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Thousands fascinated by Kerry’s architecture

Thousands of people enjoyed a wide range of talks, tours and exhibitions last weekend which formed part of the fifth annual Architecture Kerry Festival.

SEMINAR: Elizabeth Morgan (centre) Landscape Conservation Architect formerly with the OPW responsible for restoring the gardens of Killarney House spoke at ‘Creators Improvers and Custodians of the Kingdom’s Picturesque Seminar at Killarney House. From left: Diana Fawsitt (Manager Killarney House) Victoria McCarthy (Architectural Conservation Officer). Back row: Harry O'Donoghue (Killarney House and Gardens) and Pat Dawson (Manager Killarney House and Gardens). Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

CRAFTING: Traditional Master Craftsman Pat Broderick at Muckross Traditional Farms pictured showing his artistry. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

TATCH: Traditional Thatcher Lukasz Shalec at Foley's Farm Cottage Muckross Traditional Farms showing his skills as part of Kerry Architecture Kerry Festival. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

SKILL: Traditional full time blacksmith Tom Allison demonstrated his artistry at Muckross Traditional Farms. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

SKILL: Traditional full time blacksmith Tom Allison demonstrated his artistry at Muckross Traditional Farms. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

IMPRESSIVE: Conservation Architect Karol O'Mahony (right) giving an insight into the restoration and conservation of Aghadoe House as part of the Architecture Kerry weekend. Built for Lord Headley in 1828 Impressive in scale and shows the design quality of buildings associated with a ‘Big House’. Aghadoe Coach House is now to be incorporated into a new whisky distillery. On the tour is Brendan O'Mahony (left) and Donal O'Neill. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

SEMINAR: Elizabeth Morgan (centre) Landscape Conservation Architect formerly with the OPW responsible for restoring the gardens of Killarney House spoke at ‘Creators Improvers and Custodians of the Kingdom’s Picturesque Seminar at Killarney House. From left: Diana Fawsitt (Manager Killarney House) Victoria McCarthy (Architectural Conservation Officer). Back row: Harry O'Donoghue (Killarney House and Gardens) and Pat Dawson (Manager Killarney House and Gardens). Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

CRAFTING: Traditional Master Craftsman Pat Broderick at Muckross Traditional Farms pictured showing his artistry. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

TATCH: Traditional Thatcher Lukasz Shalec at Foley's Farm Cottage Muckross Traditional Farms showing his skills as part of Kerry Architecture Kerry Festival. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

SKILL: Traditional full time blacksmith Tom Allison demonstrated his artistry at Muckross Traditional Farms. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

SKILL: Traditional full time blacksmith Tom Allison demonstrated his artistry at Muckross Traditional Farms. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

IMPRESSIVE: Conservation Architect Karol O'Mahony (right) giving an insight into the restoration and conservation of Aghadoe House as part of the Architecture Kerry weekend. Built for Lord Headley in 1828 Impressive in scale and shows the design quality of buildings associated with a ‘Big House’. Aghadoe Coach House is now to be incorporated into a new whisky distillery. On the tour is Brendan O'Mahony (left) and Donal O'Neill. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan
People of all ages were treated to free guided tours of public and private buildings across Kerry as well as lectures and exhibitions aimed at celebrating and showcasing the county’s architectural landscape.
"The interest and enthusiasm of everyone who attended the events over the weekend was wonderful," said Victoria McCarthy, Architectural Conservation Officer with Kerry County Council.
"We had a full house at Killarney House on Friday for the seminar on the landscapes and demesnes of Kerry and our panel of expert speakers. The tours of the various buildings around the county were also booked out. And there was huge interest in the Lego building competition for children which was hosted by Kerry Libraries."
Among the buildings which hosted tours and talks were Aghadoe Coach House, Fenit Lighthouse, Kerry Group, Valentia Slate Quarry and Derrynane House.
Conservation Architect Karol O'Mahony gave an insight into the restoration and conservation of the historic former Flesk Mills Hydro Works, Killarney. It was the first electric power generation plant in Ireland to provide electricity for public consumption, and operated from 1887 and boasted Killarney had electricity before London - it was bought by the ESB in 1937. Flesk Mills was originally a flour mill and later a wool and blanket weaving enterprise for the Crimean War.
Karol also gave an insight into the restoration and conservation of Aghadoe Coach House as part of the weekend. Built for Lord Headley in 1828, it has an impressive in scale and shows the design quality of buildings associated with a ‘Big House’. Aghadoe Coach House is now to be incorporated into a new whisky distillery.
Tom Allison, from Sneem, a traditional full-time blacksmith, demonstrated his artistry at Muckross Traditional Farms which hosted a series of Traditional Skills & Crafts event.
Elizabeth Morgan, Landscape Conservation Architect formerly with the OPW, responsible for restoring the gardens of Killarney House, spoke at the ‘Creators, Improvers and Custodians of the Kingdom’s Picturesque Seminar', at Killarney House. The seminar explored the designed landscapes and demesnes of Kerry: their history and conservation.
Architecture Kerry is supported by Kerry County Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in partnership with the Heritage Council, the OPW, the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, the Irish Georgian Society, and the Trustees of Muckross House. The event forms part of the Creative Ireland Programme in Kerry.
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New bio-energy therapy clinic open on Beech Road
Have you ever wondered what happens when you deal with an emotionally charged situation or experience high levels of stress daily? Your mind sends alarm signals to your body which […]

Have you ever wondered what happens when you deal with an emotionally charged situation or experience high levels of stress daily?
Your mind sends alarm signals to your body which must adapt to this emergency mode.
Muscles tense up, heart beats faster, vessels get compressed, blood pressure rises, body retains water etc. Most of us subject our bodies to this emergency mode without being aware of it.
Irina Sharapova MH has just opened a new Herbal Medicine and Bio-Energy Therapy clinic at Horan’s Health Store on Beech Road by appointment each Friday.
Both Herbal Medicine and Bio-Energy Therapy, support the body’s natural ability to heal.
During a herbal consultation the therapist suggests necessary corrections to the client’s diet and lifestyle aiming at reducing the elements that contribute to inflammation, stiffness and pain, and increasing the elements that aid healing.
Then they prepare herbal remedies specific to the client. Client’s medications are also examined to ensure that there are no conflicts with the herbal treatment.
Herbs support healing by relaxing the body and improving sleep; they are used to treat various ailments from digestive and reproductive issues to insomnia and migraines.
Bio-Energy therapy is a complementary non-contact treatment that helps to release tension from the body caused by injuries, traumas or stress.
During a Bio-Energy session the therapist scans the client’s body for signals that indicate that the energy is not flowing smoothly – these are the areas that have reacted to the Client’s emotions of fear, worry, hurt, anger, sadness etc.
The therapist “clears out” these areas until the energy flow feels smooth. Bio-Energy is helpful in the treatment of physical and emotional pain and other ailments.
It is suitable for people who do not like massages and other treatments that are performed directly on the body.
Disclaimer: Alternative therapies are not substitutes for medical advice.
For further information or to schedule an appointment please contact Irina at 086 9878941 or via email at herbsandtherapy@gmail.com. Website: https://www.herbsandtherapies.ie
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Spotted an otter lately?
Users of Killarney National Park are being asked to keep an eye out for otters – one of the country’s rarest mammals. The National Parks and Wildlife Service IS launching […]
Users of Killarney National Park are being asked to keep an eye out for otters – one of the country’s rarest mammals.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service IS launching a new National Otter Survey and has teamed up with researchers in Queen’s University Belfast and the National Biodiversity Data Centre to collect and collate otter records from right across the country.
The new survey will map otters and compare results to the last survey, carried out in 2010-11.
NPWS teams will be looking for characteristic signs of otters at over 900 sites throughout the country, including rivers, lakes and the coast.
Members of the public are asked to keep their eyes peeled for otters and to get involved in this national survey by adding their sightings to the survey results.
Otters are mostly active at night and most typically seen at dawn or dusk. They may be spotted from bridges swimming in rivers or along the rocky seashore.
Otters are brown, about 80 cm (30 inches) long and can be seen gliding along the water surface before diving to show their distinctive long pointed tail which is almost as long again as their body.
Dr Ferdia Marnell, Mammal Specialist with the NPWS, said:
“The otter is one of Ireland’s most elusive animals so getting as many people involved in the survey as possible will be important if we are to get good coverage. Otters are rarely seen, so instead, over the coming months, NPWS staff will be searching for otter tracks and signs.”
Dr Ferdia Marnell, Mammal Specialist with the NPWS, said:
“Otters have large, webbed feet and leave distinctive footprints, but these can be hard to find. Fortunately, otters mark their territory using droppings known as spraints. Otters deposit spraints conspicuously on boulders along riverbanks, logs on lake shores or the rocky high tide line. Spraints can be up to 10 cm or 3 inches long, black through to white but commonly brown, tarry to powdery in consistency and straight or curved making them tricky to identify. Luckily, they commonly contain fish bones and crayfish shells which are the otters favoured diet making them easy to tell apart from the droppings of birds and other mammals.”
The otter and its habitat are protected under the EU Habitats Directive which requires that Ireland reports on the status of the species every six years. The next report is due in 2025.
The otter suffered significant declines across much of continental Europe during the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s but remained widespread in Ireland. The most recent Irish survey (2010-2011) found signs of otter from all counties of Ireland and from sea-shore to mountain streams.
The otter hunts in water, but spends much of its time on land, and as a result is vulnerable to river corridor management such as culverting, dredging and the clearance of bankside vegetation, as well as pollution, pesticides, oil spillages, coastal developments and road traffic.