 guide and an updated guide on letter Kenny walks along letter Kenny's local history and heritage and the man behind a Paul McGuire joins me in the studio Paul thanks for coming in thank you John for inviting me now it's um and when you say walk along letter Kenny's local history and and heritage it it's pointing out the places along the way that you know even if you're from letter Kenny you might not know the history attached to the man I suppose that was that the that was a minute yeah to just inform people of the local history and the heritage of the areas that would work walk along and and of course back in the in the introduction yeah you tell a little bit about the history of letter Kenny it's now of course the largest open center in the county population of about 20,000 the the town letter Canon what's the meaning well it's the readable there's a few interpretations of what it was live but basically what it is we believe it's the site of the hill from an old cannon who were one of the founding fathers and they would have been it wouldn't be and the mother were letter Kenny yesterday it would be near Cornwall and that's where letter Kenny began but the the present day letter Kenny would be as was old town is and then they start to expand from that area so some of the first houses in letter Kenny as we know it today we're built in the old town area yes correct go back to what 17 around the 17th century yes and this whole area or when I say not this area but you know down the town at a time was all covered in trees and well yeah trees and surely would have been a wider area taken on like a water does today as the more a smaller what I called over the years it would have been used when the English the plantation and you had urbanization of the area the water used that area to for free yeah commercially commercially for when they brought on the railway and all back that time as well now the man who's credited with you know the start in the town if you like or finding the town is a Sir George Maybury yeah he constructed old houses and was on the old town where they were constructed back in the around the 17th century right he had a big house elsewhere himself but he did yes it was some build the cottages there and in this guide you you go through a lot of the well the recognizable and the distinctive as well as the historic buildings because some of them have just changed use down through the years had been different uses obviously yes and still very distinctive buildings but then you you know the ones that are recognizable as being historic the cathedral con Connell Paris Church for instance one of the oldest buildings yeah it would be one of the oldest buildings in the town and Trinity Hall Redo convent and and all with the history attached to them and all big time and like a lot of people wouldn't know if they're not into history about the backgrounds to a lot of those buildings and we have to try to emphasize especially for tourists coming on to the town and as a short book and for people coming on and give them an indication where to go and what because let it kind of has a lot of to offer as well to visitors who should be from Northern Ireland should be overseas or wherever or local there is a lot of things that they can go and do and see a lot more to it then then you might think absolutely a crossroads or stopping off it's not yes it is one of the does the industrial town of the Northwest or to Donegal and a lot of great retail shops and but it is a lot of history to it as well and that should be recognized and and as in this book yes you mentioned about commerce in the town you have a really good focus on Main Street because it's it's not just the historic buildings that we're chatting about but also down you know I'm thinking about down where Florence food is at the moment or where the Aled Irish bank is or more in antiques is yeah there's history yeah absolutely there's a lot of history and they may be coming around from the around the 18th century 17 18th century so and there is a lot of because a lot of those houses where townhouses at one stage now their commerce are building well like to the Bank of Ireland and AIB what been purpose-built banks and the day and then the change hands of when over the years to what they are today you focus on historical aspects and in a way social aspects as well and social history because there's a full page on Ernest Spear and the shop down lower Main Street Clarks news agents correct yeah lower Main Street during the new additions to it this year with also there is a larger map of the town to show the the locations and where these buildings are and those as you mentioned their spares and Clarks which a center of commerce for a lot of years so and focus is class news agents where a lot of people would have went in there for the local gossip but not just good and to buy yeah yeah and still do and still do yes and and then you move even out of town a wee bit as far as Rockhill house Rockhill house like I served for 23 years myself so it was basically my second home for a long time so you couldn't pass it couldn't pass it at all and and again you know it's in the state or in a house that's a lot of history absolutely like and all those old buildings has a lot of history and should be emphasized and but and I have to mention also as you mentioned there alone the commerce and I have to have to pay what we called it to a lot of ads was taken out by local business in the town only for them and sponsored that the book wouldn't been possible okay so where can people get their hands on it it will be hotels any of the retailers and BMWs hotels all over let again in the forward of field this year we're hoping to do 3,000 and the about the launch date is on Saturday at 2 o'clock in the country Museum and there are official launch that's a push launch by King came Kelly no better man no better man okay so wherever their visitors hopefully yes they should have easy access correct absolutely and they are free of charge Paul and congratulations okay thank you very much John well done okay