Valuable recorded recollections of old Killarney from the deep-vaulted memory banks of two well-informed local personalities feature in novel historical project launched by the Muckross House research library.
The project, spearheaded by archivist Dr Patricia O’Hare, staff at Muckross Library, and broadcaster JJ O’Shea, explores life in Killarney in the early 20th century and it offers a fascinating insight into life in the town at that time.
Over the course of several months in 1985, an oral history project was undertaken by two members of the Trustees of Muckross House, Tadgh O’Sullivan of Kerry Mineral Waters and Paddy MacMonagle of Killarney Printing Works, who endeavoured to record their early memories of the town and its people.
The recordings took place in the kitchen of Paddy’s house on Countess Road with the assistance of Ned Myers, the then manager of Muckross House.
As might be expected with home-made recordings of that time, the sound is not always of a very high quality but the recordings provide the listener with valuable glimpses of life in Killarney in the early 20th century.
Extracts from the recordings will be uploaded as a series of podcasts, entitled Down the Cobbled Lanes, over the coming months.
The first podcast reflects on the former whereabouts of the British Army recruiting office in the town and the efforts made by local boys to fly the tricolour over Main Street in the period leading up to the War of Independence.
Link to The Cobbled Lanes Episode 1: https://www.muckrosshouseresearchlibrary.ie/Down-The-Cobbled-Lanes.php
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