Poet Brendan Kennelly honoured in home town

When Brendan Kennelly and his daughter Doodle pulled into the car park of St Michael’s Church, Ballylongford, they thought a funeral must have been going on.

But the parked cars and the crowd of people that had gathered in the churchyard were there to welcome home one of their own, who had been absent for too long, and to unveil a bronze bust to honour him.

It’s been a few years since the poet, scholar, and novelist was home in his native north Kerry, but Ballylongford never forgot Brendan Kennelly nor he them.