Killarney

By Marie Carroll-O&#8217;Sullivan
<h3>Crafting away at the International Hotel, Killarney Crafty Ladies were spotted creating a new batch of bears in aid of Kerry Hospice.</h3>
Established in 2013 by Margaret McCarthy, the group have raised over &euro;23,000 to date.
Two of the crafty ladies, Kate O&rsquo;Connor and Betty Benson, boarded the train to Dublin to attend a stitch and knitting show, there they casually met with Peg Coffey and Margaret McCarthy &#8211; and Killarney Crafty Ladies was born!
Since then, the ladies meet up once a month &#8211; excluding the summer months. They have travelled to different charity shops nationwide to carefully select their adopted Killarney bears, giving these pre-loved bears a complete makeover into unique Christmas gifts, ready to take up residence in their homes this festive season.
Organiser, Margaret McCarthy, Countess Road, who is missing from the photo and hence taking up residence in the International Hotel, is usually host of these monthly meetings and chose the Kerry Hospice as a sole beneficiary, having lost her husband Oliver to cancer in 2011.
Ranging in price from &euro;5 &#8211; &euro;70, the Killarney Crafty Ladies can be found selling their creatively revamped pre-loved bears, at the Killarney Outlet Centre on the three Saturdays coming up to Christmas &#8211; tomorrow (Saturday), and December 3 and 10.
You can also support the Kerry Hospice this Christmas by popping by the Br&iacute;c&iacute;n Restaurant and picking up a bear of your choice at their shop between 10am &#8211; 6pm.

Cute Christmas crafts go on sale for hospice

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