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George debuts historical novel

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By Michelle Crean

Finally getting his hands on his debut novel was a "buzz" for one novice author - who was inspired to finish after a relative's children's series was picked up by the Disney+ channel.

George Nash, who, in February, retired as manager of the Killarney Technology Innovation Centre (KTI) after over 20 years service wrote ‘Uneasy Quest’, a work of historical fiction with a lot of historical facts set at the time of the first Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. And many of the later parts of the book are set in Killarney including the shores of Lough Leane.

For George, the book had been a long time coming as he started it many years ago.

However, with the extra time on his hands and the lockdown which meant little to no travel from his home in Castlemaine gave him the incentive to get it complete.

Also inspired by his late first cousin's son's success - Eoin Colfer the Irish author of the internationally bestselling 'Artemis Fowl' children's series, which was named the public's favourite Puffin Classic of all time and brought to life by the Disney+ channel - spurred him on.

"I was working on it for a number of years and went away from it," George told the Killarney Advertiser this week.

"Last year I decided to finish it and I more or less had it complete when I retired."

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It's Ireland, 1169: a foreign army has landed in County Wexford. Invited by Diarmaid MacMurrough, King of Leinster, Strongbow’s Norman invasion of Ireland has begun.

"The book is based on a family who are part of the Normans. The main character is a foot soldier and his father is a fictitious Norman leader. They're running from a land dispute in Wales. The story then concerns how that family survive and integrate with warring factions. A number of the later chapters are set in Killarney, their first home is set on the shores of Lough Leane."

George's surname Nash is a Norman name, which peeked his interest as a young child.
"Since primary school I had an interest in the Normans. As Billy's son Eoin wrote 'Artemis Fowl', the children's book series, that inspired me to finish my book. I would have used his work as major historical references."

George's 298 page book is available to buy on Amazon for £8.99 for a paperback edition or £2.99 for an ebook.

"I would love to have it for sale in local shops," he added.

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

RETIREMENT NIGHT: Pictured at the retirement party held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday, October 3, celebrating a combined 185 years of service with An Post, are Connie Brady, James Foley, Terry Potts, Pat Cronin, and D.J. Cahill.


Five well-known local postmen celebrated their retirement at a special function held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday night, October 3.


The event brought together current and former An Post colleagues to mark the combined total of 185 years of service delivered across Killarney and surrounding areas.
Delivery Services Manager Terry Potts retired after 43 years with An Post. He began his career in Dublin, where he worked for 10 years, before moving to Killarney in 1993 for a further 33 years.
Pat Cronin completed an impressive 51 years of service between Killarney and Farranfore, spending 44 of those years delivering post on the Farranfore route.
James Foley served 35 years with An Post, delivering on routes across Killorglin throughout his entire career.
D.J. Cahill marked 32 years of service based out of Killarney post office, delivering mail across Killarney town, Killorglin, Kilcummin, and Headford.
Connie Brady retired following 24 years with the postal service, spending 17 years in Killarney town before completing his service in Killorglin.
The celebration offered local postal staff an opportunity to gather and catch up ahead of the busy Christmas rush.

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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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