West Kerry events page
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Camp Garda Station: Memories of Village Life
From the family memories of Dan Mulcahy to music, drama and gatherings for young people, Camp Garda Station held a place in village life beyond its everyday work. This account preserves Brigid O’Connor’s recollections published in February 2013, following the station’s closure on 31 January 2013.
A place in the life of the village
The original account recalls a station staffed by three Gardaí and a sergeant. Dan Mulcahy remembered his mother, Catherine Mulcahy, and his sisters, Mary and Ellie, working there during the 1930s and early 1940s. Their connection forms part of the everyday history of the village.
Brigid also recalled Garda Sean O Morain and his wife Brigid organising events for young people. Camp Drama Group practised its plays at the station, while the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann group met there too. These memories show how the building served as a gathering place for local cultural life.
Annascaul–Camp branch of Comhaltas at Camp Garda Station, 1970s, according to the original archive label. Names and exact date to be added. Remembering the closure in 2013
Camp Garda Station closed on Thursday, 31 January 2013. Writing the following day, Brigid recorded Dan’s memories and reflected on the good times shared there. The photograph below preserves him outside the station around the time of its closure.
Dan Mulcahy outside Camp Garda Station, around its closure on 31 January 2013, according to the original archive caption. This is a historical account. References in the original article to staffing and policing arrangements describe the situation in 2013 and are not current service information.
Keep the memories alive
Can you name someone in the Comhaltas photograph, supply a date, or share a memory of the station? These details help preserve the story of Camp’s community life.
Share a memory or photograph →
Adapted from Brigid O’Connor’s “Last Day of Camp Garda Station — closed on 31st January 2013”, published 1 February 2013. Photographs retained from the original community archive.
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Camp Sheep Fair
Camp Annual Sheep fair is held on September 18th. in the village of Camp. The fair dates back centuries to the time of Lord Ventry when a ram auction was held in the village. Lord Ventry brought the first black faced scotch breed of sheep to West Kerry. He carried 1,000 ewes on his lands in Beheenagh, Camp at this time. The fair has survived down through the years and is as always a great social occasion too for the local sheepfarmers and the families of Camp. In recent years the fair has developed and now we have horses and donkeys, fowl and other animals along with the sheep for sale at the fair.
Camp Fair is one of a very few fairs left that sheep are penned at the roadside and buyers come along and make bargains as in days gone by. No weights or measures are available like the marts, so its very much take the sheep as you see her ! and trust the farmer to sell you a good animal that will be healthy and breed well into the future.
The Sheep Show is one of the big events at Camp Fair. Farmers show their quality sheep and they are judged and perpetual trophies in memory of Campmen now herding in greener pastures, are given out for the best animals. The traditional mutton pie is the staple diet on the day. The children gather from school and have water fights and everybody enjoy a nice evening in the local pubs where there is great music and song late into the night. -
Gleann na nGealt on Cogair TG4
On Sunday October 28th. a programme on Gleann na nGealt will be broadcast on the Irish Language, Television Channel, TG4. The history is about the cure for madness which is in the waters of the Mad Well Tobar na nGealt in Gleann na nGealt. The programme can be picked up on RTE PLAYBACK for 30 days afterwards. Bain Taithneamh as an gcláir !!