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Druid casts a spell as Kerry’s newest interactive tourist attraction

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KERRY’S newest interactive tourist attraction, a 12ft druid, has been welcomed to its new home; the aptly named Druid’s View at Molly Gallivan’s Cottage and Traditional Farm in Bonane.

The imposing and impressive Druid figure is the result of an exciting collaboration between two West Cork artists, wood sculptor Anthony Cornforth and metal sculptor Peter Little.

Commissioned by Kerry County Council, the piece replaces a smaller existing druid carved by Anthony in 2002 which had to be removed during recent road improvement works.

The original druid was commissioned by Stephen and Frances O’Sullivan, owners of family-run Molly Gallivan’s Visitor Centre.

Located between Kenmare and Glengarriff on the Beara Peninsula, the druid represents the first settlers in the Sheen Valley more than 6000 years ago.

It is carved from the trunk of a large Monterey cypress tree and cloaked in copper.

To enable visitors to interact and engage with the sculpture, a camera has been placed on the druid’s staff. Visitors can look through an eyepiece enclosed in the druid’s cloak and share in the “druid’s view”.

The druid looks across Sheen valley to the highest peak “Barra-Bui”, where a Cairn on the summit marks the resting place of an ancient Chieftain.

The camera will soon be linked to Molly Gallivan’s website and visitors can upload their photos taken with the druid to the attraction’s popular Facebook page. The photos posted to Facebook announcing the arrival of the new druid have already received over 7000 views.

“We’re delighted with the new and enhanced druid,” stated Stephen and Frances O’Sullivan. “It has been an iconic landmark for Molly Gallivans and Kerry for many years. The feedback from our visitors is that they love the ability to interact with the new sculpture and see what the druid sees.”

Anthony and Peter are known individually in the West Cork region and beyond for their sculptures. This was a first time collaboration for the pair and they are keen to work together in the future. A bio for each artist is included below for reference.

For further information on the druid sculpture, contact Anthony Cornforth on +353 (0)86 392 2129 or ajc-64@hotmail.com

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Chamber pays tribute to late Dick Henggeler

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee. Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee.

Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at his home in Baltimore, USA surrounded by his Aghadoe-born wife Eibhlin (née Moriarty), their son Franz, and other family members.
Dick and Eibhlin purchased The Rose Hotel in 2015 in tribute to their late daughter Dorothy, who represented Washington DC in the 2011 Rose of Tralee Festival.
The Chamber said Mr Henggeler would be remembered for his warmth, good nature and positive approach, as well as for being a forward-thinking and knowledgeable businessman.
“He knew how to run a good hotel and that was and still is very obvious at The Rose Hotel, which is a great success story,” the Chamber said.
It added that continuity of ownership will remain in place, with Eibhlin, Franz, daughter-in-law Amber, and grandchildren Conrad and Rowan continuing to honour Dick’s legacy and vision for the hotel.
“Dick took enormous personal pride in Tralee and all of Kerry and he was always available to generously support any community initiative or endeavour undertaken in Killarney,” the Chamber said.
“He will be greatly missed by all that knew him but he leaves a wonderful legacy.”

He will repose at O’Shea’s Funeral Home, Killarney, on Friday (October 17), from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The funeral will arrive at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday morning at 10:00am for Requiem Mass at 10:30am, with burial afterwards in Aghadoe Cemetery. The Requiem Mass will be live streamed at https://www.churchservices.tv/killarneycathedral.

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Beaufort Film Night returns with French drama-comedy

Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band. The film tells the story of Thibaut, […]

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Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band.

The film tells the story of Thibaut, a successful conductor recently diagnosed with leukaemia. A search for a bone marrow donor reveals that he was adopted and has a brother, Jimmy, a cafeteria worker.
The two meet, discover a shared love of music, and form a strong bond through an unexpected collaboration with Jimmy’s workplace band.
The Marching Band (French title En Fanfare) will screen at 8.30pm. Admission is €7, cash only, and will cover the motion picture licence fee.
The film has a 12A rating and is in French with English subtitles.
Beaufort Film Night is a non-profit community group that screens cultural English and international films that usually do not receive general release in Kerry.
The event is supported by Kerry County Council Arts Office and Access Cinema. Cullina National School is providing the venue.
Further details are available on Beaufort Film Night’s Facebook page @BeaufortFilmNight.

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