A Kinsale business owner nominated as Grand Marshal for this years Brussel’s Saint Patricks Day Parade has used the visit to promote the town along with the City and County of Cork in the Belgium Capital.
Ken Buckley who runs the popular and prestigious art gallery, ‘The Gallery Kinsale’ in the town was chosen by the organising committee in Brussels for his outstanding contribution to arts and culture in the Munster region and voluntary work in the past and present promoting cultural links between the County of Cork and the City and wider region of Brussels.
Central to Mr. Buckley’s duties was the presentation on the review balcony at the famous Grand Place of the medieval City Hall of a bowl of Shamrock in a specially commissioned crystal bowl designed and produced by Kinsale Crystal to the Deputy Mayor of Brussels, Alderwoman of Culture and Tourism, Delphine Houba who accepted it with much enthusiasm on behalf of the city of Brussels.
This was followed by the annual Saint Patrick’s Day Toast in the five official languages of Ireland and Belgium ‘‘To the Health of the Bourgmestre, to prosperity in Brussels, Belgium, Ireland and in the EU and to Peace in Europe’’ in the courtyard of the UNESCO world heritage site. The whiskey selected for the Irish Toast was ‘Blacks’ whiskey’ another local Kinsale producer and a gift of a book on Kinsale by local Kinsale historian Barry Moloney was presented by Irish Ambassador HE Mr. Kevin Conmy to Alderwoman Houba.
Mr. Buckley was nominated ahead of new Ryanair flights between Cork and Brussels South Charleroi commencing in late March and his duties as Parade Grand Marshal also saw him lay a laurel wreath at the monument for the heroic Belgian nurse Marie Depage who perished in the sinking of the Lusitania off the Old Head of Kinsale on that faithful day May 7th, 1915.
Speaking of his trip Mr. Buckley said “it was an absolute honour to be chosen as the parade Grand Marshal of such a prestigious parade in the EU capital. I used my trip to highlight the introduction of the new Ryanair flights between Cork and Belgium, and further promote the strong cultural and historic links between Cork and Brussels and help grow relations with all the regions of Belgium.”
As well as being the director of Munster's largest commercial art gallery, Ken also represents Cork Chamber on the special policy committee for arts, culture and languages with Cork County Council and is also the secretary of the Cork Jazz Festival Committee.