Buildings in tralee presentation

The Courthouse is situated in Ashe Street (which was once known as Nelson Street). It was built on the site of an old prison. Work on the building began in 1831 and was completed in 1835. It was built with limestone which was taken from a local quarry called castle Green which is near the present town park. The building was designed by the architect William Vitruvius Morrison.

Tralee Courthouse has been in continuous use since it was built but its interior was reconstructed in 1982.

The Court House

When a new Courthouse was opened in Courthouse Lane in 1791 the old courtroom over the market house arcade at the square was turned into an elegant assembly room. It became a popular meeting place for the upper classes and army officers. Balls and other social events were held there. By 1818, the Army left Tralee after the defeat of Napoleon and there were less wealthy families in the area The Assembly Rooms fell into disuse. It was rented from time to time as a theatre or sales rom before becoming a coach factory. It became shabby in appearance and many people felt that the north side of the square should be re built. In 1856 the old coach factory and market house were demolished and a new building, divided into shop and offices, replaced them.

North Square 2006

The Assembly Hall North Square

At the end of Denny Street stands the Ashe Memorial Hall. It is built of red sandstone. Called after the Irish patriot, Thomas Ashe(1885-1917) it was built in 1928 and was the headquarters of Kerry Council until 1989.

The interior of the Hall is designed such that a theatre forms its centre, with office space surrounding it. This theatre staged all the major performances in Tralee, of its time. The Hall now houses a museum and is still used for Council offices.

There is a Preservation Order on this building , which means that Ashe Memorial Hall will stand at the end of Denny Street for many, many years to come

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The Ashe Memorial Hall

The Kerry Protestant Hall was built in 1863 by the Y.M.C.A.(Young Men’s Christian Association). The architect was James Franklin Fulles who also designed the war memorial at the Courthouse across the road. Around this time there was also an association called the C.Y.M.S.(Catholic Young Men’s Society) which has a hall in the C.B.S. in Denny Street.

The Y.M.C.A. organised lectures, debates, readings from books and plays. The K.P.H. (Kerry Protestant Hall) was also used for school parties, concerts, social evenings, bazaars, sales of work, badminton and various meetings.

The Y.M.C.A. gave the hall to the Protestant Community in the early 1900’s and it became known from then on as the Kingdom Protestant Hall.

The Kerry Protestant Hall

The County Hall in Godfrey Place included a theatre and offices for the County Council, the Urban Council and the Harbour Board. It opened in May 1910 with a grand concert.

It was designed by the architect J.P. Wrenn from Dublin and was one of the finest buildings of its kind in Ireland at the time.

The County Hall was burned in 1920 during the Troubles. Soon after the Irish Government had taken over from the British, local politicians in Tralee began to make plans for a new hall and theatre. The new hall was not built until 1928. The Theatre Royal was restored as a cinema a few years later by Patrick Coffey, who had been showing films in the Picturedrome in Upper Castle St. since 1913. The Picturedrome closed down in the early 1990’s and is now O’ Mahony’s Bookshop.

The County Hall was once the home of Siamsa Tire. It later became a bowling alley and fun factory and it now houses Fabric Nite Club.

The County Hall

Tralee Railway Station

The first railway in Co. Kerry was built in 1854 when the tourist centre of Killarney was linked to the Irish Rail Network. The following year work began on a 22 mile extension to Tralee. Progress was slow and the line took 3 years to complete.

The building of Tralee Station began in February 1859. Thirty stonemasons were employed to build it. Before the track reached Tralee, it was taken over by the Great Southern and Western Railway company. The track was opened in July 1859 before the station building was completed.

The Railway was extended to Castleisland in 1875 and to Fenit in 1887. The North Kerry Railway which linked Tralee and Limerick was completed in 1880.

Tralee Railway Station

The C.W.S.

The C.W.S. (Co-operative Wholesale Society) was built in 1901 in Upper Rock St. as a bacon factory. It was bounded on the North side by the Railway to North Kerry and the Port of Fenit.

Large quantities of bacon, hams, sausages and puddings were produced for the home market and for export. They also bought blackberries from local pickers for the export market.

The factory closed in 1971. The sandstone building still survives and is divided into a number of different businesses.

The C.W.S

Ballymullen Barracks was built between 1810 and 1815. In 1837 it could accommodate 17 officers, 456 soldiers and 6 horses. It also had a hospital for 30 patients.

Many regiments served in the barracks from its opening in 1815 until the departure of the British in 1922. The comings and goings at ballymullen barracks gave Tralee links with all parts of the world from Canada to new Zealand, from the west Indies to South Africa and from Malta to the Punjab.

Ballymullen is now the headquarters of the 15th Infantry Battalion of the F.C.A.(Fóras Cosanta Áitiúil which translates into Local Defence Force).

Ballymullen Barracks