News
Victorian carriage from 1861 restored for parade
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This year’s St Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshall will be travelling in style thanks to a group of dedicated enthusiasts who have beautifully restored a Victorian era carriage.
The vehicle, believed to be a Victorian Landau from 1861, was discovered on a scrap heap by Dermot Healy of Dermot Healy Motors. As the ‘before’ picture shows, it was very severely damaged but Dermot tasked members of the local Men’s Club with restoring the coach to its former glories.
Mick Myers, Tom Ashe and Pat O’Brien, who joined via the South Kerry Development Partnership scheme, enlisted the help of Marguerita, a Mexican woman with experience in this line of work, and off they went.
Speaking to the Advertiser this week, Mick admitted that they were mad to take the job on. “We didn’t know what we were letting ourselves in for,” he said. “We were only making it up as we went along.”
“Marguerita and her late husband used to restore coaches up in Kilcummin. Only for her, we hadn’t a hope.”
The canopy proved especially tricky as the original one had been completely destroyed but, working off pictures they found online, the crew laboured tirelessly on the project for over six months. The results are astounding.
The group expressed their gratitude to Pat and Timmy McGillicuddy, Brendan O’Sullivan Darcy of Killarney Welding, Torc Engineering and, of course, Dermot Healy, all of whom provided great assistance throughout the process.
Locals will be able to catch a glimpse of the classy carriage on St Patrick’s Day when it will be used to transport the parade’s Grand Marshall, Yvonne Quill.
Gneeveguilla apprentice wins national stonemasonry title
Darragh O’Sullivan from Gneeveguilla won the overall prize in the Architectural Stonemasonry category at the WorldSkills Ireland competition held recently at the RDS in Dublin.
An apprentice stonecutter and stonemason with the Office of Public Works (OPW) based in Mallow, O’Sullivan secured gold for his technical accuracy and craftsmanship during the three-day event.
The state agency relies on traditional trade skills to manage, conserve, and restore national monuments, public buildings, and heritage sites across the country.
O’Sullivan’s success reflects the training provided by his OPW mentors and team, highlighting the importance of apprentice development in preserving traditional heritage crafts for future generations.
Picture Caption: CRAFT CHAMPION: Tom Little (Kerry ETB), Terri Sweeney Meade (OPW), category winner Darragh O’Sullivan (OPW), and Donal Keys (WorldSkills Ireland) at the RDS in Dublin.
Jessica Cronin donates hair for children’s charity
Ten-year-old Killarney resident Jessica Cronin is set to cut and donate 12 inches of her hair to support young cancer patients, alongside a fundraising campaign for LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.
The hair donation will go directly to the Little Princess Trust, a charity providing real hair wigs free of charge to children and young people who have lost their own hair through medical treatment.
Alongside her hair donation, Jessica is collecting financial contributions for LauraLynn through the Locks of Love campaign.
“I want to help somebody that doesn’t have something that I have, hair,” Jessica said.
Her family expressed their pride in her decision to support both organisations.
“We are all so proud of her,” her mother, Grace O’Shea-Cronin, said. “Any donation, no matter how small, would be greatly appreciated.”
Donations to support Jessica’s fundraiser can be made online at
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