Born in Mangerton View, with a direct view of the Devil's Punch Bowl each time he opened his front door, this Supreme Knight of Innisfallen, this wonderful son of Killarney absorbed the riches of its luxuriant beauty and the graces of its people and kept these live and vibrant throughout his life.
Whether it was walking by the bluebells on the banks of the Deenagh River, or marching in ecstasy with the toy soldiers in Bunny Courtney's shop window, or assessing in wonder the jumbled collection of mechanical in- cunabula in Captain Kettle's off-street store, there was no limit to the values in life which pursued Mike Mulcahy from his boyhood to maturity.
These were expressed liberally during his university years and his subsequent sojourning in job stations such as Belmullet where he found lifelong friends in a social whirl of drama, debate, music and companionful outdoor events.
It was only when he retired from his banking career, which included a four-year stint on foreign service in Jamaica, that Killarney became his focus of expression for all the pent-up visions which he had harboured from his halcyon days.
Firstly we had that fascinating series of meetings over the years when Mike founded the Olde Killarney Society. The memories, the people and their relations, the incidents, the events, the changes in business were all recalled, challenged, added to, clarified, teased out, researched and argued over. Dozens of budding historians attended avidly throughout winter weeks. Each meeting was so enjoyable, happy and fruitful. Nostalgia ruled in excelsis! Then followed the founding of the Order of the Knights of Innisfallen and the various pageants. The arrival of the Annals of Innisfallen in Muckross House for a short period inspired Sir Mike to script and implement a pageant to commemorate the occasion. Church and laity became involved through his magnetic enthusiasm. He and his gentle wife, Mona, personally manufactured at their home near Inch special banners, pennants, costumes and weaponry. There were uniforms for the various echelons of knights and dames. Knights walked with Irish wolfhounds and drove chariots drawn by horses. These stamped an official aura on the event which commenced at the Friary and proceeded through the town to Ross Castle, where longboats with colourful bunting powered the pilgrims to Innisfallen Island.
That event was held in the summer of 1983, and in August 1984 Mass was celebrated on the island. Again this was accompanied by colourful pageantry. There are photographic records of these and several other events, such as the tournament at Castle Flesk, with jousting and swordplay, not forgetting Sir Mike's thoughtfulness in providing strawberries and cream for the spectators!
Castle-storming became an annual outing by bus and car. Sir Mike's reputation had spread across the land and invitations from resident owners to visit their castles were received. These outings were full of fun, coupled with the more serious business of dubbing new knights and dames to expand the Dalcassian brotherhood. Prestigious keeps such as Matrix, Birr, Kilkenny, Knappogue and Dysart were counted in.
A man of great and generous heart, he expressed himself as being one with the great and the small - none was more important than the other and deference was seen in the equal choice of initiates to the order, which included a wide spectrum of society such as bishops, dignitaries, journalists, mayors, business people and American nobles of enterprise and industry. The common qualifying denominator always was the love of God and the love of Killarney.
Sir Mike has also left us a legacy of booklets and stage plays and his consistent contributions to the local press on festive occasions such as Easter and Christmas heightened our own memories of such occasions and of the characters he pen-portrayed from a crystal memory.
His staunch sense of values and his religious convictions were reflected in the series of passion pageants he promoted, and also in the annual candlelit procession from the grotto to the Friary, each September 8th, in honour of Our Lady's birthday.
It is said that the good which men do is interred with their bones but as Sir Mike now sleeps in deserved peace in his family vault in the New Cemetery, his role in reviving the pride of Olde Killarney will be cherished by the Knights and Dames of Innisfallen.
He put the fire to the dormant torch of local historical culture. We are thus mandated to carry it forward and shine its light to the coming generations in Heaven's Reflex.
In humble acknowledgement of the passing of an inspiring spirit, we share his loss with those who mourn him most closely - his wife Mona, his son Kerry, his daughters Fionnuala and Aideen and their extended families, his brothers Francis and James and his young sister Maria.
Go raibh se ar aon cheim sna Flaithis leis na manaigh a mhair ar Loch Lein agus go gcuiti Dia do an gradam ata mor tuillte do mar Chriostai ridhilis.
P. MacM.