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We begin our review of the news we brought you on TraleeToday.ie this year at, well, the obvious starting point…January…
• TWO Tralee teenagers blagged their way into a $1,000 New Year’s Eve party in Sydney and uploaded a video to YouTube.
Jack Stuart and Rory Doyle spent $65 on a ticket to the Sydney Opera House area on New Year’s Eve but they ended up inside the Opera House itself, at a thousand-dollar party. They availed of free food and drink and a top class view of the fireworks show. Click here…
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• IT was the beginning of a special year for Ultan Dillane when the former Tralee RFC player was called into Joe Schmidt’s extended Irish training squad for a Six Nations camp at Carton House.
• It emerged that flood damage in late 2015 would cost Kerry County Council €3.5 million.
The effects of the deluge of rain that fell leading up to and during the Christmas period caused damage the length and breath of the county.
At the beginning of December, Storm Desmond, brought with it rainfall that flooded parts of Tralee leaving homeowners, businesses and Kerry County Council counting the cost.
• FIVE time All-Ireland winner, Bryan Sheehan, was nominated as the Kerry captain for 2016.
The county champions, South Kerry, nominated the St Mary’s man. Sheehan previously captained Kerry in 2010.
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• A NAME change was proposed for the area around the Christie Hennessy statue.
At the meeting of the Tralee Municipal District of Kerry County Council, a motion ws put forward that the area near the statue at Central Plaza/Abbeycourt be renamed ‘Christie Hennessy Place’.
The motion was put forward by Cllr Sam Locke to “enhance the area” he said.
• A FATHER and son from Tralee were recovering in a Dublin hospital in early January after a life-saving kidney transplant in the Beaumont Hospital was a success.
Mike Burns, originally from Sneem, but now living with his family in Kevin Barry Villas, donated his kidney to his son, 19 year old son Darren, who was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney disease when he was just nine years old.
• THE death of David Bowie cast a veil of sadness all over the world for music fans in January.
One man in Ballybunion paid a special tribute to him at the Ladies beach to carve out his own tribute in the sand.
Mario Perez made a circle with the famous lightning bolt Ziggy Stardust emblem from Bowie’s early 70s pomp.
• TRALEE said goodbye to a truly inspirational man in mid-January.
Joe Flynn from Rahoonane lost his battle with cancer after going public in November 2015 about his illness.
His courage was an inspiration to many as he appeared on RTE radio to tell his story in late 2015. The funeral service at Our Lady and St Brendan’s Church was emotional, sad, interspersed with humour and a fitting send-off for a great guy.
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• IT was a sad day for many in Blennerville on January 15 as the bulldozers moved into St Brendan’s Blennerville old school.
They started work demolishing the 84 year old building before 9am and six hours later the school was levelled.
Many past pupils looked on as they collected their children from the new school and no doubt remembered the good times they had in the building.
• Michael Fassbender was nominated for an Oscar in January for his performance as Steve Jobs.
The Killarney man would face off against Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martian), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) and the hot favourite Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant).
• THE Intreo Centre or Social Welfare offices at Godfrey Place, Tralee were closed for nearly two weeks in January as a result of a kerosene oil spillage at an adjacent business.
• JOHN MITCHELS ended 13 years outside of Division 1 by overcoming Spa in a thrilling finale in a play-off replay in Brosna.
It looked as though they were heading to extra-time for the second week in a row, only for Alan O’Donoghue to nail the winning point with almost the last kick of the game to send them up.
