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A look back on the 1954 World Ploughing Championship

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PLOUGHING: Michael Lesley and Tim O'Shea remember the great days of the World Ploughing Championships in 1954. Photo: Michelle Crean

 

By Sean Moriarty

 

Two of Killarney’s old stock have been remincising about 1954, as the local ploughing club prepares to unveil a monument to commemorate the World Ploughing Championships.

 

Plans are in place to build a peace cairn on Mission Road to commemorate the world championships visit to Kerry 65 years ago.

 

For various reasons this worldwide tradition was not honoured at the time, but thanks to the efforts of the local ploughing club, this oversight will now be corrected and the new cairn will be unveiled today (Saturday) by the Irish National Ploughing, South Kerry Ploughing and representatives from the World Ploughing Association, who will unveil the new cairn with a special ceremony.

The 1954 world ploughing championship was contested by teams representing 13 different countries.

Tim O’Shea’s father Michael “Mackey” O’Shea was on the organising committee 55 years ago.

“There was a parade of tractors through the town the day before the competition,” he said. “My memory is of all the flagpoles of all the different nations. It was something that was never before seen in Killarney. It was a huge occasion, I remember all the meetings were held over our shop in Main St.”

Michael Leslie’s father was involved in the first competition 65 years ago, and his son Tom is one of the driving forces behind the current plan to build the peace cairn.

“I was only 16-years-old but it started a life-long interest in tractors and ploughing,” he said. “There were lots of different tractors from all over the world at a time when they were very few tractors in this area.”

 

 

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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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