Tag Archives: Monthly Review

Entertainment, News

REVIEW 2014: The News From December

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And finally, here’s the news we brought you in December…

Brian Carlin
Brian Carlin.

• At the beginning of December we told you about a Tralee man who was involved in a shipwreck while taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race.

Brian Carlin from Cloghers, a member of Tralee Bay Sailing Club was with the Danish crew Team Vestas Wind when their vessel hit a reef in the Indian Ocean 300 miles north of Mauritius. The crew had to be rescued and brought to a nearby island and all are safe and well. (click here)

• AFTER an 18 year-long wait for work to begin on a new National School in Blennerville, the day finally came on Monday December 1.

A brand new two storey school will be built on a site next to O’Shea’s Texaco in the village. Planned as a 60 week project, it is hoped pupils and staff will be in the new school by Christmas 2015. (click here)

Continued below…

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rsz_john_foley_77_from_williamstown_co_galway_collected_a_cheque_for_€350000_at_national_lottery_offices_in_dublin_today_006• A BLENNERVILLE native won €350,000 in the Lotto Plus 1 draw last Wednesday and said he’d share his winnings with his children.

John Foley (77), now living in Williamstown, Co. Galway, his daughter Annette Keegan and son Timothy Foley celebrated winning €350,000 at National Lottery offices in Dublin. (click here)

•  SECONDARY school teachers in Tralee joined their comrades all over the country in the one day strike on December 2 over changes to the Junior Certificate.

Thousands of students attending Presentation, Mercy Mounthawk, CBS The Green, Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí and Coláiste Gleann Lí had a day off as members of teaching unions walked the picket line outside the schools. (click here)

Continued below…

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• A FORMER footballer of the year, an inspirational youth movement leader and one of our most well-known landmarks, featured in a video that showcased the astonishing skill of hurling.

And it was all to promote a new organisation which is the brainchild of a Derryquay native, Eamonn Sayers. (click here)

• On December 5, the death took place of the former Independent Deputy for Kerry South, Jackie Healy Rae.

The 83 year old Kilgarvan man had been ill for some time and died in Kerry General Hospital. A post on his son Michael’s Facebook page read: “It is with a sadden heart that I have to inform people of the passing of my father, my friend and my mentor Jackie Healy Rae. May he rest in peace.” (click here)

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Roundy McEllistrim.

• There was more sadness as one of the legends of Irish handball passed away.

Tom ‘Roundy’ McEllistrim from Ballymac, who won several All-Ireland titles in an illustrious career which spanned decades, passed away on Sunday morning, December 7. He was 75. (click here)

• THE building which currently accommodates The Kerryman newspaper and AIB offices sold on December 9 at auction for €960,000. This was €85,000 over the reserve price.

The tenants will not be affected by the sale. It was one of three Tralee properties sold at an Allsop Auction at the RDS Dublin. (click here)

• There was more tragic news when a woman died in a car crash on December 13 at  Ballincrossig Cross near Lixnaw. She was 50 year old Catriona Dowling (nee Boyle) of Ballyduff.

Originally from Dublin, but living in Kerry for many years, Mrs Dowling, a mother of three, was a German teacher in Presentation Secondary School in Tralee. (click here)

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Timothy V Murphy.

• Timothy V Murphy’s stock continued to rise when it emerged he had scored a role in the hugely popular HBO drama ‘True Detective’ alongside fellow Irish man Colin Farrell.

Murphy, a native of Oakpark, is currently filming in LA playing Russian gangster Osip Agranov in the series. (click here)

• And finally, in December, after taking nearly six months to reach the 1,000,000 page view mark on TraleeToday.ie, we achieved our second million in just two months.

On October 8 we passed the magic million mark and on December 8, we went over 2,000,000 views from 190,000 users according to our Google Analytics data.

One wonders what January and indeed the rest of 2015 will bring…

Entertainment, News

REVIEW 2014: The News From November

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Continuing our Review of 2014, here’s what we brought you in November…

stacks_celeb_4• AUSTIN Stacks ended a 20 year barren spell without a senior county championship title in emphatic style against Mid Kerry in Killarney on November 2.

With the light dimming, captain Barry Shanahan lifted the Bishop Moynihan Cup to signal that the biggest prize in Kerry football would be back on the Rock once more. (click here)

protest_pic_2• Sinn Fein Deputy Martin Ferris told a huge crowd in Tralee that he will suffer any consequences, including prison, rather than pay a cent to Irish Water.

The Kerry North/West Limerick politician was speaking in the Square after the protest march in Tralee in which over 3,000 people took part in appalling weather conditions. (click here)

Continued below…

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• There was tragic news when two teenagers, from Tralee and Killarney, lost their lives in a road accident near Glenflesk in the early hours of November 1.

Sixteen-year-old Dylan McCarthy from Cois Coille in Tralee and 17-year-old Anthony Battles from Hazlewood Drive, Ballyspillane, Killarney died when their car hit a ditch on the Killarney side of Glenflesk village. (click here)

• TRALEE Chamber Alliance and the retailers in the town welcomed the decision to introduce free parking in the afternoons  in Tralee during December.

On-street parking and parking in Kerry County Council-operated car parks were free from 1pm-6pm, Monday to Sunday from December 1-31. (click here)

Continued below…

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• THE 28 year-old man accused of the double murder in Killorglin last year,was found guilty in Tralee on November 6.

Aurimas Andruska had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jolanta Lubiene and Enrika Lubyte at their home at 9 Langford Downs, Killorglin on June 16 last year. The 27 year old mother and her eight year old daughter were stabbed to death. (click here)

• THE builder who won €500,000 in a Euromillions draw checked his ticket and immediately went off for a few pints with the ticket still in his back pocket.

The Kerry man who bought a €6 Quick Pick in Spar Express, Castlemaine Road in Tralee on November 4, claimed his prize at National Lottery Headquarters in Dublin and wished to remain anonymous. (click here)

• DRUGS worth over €175,000 and a handgun and ammunition were found in Fenit and Barrow in two searches carried out by gardaí in the early hours of November 8.

As part of an ongoing operation into the sale and supply of controlled drugs in the Kerry area gardaí  seized a firearm, drugs and made three arrests. (click here)

• THERE was a double stabbing in Monavalley on November 11.

A 47 year old man and his 18 year old son were stabbed. Their injuries were not  life-threatening an a man was later arrested and charged in relation to the incident. (click here)

• We brought you a video of Austin Stacks and Ballincollig fans on the streets of Tralee before the Munster Club Semi-final in which The Rock side won. The video was later picked up by every online media outlet from The Irish Times to Joe.ie. (click here)

• THERE was tragic news when a woman died in the car accident in Manor West Retail Park on November 18.

60 year old Geraldine Murphy, of Ashleigh Downes, a former teacher at Presentation Primary School died when she was struck by a car at the retail park. (click here)

• THERE was great news from Hollywood that Tralee man Timothy V Murphy, is set to have the lead role in a new TV series where even his character is from Kerry.

The actor from Oakpark, is set to star as Fr Babbot in ‘Holy Roller’, a series which is currently in development. (click here)

• WE gave you the heart-warming story of a Tralee mother got a shock when her son came back from Australia after three years and surprised her at her workplace.

Susan Curran was working in Cassidy’s Restaurant at the time when her workmates, who were in on the surprise, concocted a story to get her upstairs where 21 year old son Daniel was waiting.(click here)

Kieran Donaghy and Daniel Bohane celebrate after their Munster final victory. Photo by Dermot Crean
Kieran Donaghy and Daniel Bohane celebrate after their Munster final victory. Photo by Dermot Crean

• Austin Stacks bridged a gap of 38 years to win the Munster Club title on November 30.

There were great celebrations in Pairc Ui Chaoimh when Barry Shanahan lifted the cup after the Tralee side beat Waterford champions The Nire by 3-5 to 2-4. (click here)

Entertainment, News

REVIEW 2014: The News From October

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Continuing our Review of 2014, here’s the news from October…

• WE reported early in October that drugs with an estimated value of €16k were found in the Ballyseedy area.

Members of the Kerry Divisional Drugs Unit, acting on confidential information, uncovered the suspected amphetamines weighing over a kilo, in an area of woodland on the outskirts of town, near a popular walking and jogging spot. (click here)

• Tommy Walsh  confirmed that was leaving the Sydney Swans and coming home to Tralee.

The former Kerry star told Sydney Swans TV he was leaving and returning to Ireland at the end of 2014. (click here)

Continued below…

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Galvin Joe• It was revealed that Paul Galvin was appointed the new style editor for men’s lifestyle website Joe.ie

The former Kerry player was appointed to give style tips to Joe.ie readers the length and breadth of the country. (click here)

• We told you the story of a young Tralee woman who enjoyed the trip of a lifetime when she flew with her family to New York courtesy of the Make A Wish Foundation.

Abbie O’Sullivan, from Ballyseedy, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes four years ago and the 16 year old Mercy Mounthawk student stayed in a beautiful mid-town Manhattan hotel, two blocks from Times Square. (click here)

Continued below…

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• A Tralee Municipal District councillor said that a meeting should take place with members of the GAA county board about the lion’s share of big Kerry games being allocated to Killarney.

Sinn Fein Cllr, Pa Daly, brought up the issue at the October monthly meeting  and said he would like councillors to meet with board officials about the issue. (click here)

Tralee Central Hotel
Tralee Central Hotel

• It was announced in October that the Tralee Central Hotel in Maine Street was now under the ownership of Boyle Brothers.

According to a spokesperson for the company, it’s hoped the hotel will re-open in March 2015 following significant refurbishing and rebranding. (click here)

• It as revealed that former Tralee town councillors shared over €111,000 in retirement gratuities according to figures released by Kerry County Council.

The six who receive the payments are Ted Fitzgerald (FF) €52,623; Johnnie Wall (FF) €28,851; Pat Hussey (FG) €16,650; Gillian Wharton-Slattery (Lab) €13,667; Mairead Fernane (FG) €8,316 and Dan Galvin (Lab) €5,154. (click here)

• We brought you the story of how aerial archive images of Tralee have recently been made available to view on the website, ‘Britain From Above’.

The photos, which were taken in 1933, give a fascinating insight into what Tralee looked like 81 years ago. (click here)

• There was more good news on the sporting front when it was announced that Kieran Donaghy and fellow Tralee man David Moran had won All-Stars.

Legion’s James O’Donoghue, as expected, also won an All-Star as well as Kenmare’s Paul Murphy and Laune Rangers Peter Crowley. (click here)

Kieran Donaghy, bares down on goal against Mid Kerry.
Kieran Donaghy, bears down on goal against Mid Kerry in the county final drawn match. Photo by Oscar Brophy

• Austin Stacks and Mid Kerry played out a draw in Austin Stack Park in the Garvey’s Supervalu Kerry SFC final.

They would have to do it all over again in Killarney on November 1. Of course the Rockies fans created an incredible atmosphere on the day. (click here)

Stephen Griffin 2• Veteran athlete Stephen Griffin enjoyed a happy 58th birthday when he came first in the Over 55s category in the Dublin City Marathon.

And the Blennerville man dedicated his feat to his late friend and St Pat’s GAA stalwart, Tony O’Donoghue, who died in September. (click here)

 

 

 

Entertainment, News

REVIEW 2014: The News From September

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Continuing our Review of 2014, here’s the news we brought you from September…

• September began with the disappointing news that a volunteer with the Tralee Red Cross had €3,000 worth of his belongings stolen from his van while doing work for the Red Cross.

The theft took place from Sean O’Callaghan’s vehicle which was parked outside the Red Cross building in Killerisk while he was volunteering for the organisation. (click here)

Anthony O'Gara
Anthony O’Gara.

• THE Chief Executive of the Rose of Tralee International Festival  hit out at critics of the event in a strongly worded open letter in September.

Anthony O’Gara defended the festival and the Roses from what he saw as “zealous, angry, if perhaps, misguided social commentators” and said our festival is “by a country-mile the best festival in Ireland”. (click here)

Continued below…

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• We brought you the amazing video of a bicycle kick goal scored in Mounthawk.

Scored by Gintaras Paketuras, the ‘worldie’ came in a pre-season friendly match between Tralee Dynamos senior team and Limerick City U19. (click here)

Roisín Murray from Camp is in the safe hands of James O'Donoghue at the Kerry Supporters Open Day at Fitzgerald Stadium on Saturday. Photo by Dermot Crean
Roisín Murray from Camp is in the safe hands of James O’Donoghue at the Kerry Supporters Open Day at Fitzgerald Stadium. Photo by Dermot Crean

•  Kerry fans got a chance to wish their heroes well for the All-Ireland final at the supporters open day at Fitzgerald Stadium in early September.

A crowd of more than 1,500 people turned up at the famed venue and  left happy as the players signed jerseys, posed for selfies and chatted with fans just two weeks before the match with Donegal.

• There was great news  in September as Tralee retained its Gold Medal status in the Tidy Towns competition.

Tralee got 303 marks, an increase of five from their 2013 mark of 298. (click here)

Continued below…

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• A bid from IT Tralee to buy Kerry Technology Park was rejected in September.

The bid, thought to be in the region of €3m, was turned down by Shannon New Co., the body which replaced the Shannon Airport Authority and Shannon Development. (click here)

• We brought you reports and photos from the big match in Dublin as Kerry were crowned All-Ireland champions for the 37th time. (click here , here and here)

• Of course, when there’s an All-Ireland victory, there’s inevitably a homecoming and in Tralee it was one of the biggest ever. We were there to capture the atmosphere. (click here )

• We also told you about John Dowling, the Ardfert man who tore up his ‘ticket’ for the All-Ireland so that his club would receive €2,000 from AIB. It ended well thug. (click here)

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Jack O’Connell.

• We also told you about the latest Kerry celebrity fan, Jack O’Connell, who is currently in the cinemas playing the lead role in World War 2 drama ‘Unbroken’.

O’Connell was born in Alvaston, Derby in the UK and his father, John Patrick O’Connell hailed from Kerry. (click here)

• There was fantastic news on September 26 when it was announced that Tralee won the Gold medal, the highest award possible, in the Entente Florale Europewide competition.

Tralee was the Irish representative in the international competition established to recognise municipalities and villages in Europe for excellence in horticultural displays. (click here)

Be brave Marc...Kerry star Marc O Se gets some moral support from Ogie Moran and Eoin Liston while being waxed at the 'Kerry GAA Stars Lovely Legs Competition' at the Fels Point Hotel on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
Be brave Marc…Kerry star Marc O Se gets some moral support from Ogie Moran and Eoin Liston while being waxed at the ‘Kerry GAA Stars Lovely Legs Competition’ at the Fels Point Hotel  back in September. Photo by Dermot Crean

• Kerry’s great GAA stars felt the pain as they had their legs waxed for a great cause in the Fels Point Hotel, eventually raising €20,000.

Hosted by RTE’s Miriam O’Callaghan, the ‘Kerry GAA Stars Lovely Legs Competition’ was a fantastic occasion attended by over 300 people, who made a great contribution to the Palliative Care Unit at Kerry General Hospital. (click here)

News

REVIEW 2014: The News From August

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Continuing our Review of 2014, here’s the news we brought you from August…

• We reported that the Entente Florale judges were very impressed with the town when they visited.

“It was a great success. It’s very hard to judge because we had 12 different adjudicators from 11 different countries, but we had a very impressive programme for them,” said Kerry County Council Tourism Officer, John Griffin. (click here)

Roxy with her 'Nose of Tralee' sash. Photo by Dermot Crean.
Roxy with her ‘Nose of Tralee’ sash. Photo by Dermot Crean.

• We told you about Roxy the talking Shih Tzu, which represented Kerry in ‘The Nose of Tralee’ national pet competition.

The ‘Nose of Tralee’ was an online competition being run by ‘Pet Sitters Ireland’, so Roxy and her owner, Maria O’Carroll were asking for your votes to fire Kerry to glory once again in a national arena. (click here)

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• Tralee milliner, Carol Kennelly, added another feather to her cap,  when the acclaimed designer won the Best Dressed Lady competition at the Dublin Horse Show.

Carol won the competition in a dress designed by another Kerry woman, Tina Griffin, from Killorglin and of course, her own headpiece. (click here)

Sean O'Sullivan with Rory McIlroy.
Sean O’Sullivan with Rory McIlroy.

• Tralee Golf Club President Gerard O’Sullivan got a nice surprise when the world’s number one golfer Rory McIlroy sent him a video message via Facebook, thanks to his nephew, Sean O’Sullivan

“It was a lovely gesture,” said Gerard.  “I haven’t seen it myself yet, but I’ve been getting loads of text messages, mainly slagging me!” he said. (click here)

Continued below…

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• We reported on the euphoria of Leaving Cert students as they received their results after an agonising wait. (click here)

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Glamorous ladies at the Rose Ball.

• We brought you all the glamour from the highlight of the social calendar in Tralee, the Rose Ball.

The  €125 a head event kicked off the Rose of Tralee festival. (click here, and here for the photos)

Rose of Tralee 2014, Maria Walsh, in the Rose Garden in the Town Park on Wednesday morning. Photo by Dermot Crean
Rose of Tralee 2014, Maria Walsh, in the Rose Garden in the Town Park. Photo by Dermot Crean

• Maria Walsh from Shrule in County Mayo was crowned 2014 Rose of Tralee.

Representing Philadelphia, the 27 year old, just after it was announced by Daithi O Se, said: “It was very surreal. I don’t think it’s hit me. I’m extremely blessed to be representing them all [the Roses].” (click here)

• The Ice Bucket Challenge swept the country during the summer and we brought you many videos of the soakings from schools, pubs and businesses. (click here)

• Many families in town were struggling to cope with the costs of sending their children back to school according to St Vincent de Paul in Tralee.

With uniforms, schoolbooks and stationery, the costs can be crippling according to the charity group. (click here)

• Kerry won an epic battle against Mayo to claim a place in the All-Ireland Final. It took two games but the Kingdom prevailed thanks to fantastic performances from  James O’Donoghue and Tralee’s dynamic duo of David Moran and Kieran Donaghy. (click here and here)

 

 

 

 

News

REVIEW 2014: The News From July

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Continuing our Review of 2014, here’s some of the news we brought you back in July…

• On July 1, we told you about the first All-Ireland title won by the John Mitchels GAA Club with their Under 14 side victorious at the Féile competition in Galway.

The Under 14 side won five games on the way to the final where they were victorious against Kilkenny side, Dicksboro (click here)

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Barry O’Shea.

• We spoke to Barry O’Shea of Kerins O’Rahilly’s who called for an end to county championship football being played in the summertime.

The club was  rocked by the departure of 11 players from the senior panel going to America to work and play football for the summer. (click here)

Continued below…

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• John McCarthy of B Mobile in The Square, the town’s only Ticketmaster agent, told us about the Garth Brooks fiasco and how he was dealing with a lot of disappointed people. (click here)

• It was decided in early July that the new Mayor of Tralee, Cllr Jim Finucane, would get an annual allowance of €12,000.

Sinn Fein Cllr Toireasa Ferris proposed that a figure of €2,000 would be more appropriate.(click here)

rsz_fenit_lighthouse• A spate of vandalism in Fenit and damage to the lighthouse there, prompted some residents to call for the Garda station to be reinstated.

Locals were horrified when it was discovered that vandals had smashed windows and gained entry to the lighthouse where they caused more damage to the interior. Then, the following weekend, tyres of vehicles were slashed on the pier. (click here)

Continued below…

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Tara Talbot 2• A former Rose of Tralee is to star with Kylie Minogue and Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, in a Hollywood blockbuster action movie.

Tara Talbot, who won the Rose title in 2011,  landed a role a new action film called ‘San Andreas’ which has a $100m budget and was being filmed in her hometown of Brisbane and on the Australian Gold Coast. (click here)

• Na Gaeil man, Michael Griffin, was in the news again when he got World Cup winner, Mesut Ozil, to sign his GAA jersey after the final whistle of the biggest game in the world. (click here)

• July 24 was a big day for the Cotter/Kirby families as the Brogue Inn opened its doors again. The Rock Street institution closed in April 2013, but is now back in business. We gave you a peek at what the interior looked like on the morning it opened. (click here)

Continued below…

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Cllr Toireasa Ferris, Martin Ferris TD and Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan at the Sinn Fein organised demonstration against the bombing of Gaza on Saturday in the Square. Photo by Dermot Crean
Cllr Toireasa Ferris, Martin Ferris TD and Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan at the Sinn Fein organised demonstration against the bombing of Gaza in the Square back in July. Photo by Dermot Crean

• There was a huge turnout for a protest against the bombing of Gaza in the Square in late July.

The Sinn Fein-organised demonstration saw about 300 people gather with Palestinian flags and placards protesting against the IDF bombing of civilians in Gaza. (click here)

• It was revealed in July that  the Tralee bypass is now set to cost more than double the original estimate.

In a presentation of an audit of Kerry County Council’s finances at the July monthly meeting, it was found that the builders of the bypass, Bam Construction, had originally estimated the cost at €30m but it is now seeking €76m from the local authority. (click here)

 

News

REVIEW 2014: The News From June

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Having a great time excavating on Fenit beach was Siun Mulhall Crowley. Photo by Gavin O'Connor
Having a great time excavating on Fenit beach was Siun Mulhall Crowley. Photo by Gavin O’Connor

IN June the sun was out and people were tuning into watch the World Cup. Here are some of the stories we covered over the course of the month…

• Over 300 cyclists set off on the Kingdom Sportive Alliance Tour of Kerry. They came from all over Kerry and far beyond to take part in the three day event which is now in its second year. Click here.

• Exams were in full flow in June, we spoke to Leaving and Junior cert students about how well they coping. Click here.

• Local actor, Tim Landers, was thrilled in June when he appeared in the opening scene in episode 8 of the most recent series of ‘Game Of Thrones’. Click here.

Continued below…

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• Ireland may not have qualified, but World Cup fever came to our doorstep no the less in the shape of Tralee’s Brazilian community. Click here.

• Bon Secours and Kerry General Hospital played a charity soccer in Gallowsfield to remember former work colleagues. Click here.

Micheal Griffin, from Oakpark was having the time of his life in Rio at the World Cup.
Micheal Griffin, from Oakpark was having the time of his life in Rio at the World Cup.

• One of the stories of the summer was the incredible World Cup adventure, Na Gaeil man, Mike Griffin had in Brazil. Here is our first post on his journey which includes his encounter with Diego Maradona. Click here.

• It seems a very long way away now, but the sun was out in force this summer. Here are photos of people soaking it up in Banna and in Fenit. Click here.

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• Here was our reaction to Kerry’s unconvincing championship first round victory over Clare. It’s interesting to see the strides which were made by the Kerry team in a few short months and how wrong we were! We did call out Paul Murphy and Paul Geaney’s quality, so that’s at least something we got right. Click Here.

• 20 years after her mother visited Tralee with the Chernobyl Children’s Fund, Alina Moza, a young Belrussian girl continues the tradition, highlighting the incredible work which is done by the group. Click Here.

• About 200 people turned up on beautiful Banna Beach evening for the ‘Celebration of Light’. The event is one of the Recovery Haven’s biggest fundraisers of the year, it’s held to give people who have been touched by cancer a chance to come together. Click here.

• Tralee Musical Society outdid themselves on Sunday afternoon when they screened a special music video tribute to a member who is suffering from cancer. Click here.

• Quite a stir was created when the FA Cup came to town for Aresnal fans to enjoy , well, we thought it was the ‘famous cup’. For a bit… Click here.

 

News

REVIEW 2014: The News From May

 

We started TraleeToday.ie in late April, so we’re going to begin our review of the news we brought you throughout the last eight months with May…

Tralee Central Hotel
Tralee Central Hotel

• THE Tralee Central Hotel in Maine Street came on the market with a guide price of €1m. The hotel, formerly known as the Abbey Gate, was run by the Carlton Hotel group from 2013 and rebranded as the Tralee Central Hotel. It closed its doors in January of this year.

• THERE was four reported suicides in south Kerry since Donal Walsh came to national prominence in March 2013, down from 28 on the previous 12 months.

The figures came from South Kerry Coroner, Terence Casey, who told Donal’s father, Fionnbar, when he met him in Killarney. Mr Walsh revealed the figures in a speech to students in the CBS The Green gym when the Cycle Against Suicide participants paid a visit to the school in early May. (click here)

• WE brought you the sad news that Liam Heffernan, who had been battling Batten’s Disease died.

His father Tony tweeted the news on the morning of May 4. Liam, from Castlemaine, suffered from the rare Battens Disease and last year lost his sight and began suffering a surge in seizures. His sister Saoirse died of the same condition, at the same age in 2010.

• WE told you about the video of Ballybunion people dancing to the Pharrell Williams hit ‘Happy’ and the media attention since it was uploaded to Youtube. At the time of the story, the video had received 5,000 views. It now has just under 120,000. (click here)

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The tyre marks on the Tralee to Farranfore road.

• BOY-RACERS were blamed for the marks on the Tralee/Farranfore road. We took pictures from  the flyover just before the Currans/Ballyfinnane turn off on the N22 between Tralee and Farranfore.

• ON May 7 we brought you the news that the €11m in funds left in the Town Council coffers will stay in the town.

Tralee Town Manager, Michael McMahon, said he has received assurances from Kerry County Council management, that these monies will remain for use in the town and were “ring-fenced” for projects in Tralee, despite the fact that the accounts will be merged with the Kerry County Council account after the abolition of the Town Council.

• A VISITOR to Denny Street caused some amusement on May 8. A duck decided to take in the sights on the street but after a chase, the feathered friend was caught and put behind bars. (click here)

• SIAMSA Tire members, past and present, enjoyed a fantastic evening of entertainment on Sunday, May 11 to mark the organisation’s first 4o years in existence.

It was particularly special for Fr Pat Ahern, the Moyvane priest, who started it all off back in 1974 and he unveiled a plaque outside the front entrance, marking the anniversary. (click here)

• FORMER Austin Stacks player Mike Finn unwittingly found himself part of a Youtube video that has gone viral around the globe.

In the video Mike, an Australian Rules player, is being interviewed on a football field (still wearing the black and amber). In the background, a man carrying a child tries to catch a ball but instead drops the infant to the ground. (click here)

• MEMBERS of Tralee Town Council came together for the last time on Monday, May 20  and it proved to be an emotional occasion, filled with laughter and tinged with sadness.

Photographs were taken and many memories shared before and after the meeting (click here)

• ON May 23 we brought you the news that a Tralee institution was to reopen in July.

Cotter Food & Catering Limited is made the announcement that the company has purchased Kirby’s Brogue Inn, Rock Street and it would continue to have strong links with the Kirby Family. (click here)

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Kerry Rose, Mary Hickey.

• KERRY’S Rose was crowned in the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday, May 23. Mary Hickey was picked out of the bunch of 27 contestants. The 26 year old primary school teacher was shocked and delighted when Daithi O Sé made the announcement. (click here)

• WE brought you all the news from the Kerry County Council elections where veteran politicians Johnnie Wall and Ted Fitzgerald bowed out of politics, while Tom McEllistrim returned to the council.

Sinn Fein were the big winners though. Cllr Toireasa Ferris topped the poll for the Tralee Municipal District with 2,679 first preference votes, followed by her party colleague Pa Daly on 2,122. (click here)