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Do you know a humanitarian hero?

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Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty pictured in Haiti in the 1930s.

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NOMINATIONS are now being invited for the 2016 Hugh O'Flaherty International Humanitarian Award.
As part of the ninth annual Hugh O’Flaherty Memorial Weekend, which will take place from Friday, November 4, to Sunday, November 6, in Killarney, the Hugh O’Flaherty Memorial Society is inviting the public, NGOs/voluntary bodies and organisations to nominate the person or organisation they feel is doing outstanding humanitarian work and most deserving of the 2016 Hugh O’Flaherty International Humanitarian Award.

The 2015 Humanitarian Award recipient was Fr Sean Myers, a Redemptorist missionary in Brazil. From the spring of 1960, Fr Sean dedicated his life to the spiritual and practical needs of his vast parish in the remote areas of northeast Brazil. Previous award recipients included the Darfur based Goal aid workers Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki (2009), Columban Missionary Fr Michael Synott (2010), Trócaire’s Regional Director for Latin America, Sally O’Neill (2011), Sr Agnes Hunt of the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas (2012), inspirational young Kerry man Donal Walsh RIP (2013) and UK Dr John Beavis, founder of the overseas medical charity IDEALS (2014).

Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, who was from Killarney, was dubbed the Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican for his high-risk humanitarian exploits during the World War II Nazi occupation of Rome. During the course of the war he was instrumental in saving the lives of more than 6,500 anti-Fascists, Allied escapees, Jews and many others by hiding them from the Gestapo in a number of safe houses throughout Rome. Monsignor Hugh’s humanitarian activities pre-dated WW2 when he was honoured by the governments in Haiti and the Dominican Republic for his work there during the 1930s.

Nominations for the 2016 Humanitarian Award should be submitted in writing to the Awards Committee at the below postal address, or by e-mail to hofmemorialsociety@gmail.com before Friday, June 24. The nomination, in no more than 500 words, should clearly outline the reasons why the nominator feels that the nominated individual/team/organisation, merits consideration for this award.

An independent panel will fully consider the nominations received and will recommend a recipient to the Memorial Committee. The 2016 award recipient will be announced in late August and the Award will be presented on Saturday November 5, during the ninth Hugh O’Flaherty Memorial Week.

For further information on the Hugh O’Flaherty Memorial Society visit www.hughoflaherty.com or contact the society on hofmemorialsociety@gmail.com
 


 
Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty pictured in Haiti in the 1930s.

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

RETIREMENT NIGHT: Pictured at the retirement party held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday, October 3, celebrating a combined 185 years of service with An Post, are Connie Brady, James Foley, Terry Potts, Pat Cronin, and D.J. Cahill.


Five well-known local postmen celebrated their retirement at a special function held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday night, October 3.


The event brought together current and former An Post colleagues to mark the combined total of 185 years of service delivered across Killarney and surrounding areas.
Delivery Services Manager Terry Potts retired after 43 years with An Post. He began his career in Dublin, where he worked for 10 years, before moving to Killarney in 1993 for a further 33 years.
Pat Cronin completed an impressive 51 years of service between Killarney and Farranfore, spending 44 of those years delivering post on the Farranfore route.
James Foley served 35 years with An Post, delivering on routes across Killorglin throughout his entire career.
D.J. Cahill marked 32 years of service based out of Killarney post office, delivering mail across Killarney town, Killorglin, Kilcummin, and Headford.
Connie Brady retired following 24 years with the postal service, spending 17 years in Killarney town before completing his service in Killorglin.
The celebration offered local postal staff an opportunity to gather and catch up ahead of the busy Christmas rush.

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New Streetscapes murals launched at College Square

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A colourful collaboration between the Kerry Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) and the Architecture Kerry Festival at Kerry County Council launched yesterday evening at College Square.

Titled Streetscapes, the open-air public art installation officially opened at 5pm on Thursday, accompanied by a performance from the Killarney Youth Drumming Band THUMP! under the guidance of Urs Wenk from Drum Dance Ireland.


The public art project features a series of wall murals depicting Killarney through the eyes of local children, exploring freedom, play, and potential future evolutions of the townscape.

The artworks reimagine Killarney’s iconic landmarks and streets, blending youthful imagination and curiosity.


Supported under the Creative Ireland Programme, the installation is mounted on the gable wall of Reen’s Life Pharmacy in College Square, where it will remain on public display until March 2027.


Speaking at the launch, Daniel O’Shea, Youth Development Officer at Kerry ETB, stated: “Streetscapes is a wonderful celebration of how children see things. Their creativity brings new perspectives to the townscape, and we are proud to support their ideas and their art through this public artwork.”


Deirdre Enright, Co-Ordinator of the Local Creative Youth Partnership at Kerry ETB, acknowledged the community support behind the initiative: “We are very grateful to Reen’s Life Pharmacy who have shared their built space with us. Huge credit is due to the artistic team from Me+The Moon whose dedication to creativity and to children’s art shine through in this work.”


The project forms part of the annual Architecture Kerry Festival and receives funding through Creative Ireland and the Department of Education and Youth via Kerry ETB and Kerry County Council.


Victoria McCarthy, Festival Organiser and Architectural Conservation Officer at Kerry County Council, welcomed the continued inter-agency project: “It’s always a great event for Architecture Kerry and we are so pleased with this collaboration between public sector organisations. It remains a key feature of the Architecture Kerry programme.”
See next week’s Killarney Advertiser for full photographic coverage of the event.

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