History of Kilkee

From 'Kilkee' By Timothy McInerney

Introduction

Kilkee first appears in the Annals of the 14th Century when it is called Cill Chaoidhe meaning "St. Caoi's Church". The castle of Kilkee was built by the MacSweeney's in the late 15th century as feudatories of the MacMahons and later of the O'Briens. The Castle was subsequently granted to Charles MacDonnell, a members of an Antrim family of Scotch descent, who retained the property until the end of the 18 th century.

About 150 years ago Kilkee was a little fishing village where at the west end the local landed aristocracy and the "merchant princes" of the neighbouring city of Limerick built a number of summer lodges. The canoes and currachs used for fishing were made from a frame of light timber on strong wicker wood covered with sailcloth and rendered waterproof with pitch and tar. In the 19th century the men were generally clad in grey frieze coats, the women in coarse home made flannel gowns and petticoats and very few of them wore stockings or shoes. In those early days the men did not fish on the Sabbath. Interestingly, up to the mid-19th century, Kilkee was an Irish-speaking village. Mary J. Knott in her 1836 book, Two Months at Kilkee stated that "few people can speak English". Fishing was very important in the locality.

Development as a Visitor Centre

From the 18th century the climate and environment at Kilkee began attracting visitors. In 1837 Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland describes the growing popularity of Kilkee:

Kilkee or Doogh, a village in the parish of Kilfieragh, barony of Moyarta, County of Clare and province of Munster, containing 1051 inhabitants. In 1837 it consisted of 153 houses; since which time several houses and bathing lodges have been erected, the village being much frequented as a bathing place chiefly by the citizens of Limerick, on account of its remarkably fine strand sheltered by a ledge of rocks stretching across one third of Kilkee Bay.

In 1888 the healthy air and surroundings of Kilkee are also extolled by Edgar Flinn of the Royal College of Surgeons who remarked on the value of spas in the area:

Kilkee is the most fashionable summer seaside resort on the south-west coast of Ireland, in fact it has few equals, if any, for natural beauty of scenery in this country.

One of the reasons why Kilkee developed as a visitor attraction was the availability of transport from Limerick. In the 18th century and for the most of the 19th century transport was by boat along the Shannon to Kilrush. From there the final eight miles (13km) journey to Kilkee was made by horse-drawn cars. Next came the west narrow gauge railway, which was a great boom to Kilkee as a seaside resort. In January 1885 Charles Stewart Parnell launched the West Clare Railway which ran from Ennis to Miltown Malbay. In 1890 the South Clare Railway began linking Kilkee and Kilrush to Miltown Malbay. This railway line ran from Kilkee to Ennis from 1892 with Kilrush being served by a short branch from Moyasta Junction. The railway served Kilkee well until it finally closed, from lack of support, on January 31st 1961.

Visitor Accommodation

Accommodation was needed for visitors to Kilkee. Many stayed in lodges, while hotels began to be developed in the village. The first hotel in Kilkee was Sampy's Hotel in Francis Street (now Grattan St). Other Hotels developed in the late 19th century included Moore's Hotel, West End Hotel, Blundell's Hotel, Atlantic Hotel, Browne's Hotel, Royal Marina Hotel and the Stella Maris Hotel. The first post office in Kilkee was also situated at the Old West End Hotel.

back to top >>

Places of Worship

Several churches catered for the religious needs of both locals and visitors over the years. Father Michael Comyn, P.P of the joint parishes of Kilfieragh (Kilkee) and Killard (Doonbeg) set up a fund and began to build a Roman Catholic Church in Kilkee in 1829. It replaced the parish chapel in Lisdeen. Kilkee chapel was opened for worship in 1831, although it was not completed for some years. This chapel served the parish of Kilkee for over 130 years before being replaced by the present church built in 1959-1963 by T. Hayes of Killaloe. By far the largest proportions of holidaymakers who came to Kilkee for most of the 19th century were Protestants. For Church of Ireland members Samuel Lewis reported in his Topographical Dictionary of 1837 that 'divine worship is performed in a lodge, but subscriptions are being collected for the erection of a new parochial church'. This was built shortly afterwards on the Carrigaholt Road and is still open for worship today. The Methodist Church at the end of Geraldine Terrace was built in 1890 but is now only used for service during the holiday season, for a short period a Presbyterian Church was opened for service in the years of the 20th century.

Education

On the feast of the Maternity of Our Lady, 5th November 1871, five sisters from the newly established convent in Kilrush came to Kilkee at the request of Fr. Martin Cleary, P.P to found a convent in the beautiful 'Brighton of the West'. In a temporary premises the sisters opened a school that was attended by children from the surrounding areas. Lord Francis and Lady Conyngham examined the workings of the school with apparent interest and gave the site for the present Convent, the foundation stone of which was laid on the Feast of the Sacred Heart in 1874. In 1878, the school was placed under the National Board of Education. The primary school closed its doors on 25th June, 1998 after 120 years of learning. The sisters also opened a Secondary school in 1943 catering for pupils from the Corca Bhascinn (West Clare) Peninsula.

Street Names

The names of some of the principal streets in the town were changed in the early part of the 20 th century: Francis Street became Grattan Street, Albert Road became Eugene O'Curry Street while Queen Street changed to O'Connell Street.

back to top >>