Rathkeale

Rathkeale ( Irish: Rath Caola ) is a city in County Limerick in the southwest of Ireland.

History

" Rath Caola ", the Irish name of the town means " Caolas fortress ", which is allegedly concerned a Gaelic king at Caola. From the Norman invasion until the mid-15th century, the land was owned by a family Maltravers.

In 1840, before the Great Famine in Ireland, Rathkeale was the county town of Limerick, with a population of nearly 5,000 people in the census of 1830 ( compared with less than 1,500 people in 2006 ).

Geography and demography

Rathkeale is located about 30 km southwest of Limerick city on the River Deel between Adare and Newcastle West in the important national road N21 from Tralee in County Kerry in the direction of Limerick City. The inhabitants of Rathkeale was determined during Census 2006, 1438 people. In the village lives a significant number of Irish Travellers.

On the rail transport in Ireland Rathkeale was connected from 1 January 1867 to 2 December 1974.

The local Mercy Community College has a partnership with the German Otfried - of - White Castle High School Dahn since 1996.