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Continuing our look back at the stories we brought you in 2020, here’s the news from December…
• It was reported on December 1 that data from the Environmental Protection Agency from on the last weekend of November showed high air pollution levels in Tralee.
The county capital was among a number of locations in the country with high pollution levels, including Dublin where some areas saw the highest levels in 30 years.
An Culu near Kenmare.
• A luxury castle in Kerry sold for €4.5 million. ‘An Culu’ is a 9,000 square foot property on 4.5 acres of land on the edge of Kenmare Bay, just under 10km from Kenmare town.
It was renovated by UK businessman, Kevin Reardan, in the late 1990s and according to real estate agents Savills it’s “one of Ireland’s best-kept secrets” and the sale was one of largest for a residential property this year.
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• The family of the late Tom Ross warned the public about a fake fundraising page set up for his funeral costs. The well-known and respected building contractor died in late November after an Ashe Street building he was working on partially collapsed.
A page was set up using a number of family photographs asking people to help fund the funeral costs. The family said it was entirely fake and asked the public not to click on the page and not to donate any money.
• A new art project in Tralee brightened up the town centre with flashes of colour and creativity adding life to bland utility cabinets throughout the town.
The project entitled ‘Graft’ aimed to enable local artists to transform the utility boxes which litter our street into works of art, bringing vitality and creativity to the streets of Tralee, and ultimately creating a town wide gallery of public art.
• €1.5 million in aid was granted towards the operating costs of Kerry Airport, under the Government funded Regional Airports Programme. This funding was targeted at vital safety and security operations at airports such as air traffic control, fire services and security.
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• LOTTO players in Castleisland were asked to check their Lotto tickets on December 6 after one lucky player won the Lotto Match 5 + Bonus prize of €235,196.
They were one number short of winning the €2 million jackpot on offer. The lucky player picked their own numbers on their Normal Play ticket which they purchased at Garvey’s store on Church Street in Castleisland.
• A local TD called on the HSE to explore the old Denny/Island of Geese site as a potential location for offices in the town. Pa Daly, Sinn Féin TD for Kerry, said it would be a prime location to set up and would benefit the local economy.
Professor Maggie Cusack.
• It was announced that Professor Maggie Cusack was appointed the President of Munster Technological University (MTU) which was officially established on 1st January 2021.
Prof. Cusack has a long established career in academic leadership and research and was the Dean of Faculty of Natural Sciences, Professor of Biomineralisation at the University of Stirling at time of her appointment.
• Three CBS The Green students were honoured in the Garda National Youth Awards.
In January 2020, Michael Carroll, Padraig Crean and Michael Kirby were the recipients of a Kerry Garda Youth Achievement Award in the Community Safety category.
As a result of this they were sent forward as the representative from the Kerry Division in that category for the National Youth Awards and won award which was officially presented in December.
• Christmas came early for two lucky Lotto players in Kerry on December 20 including one who bought their ticket in Tralee.
There was a Lotto Plus 2 top prize winner of €250,000 and another Match 5 + Bonus prize winner of €59,099 in the county. The €250,000 was won by an online player in Kerry and the other €59,099 Match 5 + Bonus prize was won by a person who bought the ticket in An Post on Edward Street.
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Danny Leane.
• Tralee mourned a legendary publican and a true Gael who did much for the social life of Tralee for many decades.
Danny Leane, formerly of The Abbey Inn, passed away on Wednesday, December 23, surrounded by his beloved family. Danny, originally from Killarney, bought the bar on June 8, 1968 and turned it into an iconic music venue during the 1970s and 80s.
• There was more Lotto luck in Kerry on December 26 when someone who bought their lotto ticket in Castleisland was €1m richer after winning in the Lotto Plus 1 draw.
The winning ticket was sold in Whyte’s Centra in Castleisland making it the second big win in the town in the space of a few weeks.
• As of December 31, the official number of COVID-19 cases in Kerry stood at 1,854 (an increase of 507 on the previous month).
