kit Ahern Road.

Notable people

Gallery

Image:Ballybunion Ladies Beach 41.jpg|Ladies and Mens Beach Image:Danna's (Mulvihill ^ Sons), Main Street, Ballybunnion, Co. Kerry - geograph.org.uk - 3554865.jpg|Main street Image:Ballybunion Golf Club - 10th hole.jpg|Ballybunion Golf Club Image:Bill Clinton Statue in Ballybunion.JPG|Bill Clinton Statue

References

References

  1. "Census 2022 {{!}} Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movement {{!}} F1015 - Population". [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland).
  2. "Baile an Bhuinneánaigh / Ballybunnion". Placenames Database of Ireland.
  3. "Ballybunion Castle".
  4. (1995). "North Kerry Archaeological Survey". Brandon.
  5. "Ballybunion Castle".
  6. "Ballybunnion Library, Sandhill Road, Ballybunnion, Ballybunnion, Kerry". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
  7. "Saint John's Catholic Church, Church Road, Ballybunnion, Ballybunnion, Kerry". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
  8. "Ballybunion Beaches".
  9. Brice, David. (20 November 2009). "Ballybunion: A name that thrills every golf aficionado". [[PGA Tour]].
  10. "Milstones".
  11. "Ballybunion Golf Club (Old)".
  12. "Image from MacMonagle".
  13. "Southwest Ireland: Storied Links Allure Presidents, Celebrities and Droves of Golf Fanatics".
  14. "1969 First Man on the Moon Neil Armstrong Autograph at Ballybunion 1997".
  15. (30 December 2021). "Clinton Ballybunion trip swung after €300m golf wager with Tánaiste Dick Spring". Irish Independent.
  16. "Sports Clubs - Beale GAA Club".
  17. "Club Notes - Beale". North Kerry Football Board.
  18. "Beale GAA Club". Kerry Public Participation Network.
  19. [http://www.ballybunionleisure.com Health & Leisure Centre] {{webarchive. link. (2008-08-19)
  20. "Bishop Patrick Joseph James Keane". www.catholic-hierarchy.org.
  21. (10 May 2007). "Under the moustache there's a winning smile". Independent News & Media.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

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