placenamesLispole
Lios Póil
A railway viaduct and a sandstone church mark nineteenth-century Lispole, while the nearby birthplace of Thomas Ashe became a focus of commemoration.
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
- Lios Póil · Irish · main form · validated name
- Lispole · English · main form
Place & story
Stone arches and iron spans
Lispole Viaduct opened in 1891 as part of the Tralee and Dingle railway. Its seven spans cross the Owenalondrig River using a mixture of construction methods: a single stone arch at the west, four arches with brick arch rings at the east, and two central spans carried by iron girders on stone piers. The railway closed in 1953, leaving the structure as a substantial remnant of the line. [2]
Saint John the Baptist’s church
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage dates Lispole’s Catholic church to about 1865. Built in red sandstone, it has a high nave flanked by lower aisles and a rose window above the entrance. A projecting corner turret rises to a slender spire, while the chancel contains a triple lancet window with stained glass. These details distinguish the church’s carefully worked exterior from the heavier masonry of the nearby railway viaduct. [3]
Remembering Thomas Ashe
Thomas Ashe was born at Kinard in the Lispole area in 1885. An RTÉ report on his birth centenary records local commemorations in July 1985, including an exhibition in Dingle displaying his bagpipes and personal possessions. Lispole teacher Micheál Ó Móráin prepared a bilingual pamphlet, and Seán MacBride was to unveil a memorial sculpture at Kinard. The programme connected the revolutionary’s national reputation with the community around his birthplace. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Kerry
- Barony
- Corkaguiny
- Civil parish
- Kinard
- Coordinates
- 52.14113, -10.16213 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 127908 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Lispole. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Lispole Viaduct, NIAH 21304402 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Séipéal Eoin Baiste, NIAH 21304401 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Kerry Remembers Thomas Ashe 1985, report broadcast 30 July 1985 · Tom MacSweeney / RTÉ Archives
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.