Near Ballyduff at Rattoo, a round tower reaches a height of 29.56m, with a base circumference of 15m.[3]
This is the only complete round tower in Kerry, and has been dated to the late 11th century.[3] In the mid-19th century, the tower sat on a raised earth causeway in what was then a swamp. The swamp was drained and the causeway removed in the late 19th century so the fields could be cultivated.[4]
On 1 November 1920, in reprisals for the killings and shootings of various RIC constables in the area, the Black and Tans shot a local man (John Houlihan) dead, burned the local creamery to the ground, and then burned seven homes in the Abbeydorney area.[5]
Of the area's three great houses, only two are still standing, Rattoo Great House and Bushmount House.[6] Ballyhorgan House was burned in 1920 in disputed circumstances.[7] There is a soup kitchen that was used during the great famine (1845–1847). There is a forge that was recently renovated.[when?]
Sport
Ballyduff GAA club plays both Gaelic football and hurling. The club won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final in 1891, when the team was trained by James McDonnell. This is the only time that the title was won by a Kerry team.[8]
Ballyduff is also home to the soccer team Rattoo Rovers who play in the Kerry District League.[9]
^Browne, Fergal (2020). "From Kerry to Gloucestershire-the Stoughton family of Ballyhorgan, Gortigrenane and Owlpen". Journal of the Kerry Historical and Archaeological Society.