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Continuing our review of 2020, here’s some of the stories we brought you from June…
• NoteCloud, the company behind the ‘See Something Say Something’ technology, reported a 100% increase in the number of the reports sent to Gardai in Tralee since the COVID-19 Restrictions were introduced in mid-March. Over 200 text messages have been received since the restrictions were introduced.
• Kerry County Council published its ‘Safe Streets’ Programme for towns and villages in Kerry as shops, businesses and services in town centres began to reopen in June.
It resulted in a number of changes to streets including new signage and reduced parking in some areas.
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• A major programme of initiatives was rolled out by Kerry County Council and other partners and agencies, to ensure that Kerry was a safe place to visit and stay as COVID-19 restrictions continued to be phased out in June.
The goal was to make Kerry the safest and cleanest of destinations to visit and stay in during the summer.
• There was good news ahead of the summer season that Kerry had retained 13 Blue Flags at 12 of the county’s beaches as well as Fenit Marina, with just Ballybunion North losing its status this time around.
The decision of the International Blue Flag jury saw the following beaches awarded Blue Flags for 2020: Rossbeigh, Ballybunion South, Ballyheigue, Fenit, Maherbeg, Kells, Derrynane, White Strand, Ballinskelligs, Banna, Ceann Trá (Ventry) and Inch. Fenit Marina also retained its Blue Flag.
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• It was announced by Tralee MD councillors that there would be a temporary free parking period from 9am to 11am each morning in Tralee’s Council-owned car parks from July 1.
• A fire caused damage in a building on Denny Street on June 17. Units of the fire service — two from Tralee and one from Castleisland —attended the scene of a fire in Finnegan’s hostel shortly before 4am.
Gardaí and the fire service were alerted and the building was evacuated. The fire service brought the blaze under control.
• On June 19, one new confirmed case of the Coronavirus was reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) for Kerry. This was the first time the number had increased since May 19. With that one case the number in the county since the start of the pandemic rose to 309.
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• Kerry Tourism Industry Federation together with Kerry County Council invited the people of Kerry to staycate in the Kingdom and give their home county’s tourism industry a vital shot in the arm.
To add to the appeal of a Kerry staycation, 56,000 households throughout the kingdom received €100 worth of discount vouchers which were redeemable in registered accommodation outlets right across the county.
• Cllr Terry O’Brien was elected Mayor of Tralee at the annual meeting of the Tralee Municipal District.
It is the Labour councillor’s fifth term as Mayor of Tralee and he took up the chain of office from Cllr Jim Finucane (Fine Gael). Cllr O’Brien, who was first elected to Kerry County Council in 2004, said that during his term as mayor, he would focus on investment in Tralee town centre and helping Tralee and the wider Municipal District to recover from the impact of the coronavirus.
• There was good news for sports fans as the GAA revealed the revised schedule for the return of senior inter-county football and hurling in the autumn.
The last two rounds of the Allianz Football Leagues will be run off on the weekends of October 17/18 and October 24/25 with Kerry to play Cork in the Munster SFC semi-final (knockout format) on the weekend of November 7/8.
The hurlers would also be back in action against Antrim in the Allianz Hurling League Division 2A final on the weekend of October 17/18. They would start their Joe McDonagh Cup campaign on October 24/25 (round 1).
• TRALEE woman Norma Foley was been appointed the Minister for Education on June 27. The Fianna Fáil TD is the first Kerry woman to sit at Cabinet.
Tralee Chamber Alliance welcomed the news with Kevin McCarthy, President, saying; “As a former Mayor of Tralee and Kerry, it is a momentous boost for the people of Tralee, and we look forward to continuing to work with Mrs. Foley.”
• As of June 30, the official number of COVID-19 cases in Kerry since the start of the pandemic stood at 310, (just two cases in the whole of June).
