Kilkenny history brought back to life in the heart of the Village
As featured in this week’s Kilkenny People newspaper
The Village Inn has brought history to life for the duration of the Kilkenny Arts Festival.
An historical collection of local auction posters went on public display on Thursday, August 6, bringing back many cherished memories for some, and enlightening many more.
The exhibition features classic posters dating from the 1880s to the 1950s, many of which were produced by the Kilkenny People, and they’re currently being housed in the Village Inn’s function room until Sunday, August 16.
For exhibition organiser, Peter McCreery, it’s a real family affair as McCreery Auctioneers celebrate 150 years in business.
The family has remained a trusted name in the profession since 1876, when Mr McCreery’s great-grandfather Alexander founded the company.
Over that time, five generations of McCreery’s have proudly worn the family badge.
“I would have come into the business in 1983, and I've been there since then, so I'm over 40 years in the business.” Mr McCreery told the Kilkenny People.
“It's gone from a McCreery to a McCreery. My son Keith joined the business this year, although he's been off cutting his teeth for the last ten or 12 years in Dublin,” he said, adding, it’s been some run.”
“Selling a home is one of the biggest decisions that you can make in your life, and you want the person who's doing it to be credible and we're around a long time. I suppose it puts a bit of credibility to the whole operation.”
The local auctioneer also stressed the importance of supporting local in order to keep our city’s history alive.
“We need to support all the local businesses in order to maintain our heritage and to have a busy town centre. We need to look after what we have.”
Looking ahead, people have an opportunity to view the material until Sunday in the Village Inn, while a very special production is also scheduled for this weekend.
“If I could buy the whole lot of them tomorrow, I'd buy them for a million euros, and that would be more than add up to what's there,” McCreery remarked.
“One of the most important posters that I have is the auction of an old-aged grey pony. A first-rate gelding belonging to Mr Matthew Walsh. That auction was held on the 3rd of June 1899 on the steps of Kilkenny Courthouse,” he continued.
That auction will be staged live on the steps of Kilkenny Courthouse at 11am on Saturday, August 15, in a production produced by Michael Summers and Willie Ryan.
"They've been rehearsing for the last month or two, and I haven't even seen what's going to happen, but I'm looking forward to it,” Mr McCreery added.
Check out pictures from the event in next week’s Kilkenny People newspaper