The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Tralee’s landmark John Ross clock makes welcome return
THIS week saw the return of a much loved landmark to the streets of Tralee.
For the last few months the well known clock that has hung on the front of Castle Street’s John Ross Jewellers since the late 1950’s has been undergoing a thorough refurbishment.
The clock – Tralee’s equivalent of Dublin’s famed Cleary’s Clock – was reinstalled on Tuesday and on Friday John Ross Jewellers will begin a special two day celebration to mark the famous timepiece’s 60th birthday.
Following a total rebuild by the expert team at Bolger Fabrication Ltd over in the Clash Industrial Estate, the clock is now fully lit and working perfectly for the first time since the early 1970s.
The first clock was erected on the front of John Ross Jewellers in 1957. It was partially rebuilt back in 1984 though the dials were not illuminated.
Such restorations often uncover a little history and that was the case here.
When John Ross current proprietor Heather O’Sullivan paid a visit to Bolger Fabrication to see how the rebuild was going, she was shown one of the clock’s hands which had been signed by her late father Brian Kenny during the last rebuild in 1984.
The restoration of the clock was just one aspect of a major conservation effort that saw the jewellery shop’s striking facade completely refurbished.
This included a painstaking restoration of the woodwork carried out by local master carpenter Aidan Hennebery who was tasked with recreating a two foot section of the wooden cornice.
Such was the quality of his work that it is impossible to tell the new section from the old.
Following the carpentry work every inch of the facade was meticulously repainted and restored to it’s original glory by painters Richard Roche and Chris Lynch.
The last step of the conservation project was the re-installation of the clock which was restored to its spot above the shop’s black and gold sign on Monday night by a team from Bolger Fabrication and Ned O’Shea builders.
By Tuesday morning – thanks to electrician Billy O’Sullivan –the clock was back, ticking tocking away and fully lit up for the people of Tralee to enjoy.
The 60th Birthday Celebration for the John Ross Clock takes place on Friday and Saturday December 1 and 2 in John Ross Jewellers, Castle Street, Tralee. The official launch of the refurbished clock will take place 11am on Friday morning followed by fantastic giveaways over the course of the two day event.