page_title: Fenit
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Fenit / History
caption_attribution_description: English: This was taken when the Jeanie Johnston (replica famine ship) was being fitted at fenit harbour county kerry Ireland. As part of the St.Patrick's festival in Dublin 2006, she'll be open to the public to view at the North Wall Quay.
context_page_description: Fenit is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland, located on north side of Tralee Bay about 10 km west of Tralee town, just south of the Shannon Estuary. The bay is enclosed from the Atlantic by the Maharee spit which extends northwards from the Dingle peninsula. Fenit harbour is a mixed function sea port, where fishing, freight import and export, and a 136 berth marina are the main forms of business. The population was 527 in the 2011 CSO census compared to 427 in 2006.
context_section_description: Saint Brendan, the navigator, was probably born north west of the village on Fenit Island in close proximity to what is now Fenit harbour around 484, and is honoured by a large bronze monument in the harbour area. It has been suggested that Brendan arrived in the Americas prior to Christopher Columbus but this has not been proven. Though Tim Severin demonstrated it is possible that a leather-clad boat such as the one described in the Navigatio could have potentially reached North America.
  In 1583, during the Spanish Armada in Ireland, the sloop Nuestra Señora del Socorro (Our Lady of the Socorro) (75 tons) anchored at Fenit, in Tralee Bay, where it was surrendered to crown officers.  The 24 men on board were taken into custody and marched to Tralee castle.  On the orders of Lady Margaret Denny, they were all hanged from a gibbet.
  In the mid-19th century, the sailing ship Jeanie Johnston traded out of Tralee, transporting emigrants to the USA and Canada and in 2000 a replica was built in Fenit harbour.
  A post office was opened in the village between 1883 and 1885 and postal services are still provided. Fenit is recorded as having cancelled paquebot mail.
  The village and environs were the scene of the ill-fated attempt of Roger Casement and cohorts to land arms at Banna Strand to aid the Easter Rising. Casement was landed from a German submarine, just north of the harbour in the early hours of 21 April 1916, but the ship, Aud Norge, never landed at Fenit and was scuttled in Cork harbour by its German captain lest the British forces take possession of the arms cache. History repeated itself when in 1984, the Marita Ann a Fenit-registered boat, attempted a similar operation on behalf of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. They were discovered by the authorities and arrested off the coast. This operation had the present TD for Kerry North, Martin Ferris prosecuted for gun-running, convicted for the possession of explosive substances for unlawful purpose and for possession of firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life. Ferris served 10 years in prison.
  On 2 August 1922, during the Irish Civil War, Fenit was the scene of a major seaborne landing, from the ship Lady Wicklow, by 450 Free State troops, as part of a civil war offensive to re-take Kerry and the Republican-held province of Munster.  The republican forces had intended to blow up the pier if an attack was launched but the charges were rendered inoperable by unknown persons in an attempt to minimise damage to the port.
caption: Jeanie Johnston replica at Fenit harbour
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