The Placenames Database of Ireland associates the town's Irish language name, Baile an Bhuinneánaigh or the 'town(land) of An Buinneánach', with the Anglo-Norman surname "Bunyan".[2] The Bunyan (Bonzon) family were historically associated with Ballybunion Castle.[3]
Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes promontory fort and ring fort sites in the townlands of Ballybunion and Doon West.[4]
Ballybunion Castle was built in the early 16th century, on the site of an earlier promontory fort, by the (Geraldine) Fitzmaurice family.[5] The castle was associated with the Bunyan family until the late 16th century, when William Óg Bunyan's lands were confiscated following the Desmond Rebellion.[3] The castle has been a protected national monument since the 1920s.[5]
A number of buildings within the town itself date to the 19th century, with the former Church of Ireland church (now a public library) and the Roman Catholic church dating to 1879 and 1897 respectively.[6][7]
Ballybunion has two main beaches, divided by the Castle Green. The Ladies Beach is to the right and the Men's Beach to the left – names arising from the fact that both sexes previously swam on separate beaches.[8] Further to the left of the Men's Beach lies the Long Strand, a 3.2 km stretch of sand, overlooked by the sand dunes of Ballybunion Golf Club.
In the summer, Ballybunion attracts tourists, and the beaches near Ballybunion are a common surfing site, with a dedicated surf school on the Men's Beach. Other traditions include seaweed baths, featuring sea water with serrated wrack. The town itself has a number of restaurants, pubs and cafes, and schools. A statue in the town commemorates a golfing visit, in 1998, by then US President Bill Clinton.[9]
Ballybunion Golf Club was founded in 1893 and was previously ranked at number seven in Golf Digest's "100 Best Courses Outside the USA".[10] There are 2 courses, the Old Course and the Cashen Course, both situated beside the beach. The club hosted the Murphy's Irish Open in 2000 and the Palmer Cup in 2004.[11]
The local Gaelic football team, Beale GAA club, is named for a small townland a couple of miles up the coast from Ballybunion. Founded in 1972, the club's colours are green and red.[12] It fields teams in competitions organised by the North Kerry Football Board.[13]
The club's grounds, at Stack Park, are situated off Sandhill Road.[14] This floodlight pitch provides training and matches for several divisions of players (incl under 8s, 10s, junior, and senior) as well as ladies football.[citation needed]
