Kerry Team To Face Clare In Munster Final Announced

May 4, 2023 Dermot Crean

THE KERRY team to face Clare this Sunday in the Munster Senior Football Championship Final has been named.

Clare provide the opposition in the match which has a 4pm throw-in at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.

Jack O’Connor has made a change from the team that started against Tipperary. Austin Stacks’ Dylan Casey comes in as corner back with Graham O’Sullivan moving to the half-back line in place of Paul Murphy.

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The team captained by David Clifford is as follows…

1. (GK) Shane Ryan — Rathmore
2. Dylan Casey — Austin Stacks
3. Jason Foley — Baile Ui Donnachú
4. Tom O’Sullivan — Daingean Uí Chúis
5. Graham O’Sullivan — Piarsaigh na Dromada
6. Tadhg Morley — Teampall Nua
7 . Gavin White — Dr Crokes
8. Diarmuid O’Connor — Na Gaeil
9. Jack Barry — Na Gaeil
10. Dara Moynihan — Spa Killarney
11. Sean O’Shea — An Neidín
12. Paudie Clifford — Fossa
13. Tony Brosnan – Dr Crokes
14. David Clifford — Fossa
15. Paul Geaney — Daingean Uí Chúis

Subs

16 (GK) Shane Murphy — Dr Crokes
17 Brian Ó Beaglaioch — An Ghaeltacht
18 Adrian Spillane — Templenoe
19 Barry O’Sullivan — Daingean Uí Chúis
20 Ruairi Murphy — Listry
21 Killian Spillane — Teampall Nua
22 Micheál Burns — Dr Crócaigh
23 Mike Breen — Lios an Phúca
24 Stephen O’Brien — An Neidín
25 Pa Warren — Gniomh go Leith

26. Dylan Geaney — Daingean Uí Chúis

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News

Kerry To Feature On Final Episode Of ‘Wild Islands’ This Sunday

May 4, 2023 Dermot Crean

THE popular show ‘Wild Islands’ will feature Kerry heavily in Sunday’s final episode on RTE 1 at 6.30pm.

The show follows presenter Eoin Warner on the final stage of his journey along Ireland’s west coast sailing to the islands off County Kerry before heading south into his home waters off Cork and the end of his journey at Fastnet Rock.

Visiting Kerry’s Maherees Islands he encounters one of the greatest travellers on the planets – Arctic Terns and in Kerry’s waters sees Fin and Humpback Whales that come there to hunt.

From Grey Seals on Great Blasket Island to a secretive Antarctic bird that finds sanctuary amid Skellig Michael’s monastic ruins, White-Tailed Eagle in Bantry Bay and swimming with Blue Shark off Fastnet Rock, the final stages of Eoin’s journey are truly epic and can be seen on Sunday, with the show repeated on Wednesday, May 10 at 8pm on RTE 2.

News, Sport

Kerry FC Announces Partnership With Killorglin AFC

May 4, 2023 Dermot Crean

Present at the official announcement of the partnership between Kerry FC and Killorglin AFC were (L-R): Sean O Keeffe (Kerry FC General Manager), Darragh O’Sullivan (Kerry FC U14 Player), Odhran Foley (Kerry FC U14 Player), Darragh Foley (Kerry FC U17 Player), Callum Robertson (Kerry FC U14 Player), Micheal Culhane (Kerry FC U14 Player), Brian Ainscough (Kerry FC CEO), Damian Locke (Kerry FC Head of Academy), Eamonn Foley (Killorglin AFC Coaching Officer) – All 5 Kerry FC players photographed were signed to the club from Killorglin AFC.

KERRY Football Club has welcomed Killorglin AFC as an official club partner. Killorglin become the second team that partnered with Kerry FC, with the Boston Bolts announced as club partners on St Patrick’s Day.

Killorglin AFC is an important starting point in the county for Kerry FC, with four Kerry FC U14 League of Ireland Academy players signing for the club from Killorglin just a number of weeks ago.

The partnership between the clubs will help the growth of both clubs. For Killorglin it is a chance for them to get assistance from the First Team and Academy coaches from Kerry FC both on and off the field.

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With Kerry FC coaches expertise, the club will assist Killorglin AFC with both coach and player training as well as areas of health, mental wellbeing and participation in the game.

Killorglin AFC will also get enjoy benefits including underage players participating in Kerry FC First Team matches as mascots, ball boys/girls and half time matches in Mounthawk Park.

Speaking on the partnership announcement, Head of Academy at Kerry FC Damian Locke said; “I’d like to thank Killorglin AFC for being so cooperative and supportive of what we are trying to create here at Kerry FC. Hopefully this partnership shows the intent we have in creating a county team” Locke added “With so many talented boys and girls playing football throughout the county and surrounding areas it’s important for all to understand our academy is there to provide this platform and pathway for all to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.”

“I’m excited to work with the club and the coaches at Killorglin AFC to support the great work being done in their academy,” he added.

News

MTU Kerry Hosts Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland Workshop

May 4, 2023 Dermot Crean

The group attending the Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland workshop on Wednesday, April 26 and MTU Kerry.

THE Munster Technological University, Kerry Campus, hosted an awareness raising presentation about autism and the use of assistance dogs last week.

This interactive presentation was given by Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland (AADI), a national charity dedicated to providing highly-specialised assistance dogs to children with autism. AADI was delighted to attend the college in what was one in a series of university visits, as part of its “Fáilte Campaign”.

The presentation focused on preparing students for their inevitable encounters with assistance dogs during their careers in hospitality, retail and other sectors.

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While Autism Assistance Dogs have legal rights and responsibilities in Ireland, many people do not know what the rules are surrounding assistance dogs in public.

Jacob Harmon, Director of Advancement at Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland, spoke alongside Niall D. O’Halloran, Purchasing Manager at Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork, on how professionals in the hospitality and retail industries can help make everyone’s experiences more welcoming with a thorough understanding of how to properly support families with assistance dogs.

Jacob and Niall were joined by Ambassador Dog Willis, and Assistance Dog in Training Marvin to raise awareness about this important issue.

Niall D. O’Halloran said; “It became apparent to me that our hospitality and retail colleagues did not know how to modify their behaviour around families with autism.” And so, he partnered with AADI to help spark that change.

“We’re delighted to work with MTU and other universities across the country to start effecting change on behalf of families with an Autism Assistance Dog, and by extension, any person who relies on a service dog,” said Jacob R. Harmon.

“It takes two years and costs €25,000 to train an Assistance Dog, but our work doesn’t stop there. We need to educate around not only access for families with a service dog, but also around how people can make it more possible for those families to fully engage with their communities.”

In celebration of April as Autism Awareness Month AADI partnered with eight (8) universities around the country to increase awareness and understanding among students of all disciplines.

Business/Property, News

National Broadband Plan Is Actively Progressing In Kerry Says NBI CEO

May 4, 2023 Dermot Crean

CEO of National Broadband Ireland, Peter Hendrick.

THE CEO of National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has responded to criticism from a local Green Party representative who said the rollout of the plan in rural parts of the county is not progressing quickly enough.

Last month, Tralee Green Party representative Anluan Dunne said homes in The Black Valley were “last on the list” for the infrastructure and he had asked Minister Ossian Smyth to consider funding accelerated deployment of high-speed broadband in Kerry.

The CEO of NBI, Peter Hendrick has defended the pace of the rollout in Kerry. “NBI is actively working in County Kerry to deliver our new high-speed broadband network. Over 40% of our project is live in Kerry already and almost 11,300 properties can place orders to connect to the NBI network today,” he said.

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“This includes over 3,300 premises in or around Tralee, 1,500 in the Ballyheigue deployment area and almost 900 in Castlegregory, while over 4,000 premises in Listowel have completed the surveying phase and will be ready to connect next year. In fact, across Kerry over 2,100 premises, or 22%, are already connected.

NBI will ultimately be serving over 27,000 premises in County Kerry with a total Government investment of €107 million in the county under the National Broadband Plan. We are currently building new network infrastructure to serve over 2,300 additional properties in Kerry, and we anticipate these joining the network in the first half of next year.”

Mr Hendrick also addressed the complexities associated with delivering the plan in the Black Valley area.

“When it comes to the remote Black Valley, nestled in the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, this area is designated as a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and rightly so,” he said.

“For those reasons this is very challenging terrain for network construction. There is additional complexity to rolling out our network here, but NBI is determined to ensure access to high-speed broadband is delivered for this area, which has been poorly served with utilities historically.”

“NBI is currently working with Kerry County Council, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), which is the sponsoring department of the National Broadband Plan, to determine how best we can deliver for the Black Valley. It is not a question of ‘if we will’, but rather ‘how we will’.

The National Broadband Plan is going to place Ireland among the best-connected countries in Europe. There is a digital revolution coming, and rural Kerry will not be left behind,” he added.

More information on the NBP project and the progress NBI has made in Kerry to date is available on their website and Mr Hendrick is encouraging any local residents in the Black Valley, or anywhere else in County Kerry, to register their Eircode on www.NBI.ie/EOI.

Entertainment, News, Sport, WHAT'S ON

Tralee Boxing Club Looks Forward To ‘Night At The Dogs’

May 4, 2023 Dermot Crean

TRALEE Boxing Club will host its end of season celebrations this year with a good, old fashioned Tralee staple, a ‘Night at The Dogs’.

On the evening of Saturday June 3, the club will take over Kingdom Greyhound Stadium to offer a well earned thank you to all the boxers, coaches, committee, volunteers and members for their hard work over the past season.

“We have an exciting night planned with music, food and drink, an awards ceremony and a spectacular draw with many fabulous prizes on offer, there’s even a few activities to keep the younger boxers on their toes,” said Club Secretary, Lynda McGrath.

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“All this on top of the excitement of the races should make it a night to remember and a well deserved chance for the club, friends, neighbours and supporters to meet up and enjoy a night out together to celebrate the huge achievements of the club this year,” according Lynda.

The organising committee are in full swing since early April, with a number of local sponsors coming on board once again, who continue to be a constant source of support to Tralee Boxing Club over the years.

Tickets for the event are €10 each, and are now on sale from the club gym in Monavalley, or by contacting the club emailing lynda.traleeboxingclub@gmail.com Sponsorship packages are also still available for any local business wishing to come on board and support our not-for-profit, inclusive boxing club.

News, SCHOOLS

PHOTOS: Mercy Mounthawk Student Wins Top Prize At Scifest@MTU Kerry

May 4, 2023 Dermot Crean

Overall winner of the Kerry 2023 SciFest Science & Technology award was Yasmine Odugbesan from Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School Tralee . Photo By : Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD ©

MERCY Mounthawk students were to the fore at the Kerry SciFest@MTU Kerry Campus yesterday.

Over 100 post-primary school students from 12 schools across Kerry took STEM to the next level at the event but it was Yasmine Odugbesan from Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School, Tralee who won Best Project.

Yasmine will now represent MTU – Kerry Campus at The SciFest National Final in November with her project entitled “How effective is the Carotenoid Lycopene in regards to UV protection?”

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The Runner-Up on the day also from Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School, Tralee was Orla Buttimer with her project “Does the Yondr pouch affect students’ concentration in school life?”

SciFest is an all-island STEM initiative which fosters active, collaborative and inquiry-based learning among second-level students.

The programme operates throughout the school year and, being locally and regionally based and free-to-enter, is highly inclusive and accessible.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Professor Maggie Cusack, President MTU, acknowledged the huge amount of effort by all involved evident from the quality of projects submitted and thanked the teachers for mentoring the projects.

“Your work on your project has given you good skills for scientific inquiry and problem solving. But I hope you have also gained other skills from SciFest like confidence in presenting your findings, learning how to work well with others, and maybe starting to think about what you’d like to pursue after the Leaving Certificate or even in your working life”.

Sophie Hassett and Aoife O’Brien from Mercy Mounthawk Tralee at Kerry SciFest Science & Technology competition held at the MTU Kerry . Photo By : Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD

Winners from each regional STEM fair go on to compete at a National Final in November. Winners from the national final compete at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in America and in the Hong Kong Global Youth Science and Technology Bowl (GYSTB), attend the Long Night of Science in Berlin and participate in the Broadcom MASTERS International Programme in America. The SciFest programme is funded primarily by Intel Ireland and Boston Scientific.

Students were also addressed by guest speaker Monika Dukarska who spoke to students about resilience, determination and perseverance, as she told the students about her journey from Poland to the Olympic Games. Scroll down for photos…