The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Valentia to host WWI commemoration
VALENTIA Island is preparing to host an emotional event to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One.
Kerry County Council, supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is working with opera singer and Cahersiveen native Dr Gavan Ring on an Armistice Day commemoration on Valentia Island on November 11 at St John the Baptist Church in Knightstown.
The church is home to several memorials to Kerry Soldiers involved in World War One and these inspired
Gavan to develop this commemorative event which will include music written about World War One, music written in the trenches and original music inspired by World War One and its Kerry story.
As part of the overall performance, there will be projections of images of Kerry World War One regiment members in uniform, and other images of other World War One Kerry memorabilia.
Kerry County Council is inviting submissions of images of relatives, in any regiment involved in World War One from Kerry, to please submit a copy of the image by email to arts@kerrycoco.ie by Wednesday October 24.
Where reproduction quality allows, all of these images will be added to the projections that will be shown during the performance.
The church has a seating capacity of 130, admission is free. It is advised to arrive early to secure seats for this unique event.
The performance, which will also be broadcast by RTÉ Lyric FM, will be given by Dr Gavan Ring and internationally renowned pianist Aoife O’Sullivan.
This event was considered by the Council’s Strategic Policy Committee for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Recreation earlier in the year and agreed at Full Council as a fitting way to commemorate World War One in Kerry.