AN IRISH KILLARNEY ARBUTUS WOOD AND SYCAMORE TURNED CHESS SET AND INLAID BOARD

The town of Killarney became associated with the manufacture of souvenir ware which flourished between 1845 to 1880. Bog-oak, holly, yew and sycamore were among the woods utilised, but the dark heartwood and light sap wood of arbutus unedo is more typically and uniquely associated with Killarney. This shrub, more commonly known as the strawberry tree, originated from the Mediterranean but flourished in the mild damp climate of this Irish region.