History of Sneem

The legendary Casey family of rowers and wrestlers were all from Sneem; the most famous was Steve 'Crusher' Casey who emigrated to America in 1936. He was both NWA and AWA heavyweight wrestling champion of the world five times between 1938 and 1947. On one occasion he held the title for just a few weeks before being defeated. In 1982 he received the Irish Hall Of Fame Award, presented by Olympic gold medalist Ronnie Delany. There is a statue commemorating him in the village.

William Melville, the first head of the British Secret Service, was born at nearby Direenaclaurig Cross.

The Gaelic footballer Ronan Hussey, who was a member of the Kerry senior football panel, is a native of Sneem and still plays with Sneem GAA