Radio Kerry programme series on the Kennelly Archive.

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Hi, I am researching a six part programme series on the Kennelly Archive that will be broadcast on Radio Kerry. Below is a synopsis of each programme. I would love any suggestions or people from your locality that would be interesting to interview on the areas mentioned below.

- Faith of our Fathers
The Catholic Church in Kerry.

- Tales of the Time
1960s singer Sandie Shaw performing barefoot in the Mount Brandon
Ballroom and Hollywood star Jane Mansfield at a press conference following the cancellation of her performance at the Brandon hotel. Kerry was the focus of the national media on numerous occasions over that period, the series will examine the impact on the Moss Moore murder in 1958. The numerous visits of President Eamon De Valera to Kerry. Locals will recall the film shoot of J. M. Synge's play The Playboy of the Western World in the summer of 1961. The many visits of Charlie Chaplin to Waterville.


- The Kennelly Archive
The work of archiving the images of Padraig and his wife, the stories of travelling all over the county capturing the ordinary and extraordinary of the lives of the famous and not so famous in the Kingdom.
- Emigration
Emigration touched every aspect of life in Kerry in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The county emptied of young men and women who left for the larger towns and cities of Ireland, for America but mainly for Britain. Most were still in their teens when they left, boys and girls rather than men and women. As the economy picked up from the mid 1960’s onwards, the rate of emigration slowed, and some of these emigrants returned home with their young families in the 1970’s. In 20 years Kerry lost 22% of its population. One of the families who emigrated were the five Hennessy brothers in March 1958. The famous Ballyduff Hurlers were part of the first Kerry All-Ireland Winning Hurling Team. Over half of the county’s teenagers left during the 1950’s. Having only a minimum of education, many of them were destined for work in building sites, factories and shops. They followed well worm paths of previous generations. They followed in the well-worn paths of previous generations. Long established networks in America and Britain helped the newly arrived to find jobs and places to stay.
- Living Conditions/Social scene/Sport.
In 1971 just 2% of towns in Ireland did not have any toilet of any description, compared with 50% in the country. It was a woman’s responsibility to keep the house supplied with water, which was drawn from a pump, well or stream. Even though it was the single greatest labour saving device in the home, piped water did not get the same priority as electricity. The Irish country woman’s association led the campaign for running water – but met with opposition from the National Farmers Association who feared that it would lead to higher rates. Festivals and fairs added colour to life during the summer and two of the best known events took place in Kerry August. Puck Fair, one of the oldest fairs in the country continued to attract crowds to Killorglin. A new arrival, the Rose of Tralee, grew out of a carnival held in the town every August, and from 1959 began to establish an international reputation.
“People who dance until two or three in the morning are not fit for a day’s work which
begins three or four hours later”.
Justice Johnson, dealing with dance hall exemptions at Tralee District Court, 1956.
Dancehalls were a national passion – there was a dancehall for every 1, 500 people in the country. Although the bishop of Kerry insisted in the mid 1950’s that dances should end no later than midnight. This did not deter the flock.
- Farming during this era.