'John’s feet were dirty by the end': John and Francis Brennan recreate that Abbey Road shot 

Walking from one hotel to the other, the brothers brought Kenmare to a standstill

John and Francis Brennan are joined by Paul, a chef in the Lansdowne, and Tasha, the Lansdowne's general manager, as they walk from the Park to their new hotel. Picture: Barry Murphy

Seeing Francis and John Brennan crossing a road is something that might catch a passerby’s eye, but seeing them stopping traffic to cross a road over and over again will draw a crowd, as the people of Kenmare learned this week.

The hotelier brothers and stars of RTÉ’s At Your Service brought the picturesque Co Kerry town to an early-morning standstill while going to great lengths recreating the iconic Abbey Road shot of the Beatles with photographer Barry Murphy, right down to the bare feet sported by John in the photo. 

The photoshoot was part of a campaign linking their luxurious hotel, The Park, with the newly acquired Lansdowne Kenmare right across the road.

Of course, what was expected to take only a few minutes ended up being a much bigger enterprise.

“We were ready to shoot at 7.30am, we told everyone what to wear, and John had his shoes off. What we didn't realize was it was awfully busy that morning,” says Margaret Ryan, who was involved in the picture’s planning.

This picture of the Beatles on Abbey Road was the inspiration behind the Brennans' photo.

“There were trucks, which are not the norm at that hour. I don’t know how we didn’t get killed! Barry Murphy had to stand literally in the middle of the road so he could get both the Park and the Lansdowne in the shot.

“If we didn’t have all the traffic it would have been grand and quick. Poor John’s feet were dirty by the end of it because he had no shoes on and he was going back and forth. His feet were filthy.

“Then locals out walking noticed we were doing something and they were standing around to watch and we had to move them on too. I don’t know how many steps I did running and racing but it was worth it when you see the end result.” 

The team went to great lengths to match every detail in the original image as precisely as possible, from photoshopping a zebra crossing onto the street to the placement of a Garda car in the background, thanks to the help of the local gardaí.

“If you look at the original image, there was actually a police car and in fairness to the local guards in Kenmare, they parked a Garda car on the right-hand side of the road, they drove it over at 7.30am in the morning.

“We started trying to get everyone to walk, putting the right foot out at the right time. Eventually, there were cars and trucks waiting to pass and we had to stop and move to let traffic through. An hour later, we had the picture. We didn’t think it would be so busy but we got the shot.

“We’re amazed at the reaction to it. We knew it was a good shot but it seems to have captured the imagination.”