Connect with us

News

Tree of Light star to honour Rena’s memory

Published

on

A woman who dedicated much of her life to ensuring Killarney was a special place to live in and visit every Christmas is being remembered in the town in a very special way this festive season.

The feature star on the spectacular Tree of Light in Killarney takes on an extra special meaning this year as it will be dedicated to the late Rena Kennelly, the gifted artist who designed and created the magnificent Christmas crib in St Mary’s Cathedral for over 50 years.

She had been at the helm of that project every Christmas season since the Church was refurbished in the 1970s and her work was created using life-sizes figures, a striking stable full of animals, an artificial lake, fir trees and moss which she sourced herself.

Fittingly, she also helped create the state-of-the-art new crib – designed for a new generation – which was unveiled last year and she was also responsible for the design of the wonderfully atmospheric sacred space in the cathedral.

Rena, who passed away last March, lived in Aghadoe, Killarney and formerly at Cleeny, Killarney and Ballymullen, Tralee.

For her incredible dedication, she received the coveted Benemerenti Medal in August 2022 which is the highest honour Pope Francis can bestow on a person for services to the Church. She was also honoured with a civic award by Kerry County Council.

Rena worked in her earlier years as a nurse in Scotland before she met the dashing Colm Kennelly, a Trinity graduate and a fine footballer who was the youngest member of the Kerry team that won the 1953 All-Ireland.

Colm then worked as a civil engineer for the ESB in Tralee and affairs of the heart brought her home. They later moved to Guyana in South America before returning home again four years later when Colm accepted an offer to join Kerry County Council, later to become county engineer.

Predeceased by Colm, Rena is mum to daughters Shirley and Kate and son Mark.
She is greatly missed too by her daughter-in-law Paula, sons-in-law John Joe Clifford and Dan O’Driscoll, sister Margaret Moriarty, brother Gene O’Sullivan, grandchildren Jason, Kenneth, Ciara, Colm, Ailbhe, Justine and Catherine and great-grandchildren Roan and Ben.

Chairman of the Christmas in Killarney Committee, Cllr Niall Kelleher, said the star dedication was a fitting tribute to a wonderful woman who is very fondly remembered in the town.
“Rena was a wonderfully creative and gifted woman and we all saw her remarkable work in the cathedral every year,” he said.

The Tree of Light and the feature star will be officially switched on after 6.15pm Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral on Monday, 9December 2).
The 1,000ft Californian Redwood tree is adorned with over 3,500 energy efficient bulbs.
In previous years the Tree of Light star was dedicated to the memory of Johnny Hickey and Yvonne Quilll for their dedication to the Tidy Towns campaign and Paul Coghlan, who is a former President of Killarney Chamber of Commerce.

Advertisement

News

Con O’Leary: Killarney loses a vibrant and popular personality

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the […]

Published

on

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the early hours of Sunday.

Con was a vibrant and popular personality in Killarney where he operated The Laurels on Main Street, a thriving bar and restaurant, which he inherited following the passing of his father, Thado.
The business organisation said from a social perspective, The Laurels became the beating heart of the town and it was a landmark at the Market Cross in the same way as Clery’s clock was in the capital city.
Chamber said Con’s passing really marks the end of an era as he was one of a golden age of inspirational local business people who developed and built Killarney, through hard work, bravery and great commercial flair, and helped create the wonderful tourist attraction and holiday destination it is today.
“Con was very proud of Killarney and he played a very active part in progressing the town at many levels.
“He was a man that was never short of great ideas and his contribution to the business life of the town and as a director of Killarney Race Company was immense,” Chamber said.
“He was ahead of his time in many respects with the introduction by what became known as “the singing lounge” many years ago and The Laurels always led by example through its successes in the annual Killarney Looking Good competition”.
The business representative organisation noted that the O’Leary family has always been very supporting of the town and Con’s daughter, Kate, was a very dynamic Chamber President and is still a very valued member of the executive.
Chamber expressed deep sympathy to Con’s wife, Anne, children Kate, Niall, Tara and Lorna, sons-in-law, grandchildren, sisters, relatives and friends as well as the dedicated staff in The Laurels, past and present, who Con always had great time for and a great rapport with.

Continue Reading

News

All Roads Lead To Kerry For National Road Safety Conference

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29. The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event […]

Published

on

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29.

The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic-related incidents, and sharing knowledge and best practices for safer road use. It encompasses various strategies and efforts across multiple domains, including road design, engineering, enforcement, forensic collision investigation, technology, education, collision trends, occupational driving, cycling and scooting, e-mobility, active & sustainable travel and on-road events.

In addition to this, AI, Virtual Reality and Driver Simulation will play a significant role at the conference, in improving safety by predicting and preventing accidents, optimizing traffic, and aiding the development of autonomous vehicles.

This ‘Safer Roads’ conference is a non-public event where road safety professionals, speakers and service providers from across Ireland, other EU countries and the UK will attend, including transportation experts, government and local authority officials, roads policing and vehicle inspection agencies, road safety advocates, educators and promoters, collision responders, cycling bodies and community safety networks.

Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh said:
“Road safety has evolved over the years to a much broader scope, in terms of e-mobility, sustainability, technology and engineering for instance. It’s not just about the road or the vehicle anymore, but also about how technology, human behaviour, enforcement, and education intersect to reduce risks and prevent collisions. The ‘Safer Roads’ conference will involve and include every branch of the road safety tree, right across the board, and in doing so, we aim to increase road safety awareness, improve road user behaviour and decrease the collisions and carnage we see on our roads every day,”

The two-day conference also provides an opportunity for exhibitors to attend, and interested state bodies, businesses and service providers are invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services and engage with delegates and officials at the conference.

Further information about the conference and how to register or exhibit can be found here. https://www.kerrycoco.ie/safer-roads-road-safety-conference/

Continue Reading

Last News

Sport