THE people of Killarney will have immediate access to their most famous historical records, The Annals of Innisfallen, when they return to the county in 2005, albeit for a brief visit.

Following a meeting with officials at Oxford University, where the priceless Annals are housed, Killarney Town Council members have secured the concession to return the Annals for August, September and October 2005, the final months of the Killarney 250 celebrations.

The three man delegation of Mayor Michael Courtney, Cllr Donal O’Grady and Town Clerk Michael O’Leary, were also given a copy of the Annals on microfilm which they now hope to turn into an exhibition focusing on the history of the documents and the town itself, Discussions between Killarney Town Council and Oxford University in the UK, which have centred on the permanent return of the Annals, have been ongoing since December 2001.

The 2005 visit is now being regarded as a possible forerunner for future visits and, possibly, the permanent loan of the Annals to the people of the town. It is hoped that during the 2005 visit the Annals of Innisfallen, in line with security needs, will be kept in the newly renovated Killarney House.

“The people of Killarney are rebuilding their history with Killarney House and Muckross House as a focal point and there is a strong feeling that part of this rebuilding would be the return of the Annals,” said Cllr Donal Grady. “This would certainly give a boost to Killarney,” he added.

Describing the staff at Oxford as “extremely helpful”, Cllr Grady stressed that the documents would not have survived had it not been for the wonderful care the documents received at Oxford University.

But he was quick to add that he wanted to see the return of the annals, even if only on a long-term loan basis.

The Annals of Innisfallen were compiled in the second century in a mixture of Irish and Latin and give a huge insight into the life of the town’s earliest Christian communities.

The last visit of the Annals to their natural home was in the early 1980s but the arrival of microfilm of the historical records and an English translation of the documents will give the people of Killarney and the many visitors to the town the opportunity to take a real glimpse into the past.