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Hugh O’Flaherty Society to scale down activities

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SCALING DOWN: Pictured at the 2012 Humanitarian Award to Sr Agnes Hunt of the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas are the then Taoiseach Enda Kenny, British Ambassador Dominic Chilcott, Papal Nuncio John Brown, Killarney Mayor Cllr Sean O’Grady and various members of the O’Flaherty Memorial Society and the O’Flaherty family. Photo: MacMonagle Photography

 

By Sean Moriarty

The Hugh O’Flaherty Humanitarian Award will not be presented in 2020 after members decided to greatly reduce its activities in the town.

The Hugh O’Flaherty Memorial Society was founded by the Killarney Chamber in 2008.

Its key objectives at the time were to erect a permanent memorial in Killarney town centre, present an annual award in his name and to increase awareness of his humanitarian work through school programmes and student projects.

On the 50th anniversary of his death, October 30, 2013 a bronze memorial was unveiled on Mission Road in Killarney fulfilling the committee’s first objective.

The annual humanitarian award was first presented in 2009 and last year was given to members of the Irish Defence Forces in recognition of their 60 years of peacekeeping humanitarian missions with the United Nations.

The Society confirmed this week that last year’s award will be the last to be presented for the foreseeable future.

“Following the 2018 Memorial Weekend which marked a decade of Humanitarian Awards, the Society Committee met in early 2019 to review its activities and for a number of reasons such as resources, costs and logistics, a decision was taken to reduce the future Programme of Activities after the 2019 Humanitarian Award Ceremony,” Chairperson of the Society, Jerry O’Grady, said.

However, the Society will continue to engage with local schools and students.

“For the foreseeable future the Memorial Society will be confining its activities to continued interaction with primary schools in terms of competitions and, with students at second and third levels as a resource for projects and dissertations etc.,” he added.

“Also, we will continue to promote the Monsignor's story through the media and the arts. From our extensive family and society archives, we have already helped with the publishing of a number of books and articles, and the creation of theatre and TV productions, including Donal Courtney’s acclaimed drama ‘God Has No Country’.”

Jerry confirmed that award-winning author Joseph O'Connor’s next novel will focus on Monsignor O'Flaherty and the Rome Escape Line.

 

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New Streetscapes murals launched at College Square

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A colourful collaboration between the Kerry Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) and the Architecture Kerry Festival at Kerry County Council launched yesterday evening at College Square.

Titled Streetscapes, the open-air public art installation officially opened at 5pm on Thursday, accompanied by a performance from the Killarney Youth Drumming Band THUMP! under the guidance of Urs Wenk from Drum Dance Ireland.


The public art project features a series of wall murals depicting Killarney through the eyes of local children, exploring freedom, play, and potential future evolutions of the townscape.

The artworks reimagine Killarney’s iconic landmarks and streets, blending youthful imagination and curiosity.


Supported under the Creative Ireland Programme, the installation is mounted on the gable wall of Reen’s Life Pharmacy in College Square, where it will remain on public display until March 2027.


Speaking at the launch, Daniel O’Shea, Youth Development Officer at Kerry ETB, stated: “Streetscapes is a wonderful celebration of how children see things. Their creativity brings new perspectives to the townscape, and we are proud to support their ideas and their art through this public artwork.”


Deirdre Enright, Co-Ordinator of the Local Creative Youth Partnership at Kerry ETB, acknowledged the community support behind the initiative: “We are very grateful to Reen’s Life Pharmacy who have shared their built space with us. Huge credit is due to the artistic team from Me+The Moon whose dedication to creativity and to children’s art shine through in this work.”


The project forms part of the annual Architecture Kerry Festival and receives funding through Creative Ireland and the Department of Education and Youth via Kerry ETB and Kerry County Council.


Victoria McCarthy, Festival Organiser and Architectural Conservation Officer at Kerry County Council, welcomed the continued inter-agency project: “It’s always a great event for Architecture Kerry and we are so pleased with this collaboration between public sector organisations. It remains a key feature of the Architecture Kerry programme.”
See next week’s Killarney Advertiser for full photographic coverage of the event.

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Dr Crokes stalwarts enjoy lake cruise

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Dr Crokes stalwarts enjoy lake cruise

Dr Crokes stalwarts enjoy lake cruise

Dr Crokes GAA Club hosted a special day out for its senior members on Monday, this week, taking a group aged between 70 and 90 on a cruise across the Lakes of Killarney.

Organised by the Dr Crokes Healthy Club committee under its Crokes Cruisers initiative, the event was held to recognise the lifetime contribution made by long-standing members who continue to support club activities behind the scenes.
The group travelled on two vessels, including An Cathal, an open boat operated by local brothers Tony and Mike Fleming. Built to preserve the traditional Killarney lake boat style, it is the only purpose-built, fully accessible boat on the lakes, allowing members with mobility issues and wheelchair users to safely join the two-hour trip.
Following the lake tour, the party gathered on shore for coffee and refreshments provided by Derric McMahon and Harry Clifton of the Ross Castle Garden Cafe.
The initiative forms part of the club’s ongoing community work as a Gold Award winner in the GAA Healthy Club programme.

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