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THE steps leading to Killarney’s Franciscan Friary reverberated with unique sounds this week. Passersby stopped to enjoy the spectacle as the Icelandic Viking “thunderclap” erupted at precisely 3.45pm on Wednesday, as part of a flashmob hosted by the team at the Kerry Diocesan Youth Centre, Killarney.

The event, also spearheaded by YMCA Ireland, unfolded on the iconic front steps leading to the historic church and to the adjacent youth centre, at Fairhill.

“The activity was part of a youth exchange entitled F:IRE and ICE (Your Future/Fun/Fitness/Further yourself: Ireland and Iceland) which was designed to work on personal development and intercultural work with the groups through participation in outdoor education, sports and teambuilding,” said a spokesperson for Kerry Diocesan Youth Centre.

“In this exchange the young people were given an opportunity to challenge themselves out in the wilderness away from their normal comfort zones and to get to know a new culture, environments and sports. The hope was to encourage young people to discover their own strengths, new skills and ways to live a healthy lifestyle, become more nature aware, and open their mind to the social and cultural complexity of the world.”

The objective of the exchange was to encourage participants to become actively engaged in their local communities and beyond, as European citizens. “The ‘flashmob’ organised by the group had an Icelandic thunderclap theme, to highlight Iceland and to allow both Icelandic and Irish young people to have fun,” added the spokesperson.

 
Above: A scene from the YMCA Ireland and the Icelandic Viking flashmob demonstration at the Franciscan Friary/KDYS Killarney. PICTURE: EAMONN KEOGH