My ancestors - Blennerhassett - Contents

Blennerville Windmill

Blennerville Windmill.
NW side of Blennerville, Co.Kerry.

References:
- Blennerville Windmill: A visitor's guide, The Heritage Council.
- "An Irishman's Diary", Irish Times, 6 Mar 1989.
Sources yet to be consulted:
- Blennerville Windmill. Kerry Champion, 27 Feb 1937, p.7.
- IEI leaflet 3063, on Blennerville Windmill. See also IHAI.

Blennerville Windmill.
Click to rotate.
From Google Street View.
See also 360 degree panorama. From 360cities.net.

Blennerville Windmill was built by Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, 1st Baronet.
He built it apparently in 1780 to 1800.
RTE TV report, 1 August 1984, says it was built 1780.
The windmill is mentioned in [Deed, 1800] but unclear if built then or earlier.
The 1st Baronet's wife died in an accident at the windmill, said to be 1802.

Blennerville was the port for Tralee and the centre of the Munster grain trade.
Tralee Ship Canal opened in 1846.
Blennerville went into decline. The windmill fell into ruins.
It had already fallen into ruins by the time of [Griffiths Valuation, 1853]. The ruins were then owned by the Chute family.
It was restored later in 19th century.
Fenit Pier built 1880.
Windmill finally closed 1880s, fell into ruins again, in ruins by 1896.

It was purchased 1981 by Tralee Urban District Council, and is now restored as a tourist attraction.
The Blennerhassett genealogy on the wall at the entrance to the cafe is by Frank Blennerhassett, based on Bill Jehan's early work.
Bill Jehan says: "Frank based [the tree] on a 1968 Blennerhassett family tree drawn by myself .. as my first attempt at mapping the principal lines of the family, using standard reference works then available & before new research had been done; Please be aware that my original tree .. did contain errors and these errors remain in the wall chart at the Windmill."
See NIAH entry for Blennerville Windmill.
See Trip Advisor.

The earliest mention of the death of the 1st Baronet's wife at the windmill. This says it was in 1802.
From p.23 of [Rowan, 1846]. Though the note may be added later, up to 1861.
I own this manuscript.

Blennerville, perhaps c.1900.
Windmill in ruins.
See full size. From NLI on Flickr. "No known copyright restrictions".
Also here.

Blennerville, perhaps c.1900.
From The Lawrence Photograph Collection.
From NLI.
See more old photos at NLI.

Blennerville Windmill. Photo 2003. See full size.

Blennerville Windmill.
Blennerville Bridge in background on LHS.
Photo 2005. See full size. From here.

Blennerville Bridge

Blennerville Bridge was built 1751 by Col. John Blennerhassett.
The place was not then called Blennerville.
The bridge takes most of the traffic to and from the Dingle Peninsula.
It was strengthened and enlarged 1996.
See street view.

The approach to Blennerville from the Tralee side, showing Blennerville Bridge and, in the distance, Blennerville Windmill.
Photo 2003. See full size.

Blennerville Bridge. See full size.
See similar shot.
Photos 2003.

Blennerville Windmill. Visitors' centre on left.
Photo 2003. See full size.
See Google street view.

Blennerville at night.
See full size.
Photo 2006 from here. See terms of use.

Blennerville appears at 0:37 in this 2021 video of Gardai doing the Jerusalema Challenge.

Irish Emigration Research Project, Blennerville Shipyard (Blennerville Windmill visitor centre).