T

The team responsible for restoring a Victorian Landau carriage from 1861 have been rewarded for all their of hard work with the Best Overall Entry prize in this year’s St Patrick’s Day Parade. The group, working out of the Men’s Shed on Lewis Road, spent over six months painstakingly renovating the badly damaged vehicle, which was used to transport the Grand Marshall in Saturday’s festival.

Dermot Healy found the carriage on a scrap heap and tasked Mick Myers, Tom Ashe, Pat O’Brien and a Mexican woman named Marguerita Camphuis with restoring the coach to its former glory. The dedicated enthusiasts went about their business and the end result, as you can see, were remarkable. The classy carriage truly was the talk of the parade and a deserving winner of the Seán O’Keeffe Perpetual Trophy.

Killarney Athletic AFC picked up the Michael Courtney Trophy for Best Interpretation of Theme (Killarney You’re Looking Good) while Killarney Legion GAA Club, who have a proud competitive history in the parade, scooped both Best Sporting Entry and Best Activity Group honours. The Kerry Stars Special Olympics Club won Best Sports Club.

Barraduff National School were named Best School.