Tarbert (Tairbeart, or "isthmus" in Irish) is a village in the north of County Kerry, with woodland to the south and the Shannon estuary to the north. It lies on the N69 coast road that runs along the estuary from Limerick before turning inland at Tarbert towards Listowel.

[edit] Tarbert island

The nearby island is linked to the mainland by a short isthmus that gives both the island and the town its name. There is a a car ferry service from the island to the town of Killimer in Clare. This service, operated by Shannon Ferries Ltd, provides a link between the N69 in Kerry and the N68 in Clare.

Also on the island is a small lighthouse and an ESB electricity plant with four oil-fired turbines and a capacity of 640MW. This plant, opened in 1969, was the site of an explosion in 2003 that killed two workers and seriously injured another. It is due to be de-commissioned in 2010, with the loss of 130 jobs.

[edit] References

• Illustrated road book of Ireland, Second Edition, Automobile Association , London (1970)

[edit] See also

• Tarbert (disambiguation), for other places with the same name
• Tarbert (placename), for the derivation of the name
• County Kerry