Rena’s crib part of Christmas in Killarney for past 45 years

It would not be Christmas in Killarney without the St Mary’s Cathedral Christmas Crib.

The Nativity scene, created by the same artist for the past 45 years, is where generations of people from the Kerry town, along with so many visitors, encountered the awe and wonder and the magic of Christmas.

Now they bring their children and, even for some, their grandchildren.

Rena Kennelly, an artist, offered to manage the crib after the cathedral had been renovated almost 50 years ago.

Until then, all the Cathedral offered was a donkey, St Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus with a red light in a recess of a wall.

“No one ever saw it,” recalled Rena.

“At the time, I asked Fr O’Keeffe, ‘Did ye get a new crib?’ And they had not. I offered to make it myself.”

And when the renovated Pugin-designed cathedral re-opened, it had a new crib for Christmas.

All of a sudden the town’s Christmas opened to a magical Bethlehem with golden faces and kings from afar in exotic robes.

Huge excitement surrounded the presence of ‘real’ animals donated by taxidermists.

The figures in the crib were originally life-size.

And, like the Provencal cribs in the south of France, the Killarney one included local characters like the fawn found on the road near Torc Mountain and preserved by a taxidermist.

The original figures had been created and sculpted by Rena.

They have since been replaced due to wear and tear and are no longer quite life-size.

But the little town of Bethlelem is still an exotic place — set in Killarney.

Children from the schools dress as angels for the opening of the crib and, each December, there is something new.

This year the fountain has been replaced.

Originally, Rena and her friends would collect moss and be given bags of foliage from the Killarney National Park.

But new environmental laws mean moss in the park cannot be touched, thus making it more difficult to source.

Presently, there is bark mulch and just a little moss in the crib.

Local stalwarts Andrew Joy and Colm Foley, along with Martin Walsh, help Rena complete the crib every year.

Rena’s crib has become part of the life of Killarney so much so that local councillor Donal Grady, a former town mayor, has formally requested she be given a civic reception by Kerry County Council in 2019.

“I remember her creating the first crib,” said Donal.

Rena has done wonderful work down through the years for Killarney and for Christmas.

It is not just a crib, it is her crib. We are so proud of Rena and her crib in Killarney.