By Michelle Crean

It's been a labour of love during lockdown and now it's almost ready to hit the shelves - the much anticipated new book by local photographer Marie Carroll-O'Sullivan.

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'Killarney Behind the Mask' will be launched in the Killarney Avenue Hotel on Sunday, December 19 from 3pm to 6pm and copies will be available on the day.

The 360-page hardback, coffee table style book charts the stories of ordinary men, women and children whose lives were turned upside down during the pandemic.

Marie made it her business to photograph and chat to as many local people as possible, initially within her 2km travel limit and later further afield to the actual faces behind the masks of the COVID ward at UHK, to chronicle how they all dealt with the pandemic.

Such was the massively positive and enthusiastic reaction her efforts received on social media channels 'The Little Memory Gallery', Marie decided to take it one step further and opted to publish it in book form to raise funds for local charities including the Kerry branch of the Irish Cancer Society and Pieta House-Nathan’s Walk. Marie also decided to donate part of the proceeds to purchase pampering gifts for the under pressure COVID-19 staff at University Hospital Kerry (UHK) who put themselves at real risk to help others every day of the week.

The book features hundreds of interviews and photographs with local personalities, business interests, families, employers and employees, sports stars and everyday people trying to get on with their lives as best they could.

It also charts the incredible sacrifices made by so many, the unprecedented pressure encountered by staff in the COVID ward at University Hospital Kerry, how Kerry’s oldest man adjusted to the new circumstances, how parents of babies born during lockdown coped and how neighbours and friends reached out like never before to those needing a little extra support.

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“'Killarney Behind the Mask' has been a pure labour of love," Marie said.

"What began with visits to people in the community for a snap-chat within my travel limits, was overwhelmingly embraced and it took on a life of its own on social media. It was a place to check in daily and interact. The only daily task in the early months of the pandemic was who would I visit tomorrow.

“With all of my encounters on file, I really felt it was my duty to Killarney and its wonderful people to document this in a time capsule for future generations, a history book so to speak. Thank you to everyone who humoured me by smiling down my lens, keeping the bright side out, even in hard times, and for allowing me to share their stories."

The book, which will be a real collector’s item, will retail at €35 and it will be available from December 20, at Eason on Main Street, O’Connor’s Newsagents on Beech Road, Bricín on High Street and Kerry Catering Supplies at the Countess Shopping Centre.