Archive for February, 2015

  Johnnie Wall believes many sentences being handed down in our justice system are too lenient…  I WROTE an ‘eloquent’ piece for The Kerryman back in the early nineties. It was for a column titled ‘Your Personal Opinion’.  However, in hindsight it was more of a rant, an outpouring of pent-up frustration at […]

KERRY Islamic Outreach Society (KIOS) here in town is looking for any donations of children’s clothes. The collection is part of a drive that will send clothes to children in both Syria and Palestine who are suffering through an extreme winter. We talked to Rizwan Khan, who as well as being […]

A LOVE affair of a different kind will be in bloom for the most romantic weekend of the year when fanatical Austin Stacks support hit the road in search of a St Patrick’s day date in Croke Park. At least eight buses will depart on Sunday morning for Portlaoise, for […]

A GROUP of Kerry mothers, who each have a child that was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD), have got together to help raise funds for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin. The ‘Glow Hearts 4 Crumlin’ group consists of three mums from Tralee – Sinead O’Connor, Sonya Doyle and Jenny Pye […]

TWO short films created by Presentation Secondary School students have been shortlisted for an All-Ireland film competition. The All-Ireland second level student video competition run by ICTU’s Youth Connect Programme, is now in its second year and Presentation have two entries out of the 25 shortlisted nationally. The students involved are […]

ACCORDING to statistics compiled from the RSA website, Tralee is one of the best places in the country to pass your driving test. The figures range from the period 2010-2013 and show that aside from a drop in 2011, Tralee has consistently placed amongst the top ten places in the country in driving test […]

THERE were 15 patients waiting on trolleys at Kerry General Hospital today according to INMO ‘Trolley Watch’ figures released this morning. Nationally, today there are 506 patients waiting on trolleys. The figures come as it was reported yesterday that non-urgent patients faced a wait of up to 13 hours at […]

THE Archbishop of Dublin is to speak at this year’s ‘Journeying In Hope’ event in St John’s Church on February 24. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is the latest in a long line of high-profile speakers at the event, which has been running at the Castle Street church for some years now. […]

TODAY marks a year on from the day ‘Storm Darwin’ hit Tralee and wrecked havoc around the town and surrounding area. Some of the huge damage caused by the hurricane winds included a tree falling on O’Donnell’s bar in Mounthawk and a large part of the roof of the Brandon Hotel […]

  THE Rose of Tralee International Festival has been awarded €30,000 in funding from Fáilte Ireland under its National Festivals and Events Programme. The Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, announced today that further funding of €320,000 has been approved by  for 11 key national festivals and events […]

  IF you’re travelling around town early on Sunday morning you’ll need to be aware that the Council will be closing off a number of roads for a time. The reason is to facilitate runners in the Valentine’s Weekend 10 Mile Road Race which is starting from Tralee Wetlands at 10am. […]

CONSTANTIN Gurdgiev, a Russian economist will be speaking at a business event at the Manor West Hotel here in town on February 18. The event, a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunity for accountants, lawyers and business people is being organised by Sheehy and Manning Financial, who have offices based here […]

FLYING the Kerry flag at the Special Olympics this summer in LA will be Oakview swimmer, Brendan O’Connell. The member of Kerry Stars Special Olympics Club is the sole representative from  Kerry who will compete for Team Ireland. Brendan will be gunning for gold in the 1500 metres swim. No […]

‘LIVE Life Love Day 2015’  was held in Fels Point Hotel yesterday as hundreds gathered for the screening and presentation of the ‘Live Life’ winning films and awards. The event, which celebrated the late Donal Walsh’s message, was presented by RTE’s Aidan Power and guests included RTE’s Paschal Sheehy and Kerry footballer […]

Gavin O’Connor spoke to Austin Stacks boss, Stephen Stack, recently about preparations ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Slaughtneil… “NO REGRETS” has been the Austin Stacks mantra since they began their club championship campaign nine months ago. For many of the players, Sunday will be the most important game […]

THE Tralee Food Court at the Mile Height which houses Burger King, Subway and Bakewell Cafe has come on the market with a price in excess of €1.6m. The Food Court opened just this time last year (having formerly existed as Rocky Mountain restaurant since July 2013) and extends to C.5000 sq.ft. or 465 […]

A TRALEE owned and based sports equipment company is taking the next step in their evolution by opening their first ever store in Ivy Terrace this week. Radar Sports, have been in business now for eight years. The company was the brainchild  of Una O’Mahony who, up until now, operated […]

  TRALEE is set to go ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ crazy this weekend as the Omniplex are reporting heavy pre-booking sales for the movie which opens on Friday. Speaking to a member of staff at the Tralee Omniplex, we were told tickets are selling really well, especially for the evening screenings of […]

  THE Chief Executive of Tralee Chamber Alliance has expressed his delight at the news that Tralee is to get an estimated €20m investment for a new facility to attract a major industry, but says he would now like to see things progress quickly. Earlier today, the Government announced their […]

TRALEE is to get a major boost with an estimated €20m investment in a new advanced manufacturing facility at the Kerry Technology Park. The plans were announced at a press conference in Dublin of the Government’s €250m Regional Action Plan For Jobs. A new 25,000 sq ft property will be built […]

THIS time of year is a particular favourite of mine as there is, as my mother would say, “a great stretch in the evening”. The temperature may not be rising in any significant way, but there is sign of new life in the trees and flowers. This is also true […]

LAST week my household lost a family member. Our beautiful doberman of 10 years, Jessie, passed away. Our dog was not just a pet, she was family. Some people may not understand the hurt that results from the loss of a pet, if you have never experienced this loss yourself. […]

AN internationally famous Swedish DJ is all set to play Horans Nightclub for the IT Tralee R&G week next Thursday. Jonas Erik Altberg, who is most well known as his stage name ‘Basshunter’ will be the headlining act for the IT Tralee R&G (Raising and Giving) week in the nightclub on […]

  THERE will be a ‘Cancer Support Group’ evening held on Wednesday, February 18 in the Recovery Haven Cancer Support House from 6pm-7pm. The group will offer an opportunity to those who come to talk freely and openly about cancer and dealing with its impact on their lives. Recovery Haven […]

  THERE will be slight changes to both the starting and finishing lines of the ‘Tralee International Marathon’ when it takes place on Sunday March 15. The Kerry vs Donegal National Football League game is due to be held in Tralee on the same day and so the decision has […]

  CLIMBERS are flocking to Carrauntoohil from all four corners of country to take advantage of the ice climbing conditions on Ireland’s highest peak. Tralee climbers, Tim Galvin and Mike Crowley climbed Carrauntoohil last week and took these fantastic shots. Tim Galvin, of Gally’s Bar and Restaurant, has been going up on the […]

  NORTH Cork Central Sinn Féin TD, Jonathan O’ Brien, has called on the Minister for Education Jan O’ Sullivan to meet with stakeholders in an effort to address their concerns about the proposed IT Tralee and CIT merger. The merger is set to cost in the region of  €6.7 million […]

  A STRAIGHT-TALKING 90 year old mart employee, Eugene (Eugie) O’Sullivan, is a legend in Kenmare. A surprise 90th birthday party was thrown for the local character in Kenmare Mart where the Irish Examiner recorded fantastic a video (below) of Eugie speaking about his  life. Not a man to be messed […]

OVER 350 people attended the Lee Strand Annual Social on Saturday night at the Ballygarry House Hotel. The annual gathering attended by farmers, shareholders, staff and customers of Lee Strand was a wonderful social evening of fine dining, great music and dancing. On arrival guests were welcomed with a jazz and champagne […]

A HUGELY popular Spa man will be remembered this April at a special event to raise funds for the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA). The Primrose Black Tie Gala Ball in aid of IMNDA and in memory of Tommy Brosnan, was launched on Saturday at a photo call in Ballygarry House Hotel. The Gala […]