North Kerry Reaching Out

What is NKRO? NKRO is a coming together on a voluntary basis of the villages of North Kerry with a view to promoting and preserving our culture, heritage and history. We are affiliated to Ireland Reaching Out and we cover the following parishes: Listowel, Finuge, Ballyduff, Lisselton/Ballydonoghue, Ballybunion, Duagh, Asdee, Ballylongford, Tarbert, Lyreacrompane, Knockanure, Moyvane/ Newtownsandes, Kilflynn and Lixnaw.

However, if anyone outside of these places asks for our help in researching ancestors we will do our best for them. We also hope to connect all North Kerry people worldwide with their Kerry home.

How will we do this?

We are collecting old photographs, testimonies, documents, oral histories, stories and poems and to making them available to everyone on our website

www.northkerryreachingout.com

We intend to update the site regularly with news and happenings from North Kerry. The NKRO site will not replace the excellent existing local sites. It will link to them.

Some of our members will be trained in the use of online and other resources in genealogy and heritage in Listowel in the coming months. We hope to be able to help people who contact us to trace their North Kerry roots.

We will organise a week of welcomes in 2012. We will invite people who have a link to North Kerry to come and enjoy a week among their own people. We hope to lay on a feast of Irish culture with concerts, craft demonstrations, matches, turf cutting and much more.

Who will pay for all this?

People will give their time free gratis. The spirit of volunteerism is essential to the success of this venture. Already we have about 50 volunteers researching, collecting, blogging, photographing, fundraising etc.

We hold raffles at our Irish culture nights which we are currently holding on every second Friday in venues around North Kerry and a date for you diary -We shall hold a fund raising dance at the Listowel Arms Hotel on St Patrick’s Day, March 17 2012, from 3.00 to 6.00pm. This is a great day to get together with family, relations and friends and celebrate our Irish Heritage.

How do I join?

We welcome anyone who is interested in the project to our meetings in The Seanchaí Centre, Listowel. We can be contacted at nkreachingout@gmail.com

Lyre ladies enjoying the Dan Paddy Andy Festival Brigid Naughton, Julie Ahern, Maureen Ahern and Kathleen O’Connor.

See you at the North Kerry Reaching Out fund raising dance at the Listowel Arms Hotel on St Patrick’s Day, March 17 2012, after the parade.