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McShain family’s contribution to be celebrated

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The generosity of the man who built America also created a more spectacular Killarney and that incredible deed will be celebrated in great style in the town on Wednesday and Thursday next.

Killarney will always be extremely grateful to the McShain family, not only for the gift of Killarney House and Gardens, but for the donation of Inisfallen Island, Ross Castle and 8,000 acres of parkland, mountains and lake which John and Mary McShain presented to the town.

That remarkable kindness, when added to the generosity of the Bourn Vincent family in Muckross, helped to create Ireland’s first national park and enhance Killarney’s reputation as the country’s tourist capital.

The valued relationship will be very much to the fore during next week’s Celebration of Irish American Friendship with the captivating story of John McShain to be told, through poetry, music and song, in a special hour-long production at the Anam Arts and Cultural Centre on Thursday, July 4 (5.00pm).

Co-produced and choreographed by richly talented locals Noel Patrick O’Sullivan and Fiona Crowley, it will tell the McShain story through the thought-provoking poetry of Tim Buckley, the musical talents of Tony O’Flaherty and Miriam O’Sullivan, the voice of Mary Culloty O’Sullivan and dance courtesy of the Maureen Hegarty Academy.

Detailed script research into the life of the McShain family was conducted by Rachel Kelleher of the NPWS and special permission has been received from the Hagley Museum in Wilmington, Delaware to use iconic images from the coveted McShain family collection in the hour-long production.

“History will tell you what happened but a song will tell you how it felt,” Noel Patrick O’Sullivan said.

This year also there will be an opportunity to remember the estimated six million Irish people who emigrated to the US since 1820, whose descendants now proudly describe themselves as Irish-American.

Their story will be traced in an engaging public lecture in the appropriate setting of the Garden Room Killarney House – the former McShain residence – on the evening of Wednesday, July 3rd. The guest speaker will be acclaimed genealogist and author Kay Caball who will share insights on who emigrated and why, how and to where they travelled and their connections to the Kerry of today.

The big attraction of the Celebration of Irish American Friendship will, of course, be the spectacular parade on Thursday with fantastic floats, favourite Disney characters, beautiful princesses, marching bands and colourful cheerleaders.

The parade will start at Killarney Outlet Centre at 7.00pm and it will pass through Fair Hill, College Street, Plunkett Street and Main Street and several hundred people are expected to line the street for the gala occasion.

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Free composting workshop in Fossa on Saturday

The Fossa Climate Action Group is inviting the public to a free composting workshop this Saturday at Fossa Community Hall. Taking place from 11am to 1pm, the workshop will be […]

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The Fossa Climate Action Group is inviting the public to a free composting workshop this Saturday at Fossa Community Hall.

Taking place from 11am to 1pm, the workshop will be led by Donal O’ Leary of Waste Down, who will share his 25 years of expertise on turning household and garden waste into valuable compost for gardens. The session is aimed at anyone with an interest in gardening, improving soil health, and reducing food waste.
Diarmaid Griffin, PRO of Fossa Climate Action Group, said: “It is a great to start off our series of workshops with Donal O’ Leary of Waste Down. He has a vast knowledge on the fundamentals of soil health and explains it in simple and understandable language. Everyone can compost whether you have a big garden or none at all. Each method will be explained in detail.”
The Fossa Climate Action Group thanked the Department of the Environment and Community Foundation Ireland for their support in making this informative workshop available to the community free of charge.

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Radio Kerry to feature National Park’s dawn chorus

The spectacular dawn chorus in Killarney National Park will be the focus of the Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry this Saturday morning. Presenter Frank Lewis will highlight the natural spectacle. […]

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The spectacular dawn chorus in Killarney National Park will be the focus of the Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry this Saturday morning.

Presenter Frank Lewis will highlight the natural spectacle.
“The chorus of birds singing together, from about 45 minutes before to 45 minutes after sunrise, our most spectacular phenomenon in nature, is at its best during these weeks.” He said.
The programme, recorded in Knockreer at dawn on April 13, will also capture the early morning floral displays.
The programme will also include insights from 88-year-old former Park Superintendent Dan Kelliher, who describes “the amazing experience of seeing a full moon sitting on top of Torc mountain – and hearing bagpipes being played in Muckross Abbey around midnight.”
Conservation ranger Padruig O’Sullivan will discuss the Park’s ongoing development.
Walks guide Richie Clancy will share a historical anecdote: “In 1969 this tall stranger asked if I could take him to where he could get a photograph of Dairy Cottage where General de Gaulle was staying. I told him we would be a long way away but he said that was no problem that he had a long lens. Over the years there had been 33 attempts to assassinate de Gaulle. I learned afterwards that the stranger was Padraig Kennelly who started Kerry’s Eye.”
The programme will also touch on the blossoming wild garlic woods, the view from Deenagh Lodge, improvements at Knockreer Gardens, the story of Coda the monk, the bluebells, King’s Bridge, the changing path at Gamewood Bridge, and stories from Teahouse Point.
Tune in to Radio Kerry this Saturday to hear Frank Lewis in conversation with Dan Kelliher, Padruig O’Sullivan, Richie Clancy, and Ed Carty, who began their recording walk at 5.30 am in Knockreer.

Field ornithologist Ed Carty has revealed that the Great Spotted Woodpecker is breeding in Killarney National Park.

Carty will be a guest on Radio Kerry’s Saturday Supplement. The programme, recorded on April 13, (see main story) will focus the dawn chorus,
During the recording of the programme, Carty said: “During the past few weeks the Great Spotted Woodpecker has been heard here in the Gamewood in Knockreer. We expect to find it breeding here in the coming weeks – for the first time in hundreds of years or maybe much longer.”
Since the recording, it has been confirmed that the Great Spotted Woodpecker is now breeding in this area of Killarney National Park.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers appear to have gone extinct in Ireland following deforestation in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The first recorded sighting of a Great Spotted Woodpecker for Killarney National Park was in 2013, where it was observed in the Tomies Wood area. This new development is significant as it is one of the first recorded breeding activity within the Park.

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