By Sean Moriarty

Killarney viewers will have to do a double take next Wednesday evening as not one - but two - local men are to feature on two separate TV programmes.

FEATURE: James Flynn's love of Arbutus furniture will be broadcast on RTÉ ONE next Wednesday evening. Photo: Don MacMonagle

The Brehon's Head Chef Chad Byrne, who also owns the Hungry Donkey food truck, is to feature in the first episode of a new six part series called ‘Paul Flynn’s Food Truck Favourites’.

TV chef Flynn kicks off his first food truck adventure with a search for street food featuring lamb and takes a trip to Killarney to meet Chad and check out his business. 

“He heard about us during lockdown and made contact,” Chad told the Killarney Advertiser
“We are only doing pop-ups now, but every time we do one we have queues and queues of people. To feature on Paul’s show is a huge endorsement to what we do.”

Separately it'll be lights, camera and action for James Flynn as he will be on ‘Nationwide’ with presenters Anne Cassin and Blathnaid Ní Chofaigh running a feature on his efforts to keep the tradition of manufacturing and restorating Arbutus furniture alive in the region.

In October 2020 the Ross Road man discovered a games table for sale in Boston. The rare piece of handcrafted furniture, that dates from just after the famine era, was returned to Killarney in March last year by Mr Flynn.

The Arbutus Tree, sometimes called the Killarney Strawberry Tree, is more prevalent in Killarney National Park than any other region in the country.

James, a former ESB district supervisor for South Kerry, has, since his retirement, devoted his time to tracing the history of Killarney’s Arbutus furniture industry and restores pieces that he finds in online auctions all over the world.

Wednesday’s ‘Nationwide’ programme will feature handcrafters from all over Ireland and will include around seven minutes with James.

“I took the production crew on a tour of Muckross House, we visited Paddy Connor’s antique shop in Lissivigeen,” James told the Killarney Advertiser.

“I brought them up the Moll’s Gap road, just above the tunnel there is an Arbutus tree, with a protective fence, to keep the deer out.”

'Nationwide' will air at 7pm while 'Food Truck Favourites' will be on at 8pm, both on RTÉ One.