Ard na Caithne (Irish pronunciation: [ˈaːɾˠd̪ˠ n̪ˠə ˈkahnʲə]; meaning "height of the arbutus/strawberry tree"), sometimes known in English as Smerwick, is a bay and townland in County Kerry in Ireland.

[citation needed] The area's former English language name, Smerwick, is believed to derive from the Norse (Viking) words smoer and wick meaning "butter harbour".

[citation needed] After the Holy See pronounced that Elizabeth was not Ireland's legitimate queen, James FitzMaurice FitzGerald and other Irish clan chiefs raised their clansmen in what became known as the Second Desmond Rebellion.

While FitzGerald himself was killed in August 1579, in September 1580, a force of 600 Italian- and Spanish-origin mercenaries, combined with some Irish and English Catholics, landed with arms for several thousand men to support the rebellion.

[3][2] Commanded by Sebastiano di San Giuseppe, and carrying a banner bearing the coat of arms of FitzMaurice,[citation needed] the force occupied Dún an Óir ('Fort of the Gold') at Ard na Caithne.