
Pictures: Valerie O’Sullivan
Final preparations are underway this week to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opening of Muckross House to visitors on June 14th 1964.
A special day to mark the occasion is organised by National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Board of Trustees of Muckross House on Friday.
Staff at NPWS, Muckross House and Trustees will host several exhibitions, walks and guided tours in the vicinity of the house.
There will also be free admission to Muckross House and Muckross Traditional Farms throughout the weekend.
Sixty years on, it is time to celebrate the significant contributions of those who have made Muckross House what it is today, including the guides, staff, a supportive community, the visitors and the legacy of the Bourn Vincent family.
Over the six decades, thousands of people have collaborated to protect, preserve, and enjoy the unique and special property.

The weekend events will feature guided tours and visitors will earn all about the history of the house, bookbinding, pottery, crossroads dancing, nature walks, lakes ecology, Kerry cattle, deer, rhododendron, the white-tailed eagle restoration project and other events from 11.00am to 4.00pm on Friday.
A free shuttle bus will run from Mission Road to Muckross on Friday from 10.00am to 4.00pm. That evening the local drama group Dóchas will perform An Evening with Joyce in Muckross House.
A programme of events and celebrations will continue throughout the summer months to commemorate one of Killarney’s most iconic locations.
Completed for the landlord Herbert family in 1843, Muckross House acquired new owners at the end of the 19th century being purchased by Lord Ardilaun.
It again changed hands, in 1911, being purchased by a wealthy American, William Bowers Bourn. The house and estate were presented to the Irish nation, in 1932, by the Bowers Bourn and Rose Vincent families. Muckross became Ireland’s first National Park, in 1933.
However, Muckross House remained closed for more than 30 years. Following a campaign by people in Killarney, the Government agreed to the use of the house as a folk museum and it was officially opened as such on June 14, 1964.
KillarneyToday.com: Read by thousands of people every day: To advertise call 064-6631281 or 087-2229761