Blennerville, from the Irish meaning “the seat/home of the Morans”, is a small village on the edge of the town of Tralee in County Kerry.
The village was formerly Tralee’s port, and is connected to the town centre by the Tralee Ship Canal.
Blennerville Windmill was built in 1800, while Blennerville port was used for most of the 19th century as a gateway from Kerry to North America by emigrants.
The most famous of these ships was the Jeanie Johnston, famously no passenger ever died while it transported emigrants across the Atlantic.
By the mid-19th century, the Tralee Ship Canal was opened, replacing Blennerville as Tralee’s port and the village went into decline with the windmill falling into ruins and closing.
From 1891 to 1953, a Light Railway line opened connecting Tralee and Dingle along one of Europe’s most western railway lines, with a station operating in Blennerville until it closed.
The beautiful Dingle Way trail begins in Blennerville, crossing the Brandon Mountains before finishing in Dingle.
The Tralee Bay Nature Reserve extends east and west of Blennerville Bridge. It is a renowned wildlife habitat and an important breeding ground for migratory birds.
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