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Bonane

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Bonane
An Bunán
Village
Catholic church in Bonane
Bonane
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°48′56″N 9°32′17″W / 51.81556°N 9.53806°W
Country Ireland
Province Munster
County County Kerry
Irish grid reference V939637

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

Prehistory

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

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" or "local legend",[6][8] a woman, who ran a shebeen at nearby Glengarriff, conspired with five local men to kill a priest and split the £45 bounty. 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 the folktale, the six priest hunters reputedly threw the severed head into the River Lee in frustration.[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.[9]

Amenities

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

St. Fiachna's Church (built 1892) is in the centre of the village,[9] while Bonane's national (primary) school is located at Tulloha.[11]

Transport

Bonane lies on the N71 national route between Glengarriff and Kenmare.[12]

While Bus Éireann route 270 (from Killarney to Skibbereen) passes through the village, there is no official bus stop.[13] A TFI Local Link service, which must be prebooked, runs every Wednesday and on the second Saturday of the month.[14]

References

  1. Back to citation "An Bunán / Bunane". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. Back to citation 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. Back to citation Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry. Volume I: South-West Kerry. Dublin: Government Stationery Office. 2009.
  4. Back to citation "Archaeology". Bonane Heritage Park. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  5. Back to citation "Ecclesiastical Sites". Bonane Heritage Park. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  6. Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 Back to citation occurrence 6.2 "History of Bonane - Inse an t-Sagairt". Bonane Heritage Park. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  7. Back to citation occurrence 7.0 Back to citation occurrence 7.1 Nugent, Tony (2013). Were You at the Rock? The History of Mass Rocks in Ireland. Liffey Press. pp. 152–154.
  8. Back to citation "Inse an t-Sagairt". bonane.ie. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  9. Back to citation occurrence 9.0 Back to citation occurrence 9.1 "St. Feaghna's Church". bonanekenmare.ie. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  10. Back to citation "Bonane Map". bonane.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2011; "Molly Gallivans - Traditional Cottage and Visitor Centre". mollygallivans.com; "Bonane, Kenmare, Co. Kerry". Bonane Heritage Park. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  11. Back to citation "Tulloha National School, Bonane, Kenmare Co. Kerry". gov.ie. Department of Education. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023.
  12. Back to citation "The Tunnels". bonanekenmare.ie. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  13. Back to citation "'New and improved' bus route will connect West Cork and Kerry year-round". corkbeo.ie. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  14. Back to citation "Bonane". locallinkkerry.ie. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
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