Do you think North/South Kerry people are different?

bayern282

Just looking for further info on this, never lived in Kerry, but parents were South Kerry folk, and have always heard this ''difference'' mentioned amongst friends and family.

It probably would be the case that Tralee might be a bit different due to it's status as the County Town and it's urbanisation compared to the rest of the county.

Know the accents are slightly different as well, maybe a slight Cork / Limerick pull in either direction.

Not looking to start a slagging thread but just looking for more knowledge on something I've heard alluded to.

siblers

Not really sure on the people but as a Listry man, I much prefer going into Kilarney than Tralee, seems to have a friendlier vibe to it and it's tidier als. I also much prefer trips down south or out west for football matches etc than to north kerry. People wise I don't think there's any difference where you're from. We're either all a bunch of culchies or townies

johnr1

The Cork/Limerick pull exists alright, I'm from waaay south, and I'd have more in common with someone from Castletownbere or Glengarriff than someone from Lisselton or Moyvane. More friends too. Thats to be expected.
Still, I'm Kerry to the bone, and the next few weeks will be one long slagging match :D

I think certain aspects of our "Kerryness" come from different parts of the county, The rebel RAA tradition is very North, hurling is very north, with Kilgarvan being the exception in the South. The storytelling and musical tradition is mostly east, dancing is Killarney, and football all over, but more noticably north in years past although South Kerry football is probably going better at the moment.
North Kerry has better land and as such would have been more farming country as opposed to smallholders doing a bit of fishing as well in the south.
Any industry in the county was usually centred around Tralee, although the german factories which arrrived in the seventies, most noticablly Liebherr settled around Killorglin and Killarney

We in the South have always felt a bit victimised because of the County Town being Tralee which is north, and also, felt ignored at Council level for many years which partly explains the Healy Rae phenonomen.
Same with football, for a long time, being south of Killarney almost was a bar to being on a county team.
Them's the differences I notice, but I'm sure there are more similarites than the lot of them.

Whew ! - I went on a bit there didn't I :pac:

Yes.

Very.

legendary.xix

I'd say no. I know people from North and South. I wouldn't say they are different. The only thing that is different is that they are from North and South. Kerry is peninsulalised, it that's a word, so it is a bit like 3 counties in one in some respects.

McGillycuddy

If you live long enough in any given place, you will find the same traits in peoples throughout the world. There are genuinely nice people, there are two faced people, there are cunning people, there are twisted people, there are eejits, there are con men, there are chancers etc etc. The old saying is still very true: it takes all kinds to make a world. And you'll find a fair share of all kinds in North (Listowel area), South (Killarney & Iveragh Peninsula), East (Sliabh Luachra) and West Kerry (Dingle Peninsula) Tralee would be considered Mid-Kerry even though politically it's in North Kerry but that's because there are only North and South Kerry Constituencies and anyway the Listowel people would take exception to Tralee people claiming to be from North Kerry !!!

bayern282

Thanks for the replies lads

Bit of light shed on the Urban Myth, have to say though, have a preference for the South but that's based on family ties, don't really like Tralee that much, a very drab looking place, Killarney's the best town in the Kingdom for me.

Interesting to see how we do this year Football wise, looked very fit against Limerick, as Paul Galvin said the Munster Finals against the mob over the Kenmare River can be a pain in the a**e

Spread

Am from N Kerry and would find the S Kerry people a little clannish and a little too much like the W Cork people for my liking. The Healey-Rae phenomena is a result of a localised chip on the shoulder. And when put in context is a poor indictment of their supporters - which unfortunately reflects on all Kerry people.

who the fug

Spread wrote: »

Am from N Kerry and would find the S Kerry people a little clannish and a little too much like the W Cork people for my liking. The Healey-Rae phenomena is a result of a localised chip on the shoulder. And when put in context is a poor indictment of their supporters - which unfortunately reflects on all Kerry people.

and your problem with West Cork is ?

johnr1

bayern282 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies lads

Bit of light shed on the Urban Myth, have to say though, have a preference for the South but that's based on family ties, don't really like Tralee that much, a very drab looking place, Killarney's the best town in the Kingdom for me.

Interesting to see how we do this year Football wise, looked very fit against Limerick, as Paul Galvin said the Munster Finals against the mob over the Kenmare River can be a pain in the a**e

"KENMARE RIVER" ( a west Brit term made up and put on maps so the landlords could monopolize salmon fishing there)
it's Kenmare BAY and don't make that mistake if you're speaking to locals.
I'm from the other side of it and still very much in Kerry, in fact Kerry extends seventeen miles on the south side of the bay, you've just proven my point for me about parts of South Kerry being ignored or regarded as "not really in Kerry".

johnr1

Spread wrote: »

Am from N Kerry and would find the S Kerry people a little clannish and a little too much like the W Cork people for my liking. The Healey-Rae phenomena is a result of a localised chip on the shoulder. And when put in context is a poor indictment of their supporters - which unfortunately reflects on all Kerry people.

I agree that the Healy Rae thing is about a localized chip on the shoulder, but remember the electorate of South Kerry is about 60,000 of which about 6000 vote for the Healy Raes in any given election -> 10 % approx, so go way with blaming all the voters in S Kerry.

Clannish ? Don't make me laugh, people here wouldn't pull together to save their lives, and we (like W Cork) have a non local and non Irish population far higher than the national average not to mind N Kerry, where if someone moves to a different parish they will be forever regarded as a blow in.

seachto7

Didn't some Dutch settle in Kerry in the 70s? Would this mean lots of tall hot blonder Kerry women???

johnr1

seachto7 wrote: »

Didn't some Dutch settle in Kerry in the 70s? Would this mean lots of tall hot blonder Kerry women???

Yup ! My primary school photo is full of em, we had about 10 or more Dutch in a school with about 45 pupils. Some still live around, but many went off when they hit 17 or 18. :-(. Good for the genepool :-).

who the fug

johnr1 wrote: »

Yup ! My primary school photo is full of em, we had about 10 or more Dutch in a school with about 45 pupils. Some still live around, but many went off when they hit 17 or 18. :-(. Good for the genepool :-).

Across the border, dutch, dainish, finns, swiss & german in my first year in the secondary

Spread

Spread wrote: »

The Healey-Rae phenomena is a result of a localised chip on the shoulder.

I don't think it is at all.

It possibly doesn't harm that they are seen as an antidote to our Dublin obsessed media.

But think it's a bit more complex than that. The fact that they are very hard working reps who know every constituent is a bigger factor. I know many who vote for them, not many who do so out of a "chip on the shoulder", but because they had a problem with some local issues and the Healy Raes called to them, phoned them, got it sorted, wrote to them etc.

who the fug

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't think it is at all.

It possibly doesn't harm that they are seen as an antidote to our Dublin obsessed media.

But think it's a bit more complex than that. The fact that they are very hard working reps who know every constituent is a bigger factor. I know many who vote for them, not many who do so out of a "chip on the shoulder", but because they had a problem with some local issues and the Healy Raes called to them, phoned them, got it sorted, wrote to them etc.

Same reason as why PJ Sheehan kept getting elected in CSW.

bayern282

johnr1 wrote: »

"KENMARE RIVER" ( a west Brit term made up and put on maps so the landlords could monopolize salmon fishing there)
it's Kenmare BAY and don't make that mistake if you're speaking to locals.
I'm from the other side of it and still very much in Kerry, in fact Kerry extends seventeen miles on the south side of the bay, you've just proven my point for me about parts of South Kerry being ignored or regarded as "not really in Kerry".

Wasn't aware of this, never known otherwise, as I touched upon earlier have never lived down there only visited, so noted !

manoverboards

Do you think North/South Kerry people are different?

YES !