placenamesBlackwater Bridge
Droichead na Dóinne
Blackwater Bridge gives its name to a small settlement on the road west of Kenmare. The river crossing belongs to a local group of nineteenth-century structures that includes an ornamental cottage and, nearby, the Gothic Revival house at Dromore.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Droichead na Dóinne · Irish · main form · validated name
- Blackwater Bridge · English · main form
Place & story
A stone crossing with a pedestrian refuge
The architectural inventory places Blackwater Bridge in the early nineteenth century, dating it to about 1820. Two arches carry the road over the river, with rubble-stone parapets capped by stones set on edge. A refuge projects from the southern side for pedestrians. These details show how a modest road structure combined practical provision for people crossing on foot with the masonry construction characteristic of its period. [2]
The ornamental cottage beside the crossing
Blackwater Cottage at Derreenafoyle dates from about 1860. Its roofline is enriched with lead finials and decorated timber edges, while a gabled open porch projects from the front. Paired and tripled pointed windows add to the picturesque effect. The outbuilding and ornamental gateway belong to the same architectural group. This designed rural setting forms part of the immediate surroundings of the bridge. [3]
Dromore’s nineteenth-century castle
Nearby Dromore Castle was built between 1831 and 1838 as a country house in the Gothic Revival style. The architectural inventory credits Thomas and Kearns Deane with the design and Benjamin Woodward with later extensions. Towers, battlements and projecting turrets give the house a deliberately fortified appearance. Its entrance porch incorporates octagonal corner turrets, while a stable courtyard and walled garden reveal the service buildings behind the grand residence. The building is a nineteenth-century architectural composition rather than a medieval stronghold. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Kerry
- Barony
- Dunkerron South
- Civil parish
- Templenoe
- Coordinates
- 51.85123, -9.75627 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 101995 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Blackwater Bridge. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Blackwater Bridge, registration 21309202 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Blackwater Cottage, registration 21309201 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Dromore Castle, registration 21309207 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.