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Commemoration of deaths of three civilians in Milltown during the Civil War

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A commemoration is to be held in Milltown next month to remember three local civilians who died during the Civil War.

Milltown in the early 1920s.

Milltown in the early 1920s.

The deaths of Jeremiah Hanifin, Jeremiah McKenna and Mary McKenna in separate incidents during 1922 represented almost one quarter of all the civilian casualties in County Kerry during the Civil War.

Organised by local historian and author, Owen O’Shea, and with the support of the Milltown Community and Chamber Alliance, a memorial plaque will be unveiled at the Square in Milltown on Sunday, May 7 at 12 noon.

"In all wars, the toll on civilians is often forgotten and overlooked. During the Civil War, a total of 14 civilians lost their lives in Kerry. It is important that they are remembered and not forgotten as we approach the centenary of the end of the Civil War," said Owen.

Father of 10, Jeremiah Hanifin was talking to a neighbour outside his home near Farran Cross, Milltown in September 1922 when a Free State army patrol passed by. Shots were fired indiscriminately and Hanifin was mortally wounded. Two months later at Kilderry near the village, mother and son Mary and Jeremiah McKenna died when they were fired upon following an ambush of a Free State army cycling patrol. All three were innocent bystanders with no apparent connections to the conflict.

"Thankfully, my home town of Milltown was spared much of the viciousness and brutality of the Civil War which impacted communities in many other parts of Kerry. There were, for example, no known fatalities among natives of Milltown in the ranks of the Free State army or the anti-Treaty IRA.

"Sadly however, three innocent civilians became victims of the dreadful war, which claimed the lives of a total of 14 civilians and over 150 combatants in Kerry. It is important that we remember and commemorate those who died during this dark period in our history, be they combatant or civilian."

The commemoration ceremony will feature a short address by Owen on the Civil War in Milltown and the unveiling of a stone plaque to the memory of the three people who died, by local councillor and Cathaoirleach of the Castleisland-Corca Dhuibhne Municipal District, Cllr Michael O’Shea.

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10-minute plays will linger in the memory

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The West End House School of Arts is delighted to take part in this year’s St Patrick’s Day Festival with a special evening of entertaining readings on Friday, March 13 at 7.30pm.

It promises to be a vibrant showcase of five original 10-minute plays written by emerging local playwrights, each of whom has recently completed a playwriting course with Fiona Doyle (pictured).


Diverse in style and subject matter, these beautifully crafted pieces promise an evening of laughter, tears, and powerful storytelling and each reading will be performed by West End House actors from Kerry.


Together, they highlight the remarkable talent of these up-and-coming writers and actors, who are the future of theatre in our community.

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Get your scrap together

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Following the success of the first ever Killarney Lions Club scrap metal collection in 2025, the Club will again run the event this year in partnership with KWD Recycling on March 28, at Killarney Racecourse.

Similar to 2025, money raised through recycling the metal will go towards improving facilities for families attending the children’s cancer unit in Cork University Hospital, as part of an overall fundraising drive being coordinated by Lions Clubs all over Munster.

The Club is asking people to bring non-ferrous scrap metals such as aluminium, copper, brass, zinc and stainless steel (no white goods such as fridges/cookers washing machines). Volunteers will be on hand from 9am until 4pm to take donations of scrap and work with KWD Recycling to remove it for processing.

“Although Lions Clubs in Munster have already raised some funds for CUH, more is still needed, so we’re delighted that KWD Recycling is working with us again to support this very worthwhile cause”, said Jason Higgins, President of Killarney Lions Club. “We’re asking anyone who has scrap metal at home, at work or on the farm now or in the next few weeks to please bring it to the Racecourse on the day because everything we collect will make a difference.”

Tadhg Healy, Sales Manager at KWD Recycling added that “We will recycle any high quality scrap metal that we collect – it can be quite valuable and of course it’s better for the environment if it’s recycled instead of being dumped. On top of that, the main thing with this collection is to help families of children with cancer, so hopefully we’ll get a good response from everyone and raise as much money as possible through this event”.

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