Crane: Kerry

Tore Waterfall

Tore Waterfall. Photograph taken from C.P. Crane's Kerry.

Tore Waterfall

Tore Waterfall

Tore Waterfall. Photograph taken from C.P. Crane's Kerry.

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Kerry by the decorated British officer Charles Paston Crane (1857-1939) published in 1907 is a single volume from the Little Guides travelogue series, which includes descriptions of the flora and fauna, history, antiquities and descriptions of interesting places in County Kerry . The book features a detailed map, drawings, photographs and also information about local road railway transport.

County Kerry had long been a favourite destination for travellers seeking a rural refuge from Dublin or the crowded cities of Britain and Europe . The rich Anglo-Irish Protestant Ascendancy who owned large estates in Kerry since the 17th century had immediately appreciated the beauty of the Kerry mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, coastal peninsulas and beaches. These aristocratic families lived in country mansions and lodges with vast estates. Fox and stag hunting, pheasant shooting, fishing, hill walking, bathing and painting the Kerry landscape were among the most popular pursuits.

In the 19th century and early 20th century rising living standards and incomes, a population explosion and increasing industrialisation saw the emergence of a rising middle class who sought to escape the city of Dublin , the metropolises of Britain and Europe and seek refuge in unspoiled countryside. The west of Ireland remained remote but was now more accessible by affordable steamer, railway and increasly common motorcar transport.

Crane describes the stunning natural beauty of popular tourist locations such as the lakes of Killarney, the McGillycuddy's Reeks, the Dingle, Iveragh and Beara peninsulas, Dingle Bay , the Conor Pass and the Blasket Island . He also describes the towns of Dingle, Tralee , Killarney, Listowel, Cahirciveen.

He provides a brief description of the often brutal history of the locality including the endless feuds between the Gaelic Irish clans such as the O'Donoghues, O'Sullivans, McCarthys, O'Connors and others, the Norman invasion of the 12th century, the downfalls of the Earls of Desmond and the after effects of the Cromwellian invasion and the Williamite Wars. Within a few years of publication, County Kerry was the scene of bitter fighting during the Irish revolutionary period (1916-1923).

Crane, a man of action, had already distinguished himself in the Boer War where he was awarded the D.S.O for acts of bravery when he wrote his book in 1907. Later in World War I (1914-1918) he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded an O.B.E for his service. He died in 1939.

by the decorated British officer Charles Paston Crane (1857-1939) published in 1907 is a single volume from the travelogue series, which includes descriptions of the flora and fauna, history, antiquities and descriptions of interesting places in . The book features a detailed map, drawings, photographs and also information about local road railway transport.