Castlemaine is a village in mid Kerry built on the Maine River and it was formerly the location of a castle owned by the Earl of Desmond. It is located on The Ring of Kerry.
What’s in Castlemaine?
It’s main claim to fame is that it is supposed to be the birthplace of ‘The Wild Colonial Boy‘. According to the song:
“There was a wild colonial boy, Jack Duggan was his name,
He was born and raised in Ireland in a place called Castlemaine.”
Although he is known as Jack Duggan, it is thought that he was, in fact, Jack Donahue, a convict who was transported to Australia and who continued his activities there until he was captured and shot in 1830.
There is a pub in the village called ‘Jack Duggans’
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This town has a vibrant GAA Club and a Soccer Club.
The village retains a genuinely local atmosphere, with traditional pubs and friendly locals full of banter and stories of Irish culture.