The end result of two remarkable legacy projects, undertaken to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opening of Killarney’s Muckross House to the public, will be unveiled at a very special event on Saturday, June 14, at 7.30pm.

As part of the diamond anniversary celebrations, two hugely significant projects were initiated by the Muckross House Research Library to reflect on the history of the landmark attraction in Killarney National Park.

The first focused on the development of traditional Irish dance which involved revisiting the traditional dance styles of North Kerry, including the enormous contribution of legendary dance teacher Jeremiah Molyneaux (1881-1965)

Between 1983 and 1985, Dr Catherine Foley, Emeritus Associate Professor with the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in the University of Limerick, was tasked by the Trustees of Muckross House to record this important and fascinating dance legacy.

Building on that earlier work, last year she again agreed to revisit the area to determine how the dance tradition had evolved over the intervening four decades.  

The project would not have been such a success without valuable contributions from respected authorities like Fr Pat Ahern, Patricia Hanafin and Justin Walsh.

The second initiative was the commissioning of a musical suite tracing the story of Muckross House, from its completion in 1843 up to its opening to the public in 1964.  

The story unfolds through the medium of different musical styles and it was composed by award-winning producer JJ O’Shea, who has worked closely with the Muckross House Research Library on a number of projects.

Both projects will be showcased at a free concert in Muckross House on Saturday, June 14 – the same date that the historic building was first opened to the public in 1964.

The concert will commence with a selection of tunes from the Muckross House Music Collection performed by Mary Mitchell and Karl Nesbitt, followed by a selection of reels, hornpipes and jigs in the true North Kerry tradition.

Featured dancers will include five-time world dance champion David Geaney, Jimmy Hickey, Mossie Walsh and Jonathan Kelliher.

The Muckross Suite project will then be the centre of attention as the story of Killarney’s most historic and important building is told through music composed by JJ O’Shea and delivered by Paul de Grae on guitar and keyboard and harpist Reidun Schlesinger, and they will be accompanied by Barry Lynch on uilleann pipes and Seán Abeyta on fiddle.

Admission to the concert is free of charge but advance bookings are essential on 064-6670162.