Kingdom Voices Walking Tour and Storytelling Session

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Enjoy a unique guided heritage and human rights walking trail starting indoors in the O’Connell Room at The Barracks Heritage Centre where we hear about the life stories of Daniel and Mary O’Connell (1775-1847 and 1778-1836). We reflect on artworks and the life stories of two Kerry women who stood up for the rights of others – Janie McCarthy from Killarney and Helen Blackburn from Valentia. Listen to the stories of people in the past whose lives and actions contributed to social justice, peace, and human dignity.

We then have a guided walk (weather permitting) through the town of Cahersiveen to the Daniel O’Connell Memorial Church and graveyard to hear life about the life story of Hugh O’Flaherty, offering a rich reflection on the storytelling heritage of this beautiful area.  Along the way we shall reflect on the heritage of the town. The tour begins and ends in The Barracks Heritage when you can enjoy the vibrant exhibitions on display and continue the conversations. After the tour and gallery visit, you can stroll through the town of Cahersiveen to enjoy the many wonderful shops, cafes and restaurants.  

This session highlights figures from the past who stood up for the rights of others – Daniel and Mary O’Connell, Cahersiveen and Derrynane, Kerry; Mary Elmes, Cork City, Cork; Janie McCarthy, Killarney, Kerry; and Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, Killarney and Cahersiveen, Kerry. Daniel O’Connell, hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland’s Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century, and was a celebrated abolitionist, born in Cahersiveen. Mary O’Connell, Daniel’s wife, was born in nearby Tralee and raised a family of children under extraordinary circumstances. Mary Elmes was an Irish aid worker credited with saving the lives of at least 200 Jewish children at various times during the Holocaust, by hiding them in the back of her car. Originally from Cork, she is known as ‘the Irish Oskar Schindler’. Janie McCarthy (1885-1964) from Killarney, Ireland lived in Paris during World War II and became involved in the French Resistance.  She managed to evade capture and survived the war. Her area of specialisation was in rescue work, saving a number of lives including members of the allied intelligence services and armies. Hugh O’Flaherty (1898 – 1963) was a Monsignor in the Catholic church and a significant figure in the Catholic resistance to Nazism. Along with other members of the resistance, O’Flaherty helped to save more than 5,000 Jewish lives through the Rome Escape Line network during the Holocaust in Italy. These walks introduce participants to local stories of change, activism and resilience.

Listen to the stories of people in the past whose lives and actions contributed to social justice, peace, and human dignity. The stories will be told followed by the opportunity for participants to add their own stories of people in Kerry in the past and today who advocate for communities that are connected, inclusive and resilient, with the focus on identifying the values that communities want to put in place to build strong sustainable societies as well as actions needed to build such communities.  The stories will be told followed by the opportunity for participants to add their own stories of people in Kerry in the past and today who advocate for communities that are connected, inclusive and resilient, with the focus on identifying the values that communities want to put in place to build strong sustainable societies as well as actions needed to build such communities. 

This event is funded by Kerry County Council and Failte Ireland.

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