.Rehearsing for Céilí Afro Dabke Ukraine. Photo: Michael Kelly
KERRY’S Dancer in Residence, Catherine Young, will return with Céilí Afro Dabke Ukraine – an explosion of multi-cultural dance and music – on Thursday, March 16 as part of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Tralee.
The evening will kick off at 7.30pm in the Centenary Hall in Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School Tralee with a vibrant dance show that community groups that is the result of eight weeks of dance workshops in Tralee and Ballybunion.
Céilí Afro Dabke Ukraine is an ongoing project by Catherine Young Dance, that typically features African dance, traditional dabke dance from Palestine/Syria and the old style Irish céilí dances. This year it expanded to include Ukrainian folk dance.
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“One of the underlying goals of the dance project is to allow us all to get to know each other a little better,” Catherine says. Catherine uses the creative forum of dance and music to bring communities together and explore topics relevant to life in Kerry today.
“We are delighted to see Céilí Afro-Dabke Ukraine continue to grow and welcome new communities. A special thanks to Presentation Primary School Tralee and Respond Housing Association Ballybunion for their support,” says Hannah Pinckheard, Assistant Arts Officer with Kerry County Council.
“These events receive glowing reviews every time, and if you haven’t already had the chance to experience this céilí, don’t miss it!”
Ukrainian folk dance, African dance and traditional Irish céilí dances will all be performed on the night. The floor will open up for everyone to join in and dance. All are welcome. The event is free and no booking is required.
.Leo Gaxha will be hoping to add to the goal he scored earlier this season when Kerry FC face Galway United tonight. Photo by Dermot Crean
KERRY FC travel to Eamonn Deacy Park this evening to face Galway United in Matchday 4 of the SSE Airtricity First Division season.
The game has a kick-off time of 7.45pm and can be live streamed on www.loitv.ie for €5. There’ll be live updates on Radio Kerry during the game while some pubs (The Castle Bar, Blasket, Paddy Macs, The Huddle, Turners, to name but a few) in Tralee will be screening the game.
In terms of injuries, Mark Carey remains on the long-term injury list and won’t be available. Junior Ankomah and Graham O’Reilly also won’t be in the travelling squad to Eamonn Deacy Park.
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First-Team Manager Billy Dennehy said; “The level we are playing at means the games are very physical. The players are giving absolutely everything and are playing at a very high intensity. The energy throughout the game against Treaty United was what I have asked out of every player.
“I don’t think any game worries me or the players. We are going to Galway with confidence. Of course, Galway sits top of the league and has huge resources behind them compared to what we have at the moment. There is no doubt there is a gap there but in every game we have played we have brought new things out in our style of play and I hope we can do that again on Friday,” he added.
Stephen McCarthy is also side-lined with injury. Andy Quaid, having picked up two yellows in our last game is suspended.
Matt Keane, who suffered a broken nose v Bray Wanderers passed a fitness test and played v Treaty United last time out. He is available for selection once more.
Trpimir Vrlijack, who missed the game against Treaty United with an ankle injury remains a doubt and will be subject to a late fitness test to see if he can make the squad. New signing Cian Barrett is available to Billy Dennehy for the fixture.
.Pictured at The Rose Hotel on February 28 where a presentation was made to recognise the hotel’s journey to becoming an Autism friendly hotel were, from left; Susan Kelly, Nadine Walsh Barbosa and Mark Sullivan of The Rose Hotel, Adam Harris, CEO AsIAm, Lisa Curran, Autism Friendly Tralee, Donald Walsh and Jennifer Dee of The Rose Hotel.
THE Rose Hotel has been recognised for the outstanding contribution it has made so far on its journey towards becoming an Autism Friendly hotel, by AsIAm, Ireland’s national Autism charity and Autism Friendly Tralee.
On Tuesday, February 28, Adam Harris, CEO of AsIAm, and Lisa Curran of Autism Friendly Tralee presented an award to the hotel in recognition of the outstanding contribution made already in becoming an Autism Friendly Hotel.
Speaking at the award recognition presentation Jennifer Dee, Duty Manager at The Rose Hotel commented; “We are delighted to have received this award of recognition on our journey in becoming an Autism Friendly Hotel.”
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“The team here have worked very hard in completing the steps so far and are already working on the next phase. It is an honour for us to be part of this fantastic initiative and would encourage more businesses to get involved,” said Jennifer.
The hotel has already completed steps on its journey to becoming an autism-friendly hotel. Over 40 staff members including front line staff, managers & supervisors have completed a 40-minute online training course. A Social Story has been developed to help guests prepare for a visit to the hotel and they created a sensory-specific activity for guests which is the availability of a relaxation sensory box.
They also dedicate a specific Autism friendly dining time every Tuesday in the Park Restaurant, between 3 and 5pm. Bookings for this are necessary, please call us + 353 66 7199100.
.Liverpool fan Dara Ó Cinnéide visits Anfield in the new TG4 series coming later this month.
FORMER Kerry star and broadcaster Dara Ó Cinnéide will present a TV series where he visits some most famous sports stadiums, including Anfield in Liverpool the Azteca in Mexico, Seoul’s Olympic Stadium and our own Fitzgerald Stadium.
Na Goirt Órga is a new series of three hour-long programmes that celebrates the world’s great sporting arenas, at home and abroad.
This series was produced by Loosehorse for TG4 in co-production with Cwmni Da and S4C (Wales), JTV and KCA (Korea) and LIC (China) and begins on Thursday, March 23rd at 9.30pm on TG4.
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This series peeks behind the curtains of three of Ireland’s most revered sporting locations, while also bringing TG4 viewers on a trip around the world to venues in Mexico, China, Korea, Croatia, Portugal, Wales and England.
We’ll learnt about the culture, history, architecture and design in more than a dozen stadiums, and meet the people that bring these incredible constructions to life.
In episode one, Dara Ó Cinnéide heads to the work-in-progress refurbishment at Anfield, where Irish links with Liverpool FC run deep.
A lifelong reds fan, Dara is thrilled to gain privileged access to the dressing rooms and the famous ‘boot room’ and is delighted to learn that the name of the world famous stadium was inspired by a small townland in Wexford called Baile na hAbhann!
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He also visits Braga in Portugal, where the architect Eduardo Souta De Moura fashioned a unique arena in his home town for the 2004 Euro, Jeonju in Korea and Derry’s Brandywell.
Dara in Croke Park.
In episode two, Dara’s journey begins at home as he is granted unique access behind the scenes of the All Ireland hurling final in Croke Park.
Next stop, is North Wales, and the Racecourse at Wrexham, one of the oldest football stadiums in the entire world.
Back in the Kingdom, Dara reflects on his home turf and spends a morning in the storied Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney, reminiscing in the company of his close friend Tomás Ó Sé.
Finally, in episode three, the Azteca stadium in Mexico City beckons. It was here that Bob Beamon set a world record for the Long Jump in the 1968 Olympics and where Pelé won his third World Cup two years later.
Dara also heads to North London where England’s most cutting edge stadium at Tottenham Hotspur was constructed over the footprint of its old stadium: White Hart Lane.
Finally, on the flat grass plains of the Curragh in Kildare, Dara explores the enduring spectacle of horse racing in a natural amphitheatre that has attracted spectators for thousands of years.
Tune in for the first episode on Thursday, March 23 at 9.30pm on TG4.
A TRALEE councillor said something must be done about the occasional traffic build-up he says is caused by customers queuing on the main road for the drive-in service at McDonalds restaurant at Rathass.
At the meeting of the Tralee Municipal District of Kerry County Council on Wednesday, Fianna Fáil Cllr Johnnie Wall asked that the Council engage with the management of the restaurant as to what can be done to stop their customers’ cars queuing on the main road.
“It’s highly dangerous,” he said. “I’ve driven in from the Castleisland side and there’s a line of traffic back to the roundabout. Something has to be done.”
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He said if you try to pass out the line, you’ll be met by oncoming traffic. He said the only solution seems to be more parking adjacent to McDonalds to deal with the overflow of vehicles.
In reply, Tralee MD management said it will raise this matter with An Garda Síochána, as the road traffic authority, at the next Collision Prevention Meeting as it is fundamentally a road traffic issue.
KERRY FC has announced the signing of Cian Barrett from Shamrock Rovers on a loan deal.
The 17-year-old has made the switch to the kingdom and signs for Kerry FC’s senior squad as the side has settled into life in the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland First Division.
Barrett signed for the Shamrock Rovers Academy and played at under 15 level before moving across Dublin to Shelbourne to play in the EA Sports MU17 League of Ireland. Last year, Barrett made the switch back to Tallaght and re-signed for the Shamrock Rovers senior squad
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Barrett plays in midfield and is a versatile player. He considers himself comfortable in a central role or on the right side of midfield.
Cian is the son of former Irish international Graham Barrett and Cian has worn the international jersey at under 15 level, securing 10 caps for Ireland. Barrett will wear the number 22 shirt for Kerry FC for the 2023 season.
Speaking on his announcement as a Kerry FC player, Cian Barrett said; “The main reason why I’ve decided to sign for Kerry FC is that I believe it’s a great opportunity to grow not just as a player but as a person too.
“It’s a great opportunity to get minutes and first-team games under my belt. I think it’ll do me the world of good being in a dressing room with men and playing games that mean something. Also being away from home to provide for myself and learning how to grow up.
“So when I first spoke to the gaffer and heard his plans, I jumped on it immediately as I think it’s a very clever and exciting project happening here,” he added.
First Team Manager Billy Dennehy said: “Cian is a young player from Shamrock Rovers who has a good pedigree in the game for the last number of years, having been involved in the first team environment with Rovers, training with them and all that goes with it.
“In relation to his own development, he is obviously at a stage in his career where he needs to make the step into first-team football. After interest from other clubs, it’s very pleasing to see a player like Cian wanting to come to us here in Kerry FC and show that interest in moving down here and representing our club.
“After a couple of conversations with Stephen Bradley and the staff in Shamrock Rovers, it was great to hear the potential they see in Cian and now it’s about him trying to maximise that here in the first team environment. What we have created here in Kerry is an environment for young players to come in and develop and grow.
“So it will be interesting to see how Cian develops over the next few months and weeks and we all would like to welcome him into the club. I hope to see his development over the coming weeks in training and I hope Kerry FC can help his growth and development over the season ahead.”
.Flying the flag for Ireland at the International Food Fair for Culture Week at Presentation Secondary School on Monday.
IT was a very busy week in Presentation Secondary as pupils celebrated the multi-cultural nature of the school community.
Culture Week saw students with links to many countries around the world give a sample of the food, fashions and traditions of those nations.
On Monday, there was an international food fair during which students sample foods from around the world. Students from 27 countries prepared both sweet and savoury delights, which were available from tables in the assembly area.
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During lunchtime on Tuesday, there was a performance event in the assembly area during which the school body got a chance to enjoy singing, dancing and music from various countries.
There was also be mini fashion parade showcasing traditional and cultural clothes. At lunchtime on Thursday, students were invited to go to the gym to try games and activities from various nations.
To support Culture Week, members of the Parent Council assembled food hampers, jumbo Easter Eggs and handcrafted candle holders which were raffled during the week. Scroll down for photos from the food fair…
The French flair at the International Food Fair for Culture Week at Presentation Secondary School on Monday..Indonesian cuisine at the International Food Fair for Culture Week at Presentation Secondary School on Monday.A taste of China at the International Food Fair for Culture Week at Presentation Secondary School on Monday..Sudanese cuisine at the International Food Fair for Culture Week at Presentation Secondary School on Monday.A great spread at the International Food Fair for Culture Week at Presentation Secondary School on Monday..Peruvian cuisine at the International Food Fair for Culture Week at Presentation Secondary School on Monday.Bangladesh was well-represented at the International Food Fair for Culture Week at Presentation Secondary School on Monday...
.Caitriona O’Sullivan and Sina Theil will release ‘The Fields Of Athenry’ on Monday.
TRALEE singer/songwriter Caitriona O’Sullivan has teamed up with fellow artist Sina Theil to release their version of one of Ireland’s favourite ballads.
‘The Fields of Athenry’ will be available on iTunes and all streaming services from Sunday, March 12.
Caitríona is known to many as a resident judge on TG4’s hit country music show ‘Glór Tíre’ for the past 19 years. Sina Theil is a German born, Irish based singer-songwriter.
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Neither one is a stranger to television and the pair were brought together by Daniel O’ Donnell to sing on his TG4 show ‘Opry le Daniel ar Thuras’ in July 2022.
It was there that Sina and Caitríona hit it off with a mutual admiration of each other’s musical talents during the show. They decided to collaborate with each other on a track to coincide with International Women’s Day 2023.
Offering a fresh female perspective with the first ever female duet version of ‘The Fields of Athenry’, Sina and Caitríona, a mother herself, were struck by the story of the mother in the song as well as the love story.
Sina and Caitríona were asked by the Irish Music Magazine to premiere their music video as part of the Nashville based transatlantic virtual festival Music City Irish Fest on St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th alongside acts such as Altan, Cara Dillon and Kildare artist Dan McCabe.
The festival will run for two days (March 17th and 18th) and can be viewed on the Irish Music Magazine Facebook page (@TRADIMM). Their video will also be released on YouTube internationally on Mother’s Day, Sunday 19th March.
Fresh from the success of her concert programme “Live at THT Galway” which was recently aired on TG4, Sina recorded ‘The Fields of Athenry’ with Caitríona in Athenry.
Both artists have had a string of number 1 singles in recent years on both the main Irish iTunes charts and the Irish country music charts.
Guidance Counsellor Billy Ryle says the interim statistics, released on Thursday by the CAO, are very encouraging for college applicants…
Interim figures released yesterday by the Central Applications Office (CAO) suggest that the demand for CAO college places continues to level off.
The data covers the period up to 1st March 2023, the closing date for amending course choices. 78,025 applications have been lodged with the CAO, almost on par with the 78,012 at the same time last year.
With the economy flourishing, it seems that more Leaving Cert candidates are seriously considering the ‘world of work,’ apprenticeships, traineeships and further education as alternatives to the CAO route.
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It looks as if the final number of CAO applications in 2023, which will be released later in the year, will continue the downward trend in applications of 84,420 last year and 84,526 in 2021.
The significant decrease in the number of mature applicants (23yrs or older) is further indication of the growth in employment. In total, there are 5,904 mature applicants, down by 683 on last year’s figure and by 2,763 on the 2021 figure.
9,913 applicants to the CAO have registered for the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE). This is an increase of 1,200 on last year’s figure. DARE is a third level alternative admissions scheme for school leavers with an educational or medical disability.
8,624 applicants applied for the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) route, a third level alternative admissions scheme for school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who are resident in the Republic of Ireland.
Despite the current pressure on household incomes, that figure is 623 less than last year. The interim data will change slightly when late applications are taken into account and when the Change of Mind facility closes on 1st July at 5pm.
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The majority of CAO applicants will be permitted to use the Change of Mind facility when it opens on 5th May to add, remove or re-order course choices, which will result in changes to the figures released for 1st March. Late applications are also accepted up to 1st May at 5pm.
Despite the stabilisation in the number of CAO applications, competition for prestigious courses will again be intense if the grades are artificially inflated as they were last year.
On average, the 2022 Leaving Cert class received about 60 CAO points more than they would have achieved in 2019.
It brought more CAO applicants up to very high, if not maximum, points levels, putting pressure on courses where competition is always very keen.
It’s now time to return to the normality of the pre-Covid marking schemes and reduce the points to the 2019 levels in order to ease the pressure on the 2023 Leaving Cert Class.
Of the 78,025 applicants who have applied to CAO, 67,921 have registered choices on the Honours Bachelor Degrees (Level 8) list, down from 68,480 last year, while 30,290 have done likewise on the Ordinary Bachelor Degrees/ Higher Certificate (Level 7/6) list, down from 31,467 last year.
Disciplines that have seen a surge in first preference applications include Business/Administration up to 8,805 from 8,492 last year or by 4%, Law up to 2,779 from 2,627 or by 6%, Information & Communications Technology up to 4,067 from 3,829 or by 6%, Engineering up to 4,189 from 4,025 or by 4%, Architecture/Construction up to 2,778 from 2,627 or by 6%, Agriculture up to 408 from 345 or by a whopping 18%.
As expected, the general Arts/Humanities/ Language degrees have appealed to a huge 11,050 applicants, up slightly from last year’s figure of 10,942.
Surprisingly, social science applications have dropped by 7%, down from 5,472 to 5,071. Interest in health-related courses is down 7% from 13,021 to 12,087.
Applications for degrees in Environmental Science have dropped from 532 to 452 or a significant 15%, which suggests a move away from environmental and climate issues.
In the specialist groupings, applications for Primary Teaching have dropped to 2,259 from 2,543 or by 11%, which is of concern.
Secondary Teaching applications have increased to 2180 from 1960 or by 11%, which is very good news.
Nursing degree applications, down by 10% to 3908 from 4363 and medical degree applications, down by 11% to 3,606 from 4,058 are indicative of the difficult working conditions in these areas.
Dentistry degree applications remain steady at 455 from last year’s 464 while Pharmacy degree applications have increased significantly to 532 from 484 or by 10%, which proves how a regular working day and a constant demand for prescription and over-the-counter medications can be attractive in terms of a good work and life balance.
Applications, with the exception of the changing trends mentioned earlier, are very much on par with current trends in a very healthy employment environment.
Applicants are keeping a very close eye on the jobs market and are acutely aware that a good qualification is a passport to a successful career.
Prospects for the 2023 Leaving Cert class look very promising. Except for a few very competitive quota-based courses, there will be a third level course on offer for the vast majority of CAO applicants. That’s how it should be!
• Billy Ryle is a Career Guidance Counsellor and Educational Commentator
A TRALEE councillor said something must be done about the occasional traffic build-up he says is caused by customers queuing on the main road for the drive-in service at McDonalds restaurant at Rathass.
Guidance Counsellor Billy Ryle says the interim statistics, released on Thursday by the CAO, are very encouraging for college applicants…