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Bonane

Coordinates: 51°48′56″N 9°32′17″W / 51.81556°N 9.53806°W / 51.81556; -9.53806
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Bonane
An Bunán
Village
Catholic church in Bonane
Catholic church in Bonane
Bonane is located in Ireland
Bonane
Bonane
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°48′56″N 9°32′17″W / 51.81556°N 9.53806°W / 51.81556; -9.53806
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCounty Kerry
Irish grid referenceV939637

Bonane or Bunane (Irish: An Bunán)[1] is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland, approximately 10 kilometres from Kenmare. It is within the Sheen River valley, between the Sheehy and Caha Mountains.[2] The area is home to a number of archaeological sites.

History

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Prehistory

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Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ringfort, stone circle, bullaun, souterrain and hut sites in the surrounding townlands of Milleens and Deelis.[3][4]

Ecclesiastical sites

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Historically associated with Saint Fiachna, there are a number of ecclesiastical sites around Bonane,[5] including a Mass rock at Inse an tSagairt in Innisfoyle townland.[6] In his 2013 book on Mass rocks, Tony Nugent includes a story about the last killing of a Roman Catholic priest at a Mass rock, which reputedly took place at the Inse an tSagairt site in 1829.[7] According to the story, described in other sources as a "strong folk belief",[6] a woman nicknamed Nell na Deataighe or "Nell of the Smoke", who ran a shebeen at nearby Glengarriff, conspired with five local men to kill a priest and split the £45 bounty among themselves. After capturing the priest during Mass, beheading him inside a house at Killowen near Kenmare, and bringing his severed head to Cork city, the six conspirators learned that Catholic Emancipation had just been signed into law and that no reward would be given. In frustration, the six priest hunters reputedly threw the severed head into the River Lee.[7]

The nearby parish church at Sheana-Shéipéil, described as having "tottering walls" and a "confined unsafe cabin" in 1839, was replaced with a new structure at Milleens in the mid-19th century.[6] The present church, dedicated to Saint Fiachna, was built on the same site in 1892.[8]

Amenities

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Old phone box in Bonane

Tourist sites in the area include Bonane Heritage Park, a chocolate factory and traditional farm and visitors centre.[9][10][11]

St. Fiachna's Church (built 1892) is in the centre of the village,[8] while Bonane's national (primary) school is located at Tulloha.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "An Bunán / Bunane". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ Lyne, Gerard J. (2001). The Lansdowne Estate in Kerry Under the Agency of William Steuart Trench, 1849-72. Geography Publications. p. XXI. ISBN 9780906602812.
  3. ^ Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry. Volume I: South-West Kerry. Dublin: Government Stationery Office. 2009.
  4. ^ "Archaeology". Bonane Heritage Park. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Ecclesiastical Sites". Bonane Heritage Park. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "History of Bonane - Inse an t-Sagairt". Bonane Heritage Park. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b Nugent, Tony (2013). Were You at the Rock? The History of Mass Rocks in Ireland. Liffey Press. pp. 152–154.
  8. ^ a b "St. Feaghna's Church". bonanekenmare.ie. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Bonane Map". bonane.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Molly Gallivans - Traditional Cottage and Visitor Centre". mollygallivans.com.
  11. ^ "Bonane, Kenmare, Co. Kerry". Bonane Heritage Park. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Tulloha National School, Bonane, Kenmare Co. Kerry". gov.ie. Department of Education. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023.
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