Continuing our ‘Review of 2015’, here’s some of the news we brought you in December…

• THE festive season was ushered in at IT Tralee North Campus by breaking a Guinness world record at making the longest Christmas Cracker Chain.

Needing more than 798 to break the record, it was smashed with a total nearing 1,300 students, faculty and pupils from secondary schools, Presentation, CBS The Green and Mercy Mounthawk, getting involved. (click here)

Continued below…

• There was an application for a new Topaz petrol station on John Joe Sheehy Road adjacent to the Aldi supermarket.

Corrib Oil Company Limited, have applied for permission to construct a two storey retail/office building and a petrol filling station on the grounds of the old John Mitchels GAA pitch. It will be decided on early in the new year. (click here)

• A Prominent Tralee property, built in the 1790s, has been sold for close to the asking price of €495,000.

Castlemorris House has been bought by an Irish couple with a young family and will continue to operate as a B&B, according to Ganley Walters, the Dublin-based auctioneers handling the sale. (click here)

Continued below…

• We talked to well-known Tralee entertainer, Mark Leen, about his new book, ‘Viva Las Vegas’, on all things gambling-related, how he wants to help others beat the addiction and how he once lost over $17,000 in one bet in a Las Vegas casino…(click here)

• Registration for The Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle 2016 opened and will be done by way of a lottery for the first time.

For the first time in its 31 year history registration will be done by way of lottery as last year there was an unprecedented demand for one of the 11,500 places and this saw many regular supporters  left disappointed. (click here)

• After the first ever Status Red Rainfall Alert for Kerry, the flooding situation in parts of  Tralee required the services of the army.

There was severe flooding in Manor Village and Ballymullen, while other parts of the county were also badly hit. (click here and here)

• A true Rockie came home to Tralee with €37,000 in prizes after appearing on the Winning Streak programme.

Jim Naughton won €12,000 in cash and a car worth €25,000 in the popular RTE National Lottery game show. (click here)

• A Tralee woman won Journalist Of The Year Award at the Irish Magazine Awards.

Oakpark native, Maria Moynihan, won the accolade at a ceremony in Dublinfor her work with the bimonthly, ‘Irish Country Magazine’.

The Irish Magazine Awards are the ultimate accolade for the achievements of Irish magazine publishers. (click here)

• There is a proposal coming in the New Year to change the name of Kerry General Hospital to ‘University Hospital Kerry’.

While speaking at the turning of the sod at the new in-patient Palliative Care Unit at Kerry General Hospital, Minister for Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan, said that an official announcement of the proposal to rename the hospital will come after Christmas. (click here)

• Austin Stacks secured their county senior championship status for next year after a 2-10 to 1-6 win over Laune Rangers in Lewis Road, Killarney.

It was a sad day for Laune Rangers, a club which jointly holds the most county championship title wins (12) with the Rock side, as they are now down to intermediate status after the round 3 relegation match. (click here)

• We reported that a Tralee family was fighting against time to find a home before Christmas after their home was damaged when their dishwater burst into flames and pumped noxious black smoke around the house.

Geraldine Whelan, was sitting in her living room in Lios Rua when her dishwater caught fire early in December. (click here)

• Part of a retail park in Manor East has been sold for over €3 million at private auction.

There were a number of bidders at the auction for the 10.23 acre site at Manor East held earlier the month – overseen by Sherry Fitzgerald Stephenson Crean –  and the site went for above the reserve. (click here)

Continuing our ‘Review of 2015’, here’s some of the news we brought you from November…

• There was sad news around Kerry at the death  of well-known Kerry GAA figure, Leo Griffin.

Leo, who grew up in the Mitchels area, was a familiar face around town, but came to be known nationally when he accompanied the Kerry team of the 1970s and 80s during the glory years as their bagman. (click here)

Continued below…

• After what was a wash-out of a summer, Kerry experienced some beautiful weather in the autumn with Valentia observatory recording a barely believable highest temperature  of 19.5°C on November 1 – which was the warmest in the country. (click here)

• Kerry County Council submitted a detailed developmental proposal for the Denny site in Tralee which is set to cost over €3m.

The proposal – involves the demolition of the site, its interim use as an amenity area and the preparation of a master plan for its future long term development. (click here)

• A Presentation secondary school student, Leslie McCarthy, featured in a RTE Nationwide special on the historical project ‘My Adopted Soldier’.

Continued below…

Nationwide will broadcast two special programmes this November which focussed on a unique project involving a student from every county in Ireland who adopted a soldier who died in World War 1. (click here)

• Kerry’s unsung hero of the past number of years, Donnchadh Walsh, finally got an All-Star  on an occasion where three other Kerry footballers won awards.

Brendan Kealy was rewarded for his star shot-stopping efforts all year, corner-back Shane Enright’s solid performances were worthy of his recognition, while Anthony Maher had a great season and was deserving of his All-Star. (click here)

• We spoke to Joe Flynn from Rahoonane, who was told by doctors in August that he didn’t have long to live. But his attitude to life stayed the same as always: keep positive and keep fighting.

His story received national attention and he’s an inspiration to others. (click here)

• The Tralee teenager, who headed Stateside to a prep school earlier in August to further his basketball career, was offered a five year scholarship with a Philadelphia college.

Nineteen-year-old Cian Sullivan from Ballymac signed a letter-of-intent to play at LaSalle University after committing to the college while on a visit to the school’s Philadelphia campus. The university is a breeding ground for NBA talent. (click here)

• An Ardfert man’s company  won a Gold Award at the Bank Of Ireland Start Up Awards in Dublin.

Martin McGowan’s business, Ullcatch, won the Product Start-Up Of The Year category, mainly due to his product, the Bait Weaver, which is proving enormously popular with anglers. (click here)

• Over 530 items from Balloonagh Convent were sold off  for well in excess of €100,000.

Among the items sold were a bookcase which fetched €8,000, an oil painting for €5,200 and a table for €3,200. The convent closed at the end of September. (click here)

• We learnt a Tralee woman is off to London early next year to attend a recording of the star-studded Graham Norton Show on BBC after winning a competition for two VIP tickets.

Well known Austin Stacks woman, Mary McQuinn, entered a Supervalu Ireland Facebook Competition where participants were asked for their ‘Red Chair’ stories in order to win the tickets. (click here)

• A Tralee man seen by millions of people in a GoPro video fail in Las Vegas, wasn flown to Sin City to star in a promotional video for the famous resort.

Joe Griffin, originally from Clogherbrien, now living in Balbriggan, Dublin, had his GoPro video uploaded by his son Evan and has been seen over 6.7 million times on YouTube. (click here)

• A woman who bought her a €500,000 winning ticket in Dunnes Stores in town collected her winnings from the National Lottery offices.

The unnamed woman won the cash in the EuroMillions Plus draw on Friday, November 6.

“I can’t wait to spoil my children and grandchildren,” she said, as she collected her prize. “I plan to celebrate with my whole family this Christmas and maybe even plan a holiday to the sun.” (click here)

• In fantastic news for the town, Tralee won the top large tourism town in Ireland at the Fáilte Ireland Tourism Towns awards.

Tralee beat off neighbours Killarney and the two other nominees in the Best Large Town category to claim the prize.

It was an incredible boost to tourism and richly deserved considering the amount of effort has gone into promoting the town over the past few years. (click here)

• There was a fantastic crowd and atmosphere at BTS Fitness  for a special fight night fundraiser which raised well over €3,000.

The event was the brainchild of Akeem Molloy and his partner Katie Donoghue, who suffered a miscarriage last year and therefore decided to raise funds for the Miscarriage Association of Ireland, a charitable and completely voluntary body set up to support women and men who have been through miscarriages. (click here)

Continuing our ‘Review of 2015’, here’s some of the news we brought you in October…

• Gardai in Tralee began a murder investigation following a post mortem on a 24 year old man who had been assaulted outside a house in Killeen Woods on September 30.

The deceased, Dmitry Hrynkevich, moved with his family from Russia to Ireland several years ago and lived on the outskirts of Killarney.

Two men, aged in their 20’s and 30’s arrested in connection with the investigation were both released without charge and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. (click here)

Continued below…

• There would be no more marches or singing on the terraces in 2015 for the Rockie faithful, as the Bishop Moynihan Cup was on the way out of Connolly Park.

Austin Stacks bowed out of the county championship with Dr Crokes advancing on a scoreline of 1-11 to 1-10 in Fitzgerald Stadium, in front of a big crowd of Rockie travelling support. (click here)

• A week later it was Kerins O’Rahilly’s who exited at the hands of  a Killarney side.

The Strand Road club were on the receiving end of a first half blitz of goals from the Legion which ultimately proved the difference in Fitzgerald Stadium in the quarter-final.

James O’Donoghue netted three times in all during the game which finished 4-9 to 1-15. (click here)

• A Tralee woman was honoured by The Mercy University Hospital for her fundraising efforts for the facility.

Brenda Doody from Curraheen was among the individuals, teams, and fundraising volunteers who go the extra mile for patients and colleagues at the Hospital.

She was named The Mercy Stars Hero of the Year, recognising her for the marathon challenge she took on earlier this year following her husband Pat’s cancer journey at the Mercy. (click here)

•  There was sad news when a woman who suffered serious injuries in a road accident in the Killerisk area of town later died in hospital.

Forty-year-old Gayle McConkey from Castlewood Park was cycling near the entrance to Fortfield Estate when she was involved in a collision with a car. (click here)

• A student from Tralee was announced as one of seven recipients of the 2015 Intel Shannon Women in Technology Scholarship programme.

Former Presentation Secondary School student, Ciara McEllistrim, who is a first year at NUI Galway, benefitted from a €3,000 award for each year of the degree, as well as the provision of an Intel mentor and the opportunity to complete summer internships at the Intel Shannon facility. (click here)

• Former Kerry All-Ireland winner, Liam Hassett, joined the Kerry senior team set-up as a selector.

The news came as Eamonn Fitzmaurice announced his backroom team, where Padraig Corcoran is named as the new Trainer/Selector. Liam Hassett joined other selectors Mikey Sheehy and Diarmuid Murphy. (click here)

• There was a sense of shock in Fenit at the death of Fr. Gearoid Ó Donnchadha in a fire in the early hours of October 12.

The well-known an much-loved man was a huge figure in the Fenit community, actively promoting many projects in Fenit and beyond, including the statue of St Brendan the Navigator. (click here)

• An Oakpark native, currently based in Galway, won a world-renowned coaching accolade in mid October.

Shane Fitzgibbon was the only finalist outside of North America to reach the top ten for the ‘Coach of the Year’ accolade awarded by the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA). It was decided by public vote. (click here)

• A Tralee service station property was sold at a Dublin auction for €490,000, making €90,000 over the reserve.

The Monavalley property is at present let to Doon (Mayfly) Limited, and had a reserve of between €350,000 to €400,000 at the Allsop Auction where it was sold at the RDS on Thursday, October 22. (click here)

• There was good news for Tralee workers when Mothercare Ireland exited the interim examinership process and the Tralee store was safe from closure.

There are 10 staff employed at in the Manor Retail Park, Kerry’s only Mothercare outlet. While three out of 18 stores nationwide will close, the Tralee store will continue to trade. (click here)

• It was announced that Oakpark woman and former Tralee Town Councillor, Grace O’Donnell, had been added to the Fine Gael ticket for the next general election.

The Oakview resident will be the third Fine Gael candidate in Kerry alongside, Minister Jimmy Deenihan and Deputy Brendan Griffin. (click here)

• It was also announced that Mark Sullivan from the Ballyroe Heights Hotel was to leave  the hotel next to manage the Fels Point Hotel.

Mark had been general manager at Ballyroe for 14 years, took up the position as manager as the Fels Point Hotel as it prepared for a major revamp and rebrand in the new year. (click here)

We posted thousands of stories this year but these ten proved the most viewed by our readers (figures refer to page views on our website verified by Google Analytics)…

10. A house party that went out of control on the outskirts of Tralee piqued your interest back in July. It registered 13,500 page views (click here)

9. Also in July, a young mother told us her story about an incident that worried her on Castle Street where she felt intimidated by two men. The story interested many of you to the tune of 13,866 page views (click here)

Continued below…

8. When floods hit Manor Village in early December some residents took to social media and posted photos of the waters. The story we posted got 14,252 page views (click here)

7. We spoke to Joe Flynn about his terminal illness back in early November and like us, you found his story inspiring and courageous. The story registered 14,457 page views (click here)

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6. The start of May saw the opening of Quarters nightclub on Godfrey Place and we were there to photograph the party people. You obviously liked the pictures as the story got 14,469 page views (click here)

5. A car ended up on the side of the wall outside Kerry County Council buildings in Rathass and you were very curious. It registered 14,927 page views (click here)

4. There was a bit of a controversy surrounding a Facebook post from a page purporting to be Burger King Tralee. It got 15,675 page views (click here)

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3. In early April, the new Miss Kerry was revealed in Killarney and it appears you were very interested. 17,827 page views interested. (click here)

2. In early December, parts of Tralee were flooded and we went to Ballymullen to see the extent of the flooding. It registered 19,629 page views (click here)

1. Strange to think that this is the most popular story we posted this year, but back in January, when the news came through that the old Fabric nightclub building had been bought, we compiled a list of things you might remember about going there in its heyday. It registered 20,445 page views. (click here)

Continuing our Review of 2015, here’s some of the stories we brought you in May…

• The first day of May brought the confirmation that Dick and Eileen Henggeler, the parents of the late Dorothy Henggeler, the 2011 Washington DC Rose who sadly passed away last year, succeeded in their bid to purchase Fels Point Hotel in Tralee.

It was reported the Executive Chairman of the Rose of Tralee International Festival, Anthony O’Gara, wouldbecome Managing Director of Fels Point Hotel. (Click here)

• We told you about a man from the Kerries catapulted into the world of the rich and famous.

Armed with two helmets, Tralee’s Eugene McGrath and his friend James O’Malley have stepped into the spotlight vacated by reclusive electronic music giants Daft Punk and reaped the benefits of the French act’s super-stardom.

They were interviewed by dance music media behemoth ‘Ministry Of Sound’. (click here)

Continued below…

• A capacity crowd rocked the opening night of Quarters Nightclub at Godfrey Place in early May.

After much anticipation, the doors opened and the new club has proved a very popular spot since then. (click here)

• There was great sadness at the news of the death of Dr Arthur Spring.

The well-known doctor and golf course architect died at his home on May 6. (click here)

• Austin Stacks added a county league title to their 2014 haul by beating Dr Crokes in the deciding match of last year’s campaign at Connolly Park.

Extra time was needed for the Rock to get one over their great rivals from Killarney, who, with Colm Cooper back in their ranks, could not stop the black and amber winning machine. (click here)

Continued below…

• New Kerry Rose, Julett Culloty said she was looking to the future with optimism after a tough 12 months when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

The 25 year old from Kilcummin, was speaking after winning the title in the Ballyroe Heights Hotel. (click here)

• It was also announced that the Rose of Tralee Festival will be extended to a week long Festival from 2016 onwards with 70 Rose contestants taking part and an extra night’s TV coverage.

It will mean a major boost to the local economy beyond the €12 million that the Festival already delivers. (click here)

• The Austin Stacks clubhouse in Connolly Park played host to the launch of RTE’s 2015 All Ireland championship coverage.

Sports presenter Marty Morrissey was at the helm, ably supported by legend of Kerry football, Tomás Ó Sé, along with ex Galway player, Padraig Joyce and regular Sunday Game panellist Kevin McStay. (click here)

• Former Government Minister, Pat Carey from Castlemaine, was the Grand Marshal for the Kerry Festival of Pride Campaign which attracted a colourful bunch of people from all over the county and beyond.

It was all part of a week-long series of events celebrating diversity within Kerry. (click here)

• Renowned beautician Mary O’Donnell spoke of how her life was changed after she was bullied online.

Speaking to 2FM’s Ryan Tubridy, the Tralee beautician told of how a mishap during a slot on RTE’s ‘Today’ show from February, went viral online. (click here)

Continued below…

• A Siamsa Tíre dancer performed for Prince Charles on his visit to Galway in May.

John Fitzgerald, a native of Brandon, and other dancers gave the Royal visitor a traditional Irish welcome with a sample of Irish dancing at NUI Galway. (click here)

• Like most of the country, the people of Kerry gave the nod for same-sex couples to get married as the referendum was passed.

In the Kerry North/West Limerick constituency, 55.5% voted ‘Yes’ and 44.5% voted ‘No’. (click here)

• Recovery Haven Cancer Support House Kerry  won the top prize at the Rural Innovation Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Dairymaster, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Teagasc and the Farmers Journal, took place in the Ballygarry House Hotel. (click here)

Continuing our Review Of 2015, here’s some of the news we brought you in April…

• The month started with local bar which had its application to open at midnight on Good Friday turned down.

The Blasket Bar made an application to Tralee District Court to open from midnight until 2am on Easter Saturday.

The Gardaí objected and Judge James O’Connor turned down the application. (click here)

Continued below…

• Kerry’s Allianz National League campaign came to an end with a great tussle with rivals Tyrone in Omagh which resulted in a draw.

A win would have put Kerry through to the semis but a draw secured their Division on status.

Kerry were lacklustre in the first half, but came to life in the second period where Colm Cooper made a welcome return to the Kerry side, coming on for the last ten minutes and setting up an important score for Kieran Donaghy. (click here)

• The judges decided west was best last night as the new Miss Kerry was crowned in the Killarney Plaza Hotel.

Mairead Breathnach from Ballydavid was chosen as Miss Kerry and went on to represent the county at the Miss Ireland event in June. (click here)

Continued below…

• Not long after announcing himself back on the inter-county scene, Paul Galvin, bagged himself a new job designing an exclusive range of clothing for Dunnes Stores.

Following in the footsteps of golfer, Padraig Harrington, Paul Galvin  designed a new line of clothing for Dunnes which would appear on the rails later in the year. (click here)

• Speculation was rife that British supermarket giants Iceland were to open a new store in Tralee.

The rumours were triggered after the job of Iceland Tralee Store Manager was advertised online, although there has was no official confirmation from Iceland.

A possible location touted for the new Iceland store was the Horan Centre but when contacted, Donie Horan of the Horan Centre said the rumours were “just speculation”. (click here)

Continued below…

• A new hotel opened in Tralee back in April.

The Ashe Hotel on Maine Street let us in for a look on April 9. Formerly The Abbey Gate Hotel, the new business created up to 50 jobs in the town. (click here)

• There was more good news on the jobs front when it was announced that Portman Travel created eight permanent new jobs at their European Centre of Excellence and announced that another eight are planned to come on stream before the end of the 2015.

Eight people were taken on through the JobsBridge programme and  received training in the company’s Portman Academy. (click here)

• It was a momentous day for Kerry hurlers when they beat Antrim to qualified for Division 1B of the National Hurling League.

The game at Parnell Park in Dublin on April 11 finished Kerry 2-16 to Antrim 1-18. (click here)

• We told you about a Mercy Mounthawk student who won a scholarship to a prestigious US prep school, a breeding ground for NBA stars.

Standing at seven feet tall, Cian Sullivan would be heading to the $50,000 a year St Andrews prep school in Rhode Island USA. Even better news was to come for the Ballymac teenager later in 2015. (click here)

• We told you about a Tralee woman who was named as the winner of a modelling competition that was held in Auckland, New Zealand.

Debbie Sugrue, originally from Fountain Court, was named as the winner of the ‘Miss Bikini South America/New Zealand’ competition and went on to compete in the world finals later in the year. (click here)

• Kerry County Council won a  top award at the inaugural Irish Tourism Industry Awards.

The local authority was a finalist in the category for Best Local Authority Tourism Innovation at the DoubleTree by Hilton Dublin and won the award. (click here)

• The new Benners Hotel opened its doors to the public back in April.

In a nice link to the past, the cafe even has the old Benners clock dating back to the early 20th century hanging over the fireplace.

Up to 30 people are working in the new venture by Der O’Sullivan of The Mall. (click here)

• More positive news emerged on the jobs front with the annoucement that JRI America were looking to entice 40 high skilled workers to fill jobs at its Software Development Centre in Tralee.

JRI America are located in the Kerry Technology Park, but also have offices in London, Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore and New York. (Click here)

Continuing our Review Of 2015, here’s the news we brought you in February…

• The first day of February saw Kerry senior footballers begin their Allianz National League campaign with a lacklustre performance against Mayo at Fitzgerald Stadium , losing 0-10 to 2-11 to the westerners.

Barry John Keane had a good day with 0-4 but Mayo were fitter and brighter on the day. (click here)

• We reported on how the Solas Digital Skills Training Centre in Monavalley played an important part in the making of a documentary, which prompted German prosecutors to open an investigation into a 93 year old woman suspected of being a former Nazi SS Guard.

The training centre supplied vital equipment and a trainee, Dylan Knapp, who proved very useful to the producers of ‘Close To Evil’. (click here)

Continued below…

• The month saw Kerry once again come to global attention after featuring in an 11-page spread in the  February/March 2015 issue of the of ‘National Geographic Traveler’.

As one of the most recognizable magazines worldwide, it was another big win for Kerry tourism to have ‘Ross Castle’ in Killarney featured as the cover. (click here)

• We told you about a Tralee woman who was set to run 12 marathons in eight months to raise funds for those who helped her husband through his cancer ordeal.

In summer 2014, Brenda Doody got the devastating news that her husband, Pat, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. To give back to the people who helped him, she vowed to raise funds for Mercy Hospital, Cork, by running 12 marathons in 8 months. (click here)

Continued below…

• We brought you the good news story about a Ballyduff man who wanted to thank two Tralee ladies for doing a good deed in town.

Murt O’Sullivan left €500 cash hanging out of an AIB ATM machine and was chased by two ladies who returned the cash to him.

The two ladies were sisters Linda Dennehy Patterson from Ashgrove and Sharon Browne from Ogham Rian. Murt thanked them by sending them a voucher for a meal for two in the Grand Hotel. (click here)

• We reported on a straight-talking 90 year old mart employee, Eugene (Eugie) O’Sullivan, who 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 of Eugie speaking about his  life. (click here)

• We were at the Austin Stack Clubhouse  for a reunion of  St Brendan’s Park residents which saw hundreds attend.

It took months of organising, but it as worth the effort for a night of music, song and reminiscing about growing up in the old estate. (click here)

• It was announced that 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 at the Kerry Technology Park to attract a major industry, according to Minister Jimmy Deenihan. (click here)

• There was heartbreak for Austin Stacks as their amazing run in the All-Ireland Club Championship came to an end.

Austin Stacks lost by a solitary point on a rainy Sunday in Portlaoise to Slaughtneil in the semi-final, but they gave it one hell of an effort.

Kieran Donaghy and the rest of the Stacks team were disconsolate, but the hundreds of Rockie fans who travelled up showed their appreciation after the game. (click here)

• It was reported that a three-year-old Kerry child would receive an interim payment of over €2.5m after the HSE settled a High Court action in Dublin.

Skye Worthington from Cloghane was brain-damaged during her birth in Kerry General Hospital in April 2011.

She now has cerebral palsy, can only sit for a while has to be fed through a tube and can only communicate with her eyes. (click here)

• It was a terrible month on Kerry roads as two men died in accidents in north Kerry. Michael O’Sullivan from Ballyduff died on February 19 in a road accident on the Tralee-Abbeydorney road.

Six days earlier, Maurice O’Donoghue (24) from Mountcoal in Listowel died after being involved in a single vehicle crash near Kilflynn. (click here)

• There was celebrations at the Aqua Dome as they welcomed their 4,000,000th visitor through their doors.

‘Lady Luck’ was with Kate and Cian McCarthy from Milltown who got through the door at the right time to be awarded a ‘One Year Family Pass’ for two adults and three children. (click here)