User:MIDI/Ardfert

Ardfert is a village in County Kerry in the Republic of Ireland. Situated 8.5 km north-west of Tralee, the village has a population of 729.

History
Saint Brendan was born in nearby Ciarraighe Luachra in c.484 AD. In the 6th century, Brendan established the monastery of Ardfert, but spent little of his time in the parish. The monastery had major rebuildings in the 12th and 15th centuries, and was left in a state of ruin following the Irish Rebellion of 1641. In 1253, Thomas FitzMaurice, 1st Earl of Kerry founded a friary in Ardfert.

Demographics
In the 2006 census, Ardfert was recorded as having a population of 729. Of these, 383 were male and 346 were female. The previous census in 2002 reported a population of 691, giving a 5.5% increase between the two censuses.