Chain reaction as new crest unveiled

Mayor of Killarney, Cllr Brendan Cronin, wearing the new chain of office this Thursday, pictured with, from left, Charlie O’Sullivan, Director of Servicea, and Angela McAllen, Town Manager with, at back, members of the new-look town hall construction team, Martin O’Connor, Jamie O’Sullivan, Neilus Daly and John Purcell
Picture: Don MacMonagle

A NEW crest and chain of office for the Killarney Municipal District has been unveiled.

The chain used by the now defunct Killarney Town Council has been replaced by a new one bearing a crest designed to reflect the various aspects of the wider Municipal District area.

The piece, designed by Catherine Conroy, a Kilkenny-based designer, incorporates elements of the natural environment, landscape, cultural, literary and built heritageand other aspects of the district.

The imagery incorporated in the newly designed crest for the Killarney Municipal District chain of office encompasses the stag representing Killarney National Park as well as the native fauna of the wider municipal district and the three lakes, coloured in blue, which represent the Lakes of Killarney which are internationally renowned.

It also features rolling fields to depict the agricultural tradition which is part of the wider municipal district and the mountains which represent the magnificent ranges from Sliabh Luachra across to the MacGillicuddy Reeks.

The image of the quill crossed with the ink pen represents both the ancient literary tradition from the Annals of Innisfallen to the writings of the Sliabh Luachra greats and Aisling poets buried at Muckross Abbey

Chain gang: Cllr Donal Grady and former councillor Sean O’Grady with the two previous chains of office used by the town mayor

An arch represents the architecture of the area found across the Killarney Municipal District while a fiddle and bow represent the unique musical cultural heritage of Sliabh Luachra and the wider Municipal District.

Artists, craft workers, designers and jewellers had been invited to submit design proposals for the crest and chain of office for the municipal district.
The budget for the sterling silver chain of office and crest was €5,000 inclusive of design, fabrication, VAT and all other costs.

The members of the Killarney Municipal District decided that previous chain used by the former town council was no longer suitable and needed a new design.

The family of the late Christy McSweeney, a former chairman of Killarney Town Council, had donated the previous mayor’s chain of office to the council.

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