There has been a demand for the last official chain of office used by former mayors of the now defunct Killarney Town Council – which has been loaned out to other local authorities in the county – to be returned immediately.
The chain, which had been on display in a glass cabinet in the town hall in Killarney, was originally given on loan to the then newly formed South and West Municipal District Council in 2014 and returned two years later when that area commissioned its own chain.
It is currently being used as the official chain for the Castleisland-Corca Dhuibhne Municipal District but, despite several assurances, there is no sign of the formal symbol of office being returned.
Raising the matter at a meeting this Wednesday, Cllr Donal Grady said there was a time when promises were being made every week that the chain was coming back but nothing has been heard about it for the past three years.
“Castleisland should get its own chain of office. The names of many important people who served Killarney are engraved on the links and it should be on display in the town hall where it belongs,” he said.
Cllr Grady said the original chain of office was given to the council by former long-serving public representative, Christy McSweeney, in 1970 and it was sponsored by Pretty Polly.
During his term as mayor, Cllr Grady said he had the main medal containing the official Killarney logo and coat of arms upgraded to gold, by master jeweller Brian de Staic, at a cost of €5,000.
He added that if two official town council functions clashed in the past, the deputy mayor borrowed a chain from the President of Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce.
Kerry County Council officials said today that while the last chain used by the town council was originally loaned out to the South and West Municipal District, it is currently in use by the Castleisland-Corca Dhuibhne District.
“It is intended that a chain of office for Castleisland-Corca Dhuibhne Municipal District will be commissioned in the near future,” the council said.
Cllr Marie Moloney said the chain is full of the history of the town and its representatives and it is a disgrace that it hasn’t been returned to Killarney. The links feature all the previous mayors and the years they served as the town’s first citizen.
Cllr Moloney warned councillors in the Castleisland-Corca Dhuibhne Municipal District not to engrave any names on to the chain under any circumstances.
“If they do, we’ll remove the links,” she insisted.
Meanwhile, a new crest and chain of office for the Killarney Municipal District – which replaced the town council – was commissioned and manufactured in 2017 to reflect the various aspects of the wider municipal district.
The piece of jewellery, created by Kilkenny-based designer, Catherine Conroy, incorporates elements of the natural environment, landscape, cultural, literary and built heritage and other aspects of the district.
The budget for the sterling silver chain of office and crest was €5,000 inclusive of design, fabrication, VAT and all other costs.
Killarney’s best loved news and advertising service. Call 087-2229761 or email news@killarneytoday.com
