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Ploughing champion returns to Killarney 65 years after winning title

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PLOUGHING: Hugh and Kathleen Barr. Hugh was 28 when he won his first World Ploughing title in Killarney.

By Sean Moriarty

 

The man who won the second ever World Ploughing Championships held in Killarney in 1954 will return to the town today (Saturday) for the unveiling of a special peace cairn to commemorate the event.

 

Hugh Barr won the world titles in Killarney in 1954, Sweden in 1955, and England in 1956. Rules at the time decreed that a three-time winner was no longer eligible for the competition.

 

Canada hosted the first world event in 1953. A peace cairn is always erected by the host nation at the time of each competition, but for various reasons this was overlooked at the time by the Killarney organisers.

 

A group of local enthusiasts, with help from both the national and world ploughing federations, will correct that oversight by unveiling a peace cairn on Mission Road today at 4pm, and Hugh Barr will be there to witness it.

 

“There is no cairn in Killarney, there is one every other place and I am glad to see it happen now,” Mr Barr told the Killarney Advertiser. “I am 93 years of age. I don’t take up too many invitations but I am going to this. I went down some years ago with my wife and one of my daughters and we could not find any of the fields I ploughed in 1954.”

 

The managing director of the National Ploughing Association, Anna May McHugh, was appointed as an honorary board member of the World Ploughing Organisation last September.

 

The 84-year-old will also be in Killarney this weekend.

 

“I remember meeting Anna May in 1954,” added Barr. “She was introduced to ploughing at that event I won in 1954. She is still running a big business now and she is a wonderful person. I looking forward to seeing her too.”

 

 

 

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Chamber pays tribute to late Dick Henggeler

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee. Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee.

Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at his home in Baltimore, USA surrounded by his Aghadoe-born wife Eibhlin (née Moriarty), their son Franz, and other family members.
Dick and Eibhlin purchased The Rose Hotel in 2015 in tribute to their late daughter Dorothy, who represented Washington DC in the 2011 Rose of Tralee Festival.
The Chamber said Mr Henggeler would be remembered for his warmth, good nature and positive approach, as well as for being a forward-thinking and knowledgeable businessman.
“He knew how to run a good hotel and that was and still is very obvious at The Rose Hotel, which is a great success story,” the Chamber said.
It added that continuity of ownership will remain in place, with Eibhlin, Franz, daughter-in-law Amber, and grandchildren Conrad and Rowan continuing to honour Dick’s legacy and vision for the hotel.
“Dick took enormous personal pride in Tralee and all of Kerry and he was always available to generously support any community initiative or endeavour undertaken in Killarney,” the Chamber said.
“He will be greatly missed by all that knew him but he leaves a wonderful legacy.”

He will repose at O’Shea’s Funeral Home, Killarney, on Friday (October 17), from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The funeral will arrive at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday morning at 10:00am for Requiem Mass at 10:30am, with burial afterwards in Aghadoe Cemetery. The Requiem Mass will be live streamed at https://www.churchservices.tv/killarneycathedral.

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Beaufort Film Night returns with French drama-comedy

Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band. The film tells the story of Thibaut, […]

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Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band.

The film tells the story of Thibaut, a successful conductor recently diagnosed with leukaemia. A search for a bone marrow donor reveals that he was adopted and has a brother, Jimmy, a cafeteria worker.
The two meet, discover a shared love of music, and form a strong bond through an unexpected collaboration with Jimmy’s workplace band.
The Marching Band (French title En Fanfare) will screen at 8.30pm. Admission is €7, cash only, and will cover the motion picture licence fee.
The film has a 12A rating and is in French with English subtitles.
Beaufort Film Night is a non-profit community group that screens cultural English and international films that usually do not receive general release in Kerry.
The event is supported by Kerry County Council Arts Office and Access Cinema. Cullina National School is providing the venue.
Further details are available on Beaufort Film Night’s Facebook page @BeaufortFilmNight.

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