THIS year has seen the highest numbers of patients waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Kerry since records began in 2006.
There were 3,775 patients waiting on trolleys at the hospital since the start of the year according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
The previous high was in 2019 when there were 3,610 waiting. Over 121,526 patients have gone without a bed in Irish hospitals in 2023 according to the IINMO, making it the worst year for hospital overcrowding nationally on record.
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INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “With six days to Christmas, there has been no let-up in pressure for our nurses and midwives who are working in overcrowded and understaffed hospitals.
“For the second year in a row we have broken overcrowding records. The year is not even over and 121,526 patients have been admitted to hospital without a bed. Over 3,450 children have been on trolleys so far this year, an increase of 24% on the previous year. This is not something to celebrate and was entirely predictable.”
“Instead of coming forward with plans to drastically improve the lot of our members and patients who find themselves in emergency departments, the HSE have instead decided to implement a recruitment freeze which will further demoralise a burned out, exhausted workforce. We know from past experience that it can take a long time to reverse the impact of any recruitment freeze.”
“What will it take for the HSE and Government to act? The independent agency HIQA last week stated that in over 80% of the hospitals they have inspected, patient dignity was compromised and that workforce planning must be prioritised.
“Long delays, inadequate bed space and unsafe staffing levels are making it impossible for our members to provide safe care.”
“We are about to walk into an unbearably busy time in our public hospital system and it is clear that lessons from the not-so-distant past have not been learned when it comes to tackling the root causes of hospital overcrowding,” concluded Ms Ní Sheaghdha.
Bishop of Kerry, Ray Browne, has issued a Christmas Message for the Diocese of Kerry…
Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
that he may teach us his ways
so that we may walk in his paths;
let us walk in the light of the Lord. Is 2:1-5
Dia dhiabh. Nollaig Shona dhiabh. Christmas is a season of encouragement and hope. God, Creator and Lord of all creation, truly loves his creation. In Jesus God chose to be with us and to care for us, and to give hope to the whole human family.
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Christmas is a time to count our blessings and rejoice. I call to mind and give thanks for all that is good in all the communities and parishes of our diocese. Thank you to our clergy and religious and all in our parishes.
Thank you to all our school communities. Thank you to all the voluntary groups: in sport, in the arts and in social care.
There are so many wonderful things happening everywhere. Through local media, radio, print and online reporting, again and again we realize the wonderful number of voluntary bodies present in our communities. Long may it continue. Sincere thanks to all the volunteers involved.
“Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart” is a key sentence in the Gospel.
It refers to Mary’s reaction to all the significant moments in Jesus’ life. Through the days of Christmas let us treasure and ponder the birth of Jesus, the new-born child in the manger. He is God, God who loves us, and God who has come to be with us always.
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This year the cathedral crib in Killarney has brand-new scenery replacing the wooden stable that had come to the end of its lifespan.
The ‘freshness of the new’ has caused many to see new aspects of that night in Bethlehem. May children especially love our new crib.
The crib scene has many people: shepherds, kings, a woman at the village well, and of course Mary and Joseph. How deep was the faith of each that first Christmas night? How did they understand the excitement at the birth of Jesus?
Did they live to hear him preach when he began his public ministry? We, the people who will stand and gaze at the new cathedral crib, what of our faith, – our faith in Jesus Christ who is ‘with us always’?
Each year the crib scene speaks to what is happening in the world around us. The prophet Isaiah spoke of a ‘Son being born for us’ who would be ‘Mighty God and Prince of Peace’.
Every day of Christmas let us each pray to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, to bring peace where there is war, – the Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, Sudan and sadly so many other places.
Far from home for the census, Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph in a stable. He was born without any of the facilities of home, not even neighbours to help out!
If that simplicity and poverty was the lot of the Holy Family as Jesus entered the world, surely we, his disciples, ought to have a simple Christmas, the basics with no excess or extravagance?
All his life Jesus lived for others, again and again he reached out to help and share with people in need. I firmly believe that what we give to the various charities who seek funds at Christmas time is money well spent.
Give to charities, especially to Saint Vincent de Paul who do so much good work throughout the diocese.
There are so many among us who through some misfortune or other find themselves in need this Christmas. Let us open our hearts to them, ‘In giving we receive’.
The Holy Family on Christmas night was far from home and without a bed. Then, out of fear of King Herod, they fled to Egypt where they remained until Herod died.
The situation is not that different for the refugees and migrants and the Ukrainians fleeing war who are with us in Ireland this Christmas. As a people, as individuals, let us welcome them, and let us do what we can to support them.
Put the crib scene, the birth of Jesus, at the centre of your Christmas. Let it remind you of how God ‘so loves the world’, and that all of us have so much to be grateful for. May God’s goodness to us inspire our goodness to others.
Le gach dea-ghuí, í gcomhair na Nollag.
Every Christmas blessing on all in our communities.
Give Christ joyful welcome, love him and revere;
cherish one another with a love sincere.
Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for the whole world.
Alan Cantwell reports on the Mens U20 National League – Round 3 game at the weekend…
Tralee Warriors 85
Limerick Lions 87
(After Over Time)
The Garveys Tralee Warriors U20 team.
Tralee Warriors unbeaten run came to an end with a narrow defeat to Limerick Lions after overtime at the Tralee Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon.
The Lions led for the majority of the contest with the Warriors taking the lead briefly in the fourth and again in overtime when they looked like they might have timed their run to win to perfection.
However a three from the free scoring Darragh Horkan proved to be the killer score to give the Lions a narrow but deserved win on the night.
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The Lions could not have got off to a better start with Darragh Horkan, Liam Price and Daniel Shabab combining to fire the visitors out to a 24-7 lead.
The Warriors resistance was limited to scores from Josh Osayanrhion and Donal O’Sullivan but when Olaf Michalczuk arced in his first three it sparked an impressive response that saw scores from Osayanrhion, Phoenix Costello and Michalczuk from inside and outside to see the Warriors cut the sizable gap back to 26-22 at quarter time.
The Warriors edged a tight second quarter with a double from Donal O’Sullivan and a brilliant display of score making from Osayanrhion adding nine points in a row.
The Lions continued to find their range and with Horkan, Price and Alfie McCoy on the mark the visitors still held the lead of 37-35 at half time.
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Osayanrhion continued where he left off in the second quarter with a quick fire double at the start of the third but when Shabab replied in kind and Price hit a hat trick the Lions pushed their advantage out to 6.
Michalczuk gave Warriors a badly needed score with another three but the Lions roared again with Michael Fahy, Price and Horkan firing the visitors 55-43 ahead.
The Warriors rallied again and a late volley of scores from Osayanrhion, O’Sullivan, Michalczuk and Eddie Sheehy saw Warriors cut the gap back to 55-52 at the end of the third.
The Warriors stormed into the final quarter and hit an unanswered 11 points through Osayanrhion, Sheehy, Michalczuk and Evan Boyle to see the hosts take the lead for the first time in the contest and move to 63-57 up.
The Lions again found baskets when they needed them and Fahy, Horkan and Price had the Limerick side back on terms as the clock counted down.
A three from Shabab looked like being the game winning score as the Lions led 70-67 with seconds left but Olaf Michalczuk produced a splendid effort from beyond the arc to tie the game at 70-70 to move the contest into overtime.
The sides literally went score for score in the additional period and were level on four separate occasions. Osayanrhion with 10 points and Michalczuk with 5 moved the Warriors into position to seal the win as they led 85-83 in the final minute of overtime.
The Lions scores came from the usual suspects Horkan, Price and Shabab but trailing by 2 points with only seconds left it was Darragh Horkan that found the space and time to fire in a dagger three to edge his side ahead.
The Warriors did have a play to try to work another game winning score but a stray pass put paid to that and the Lions hung on for a narrow but deserved win in a hugely entertaining contest.
THE annual Farranfore-Maine Valley AC St Stephen’s Day 5k Run and 2k Walk takes place once again the year with Kerry Airport back as one of the main sponsors.
One of the oldest road races in Ireland, it takes place every St. Stephen’s day and has been run since 1961 along the same route.
The 5K Timed Race is open to all those aged 13 years and over on race day. The St Stephen’s Day 5K Road Race will begin at 11am. Younger runners can take part in the 2K fun run which starts at 10.20 am. Registration for the event is now open and can be accessed by clicking here.
GARDAI are appealing for information after a number of theft incidents over the past week or so.
On Tuesday, December 12, between 2.40pm and 7.30pm, a kitchen window was broken at a house on the Castlemaine Road, Tralee. A number of valuable items were taken from the house.
Also on Tuesday December 12, at Monavalley Industrial Estate, boating equipment was stolen from a business premises.
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Between Sunday, December 10 and Monday, December 11, a five foot farm gate was taken from a premises in Flemby, Ballymacelligott overnight.
Meanwhile, Tralee Gardaí are also appealing for information into a theft incident from November 18 between 6.40pm and 9.30pm. A woman’s handbag was stolen from a car parked in Mounthawk in which the thief broke into the car to gain access.
Information on any of the above incidents is welcome to Tralee Garda Station on 066-7102300.
.Alan Teahan singing during the concert at the Island of Geese on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
WELL done to all involved in bringing a festive atmosphere to the town again over the past weekend.
There was a big crowd at a special concert at the Island Of Geese on Saturday evening. ‘The Sounds of Christmas’ was organised by Tralee Chamber in partnership with Kerry County Council.
The musicians and singers delivered a delightful blend of timeless Christmas classics and contemporary festive tunes t0 those present.
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Hosted by Elaine Kinsella, it featured Catriona O’Sullivan, the Music Generation Kerry Wind Ensemble, Róisín Hussey, Clodagh Harrington, Ciara Murphy, Saoirse Murphy on the flute, Sharon Lynch, Alan Teahan, Mike & David Lynch and more.
Sunday saw the rain arrive, so it didn’t make for ideal conditions for Santa’s parade! However, it went ahead and people showed up for the spectacle of Santa, elves, Disney characters and much more make their way through town.
Well done to Sean Murphy Electrical and local businesses for putting on the parade and bringing festive cheer in the rain.
Some of the large crowd at the concert at the Island of Geese on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.There was a large crowd at the concert at the Island of Geese on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot CreanHost Elaine Kinsella at the concert at the Island of Geese on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot CreanMembers of the Music Generation Kerry Wind Ensemble Sean Micheál Warr, Darragh Murphy, Holly McEntee and Erin O’Shea preparing for the concert at the Island of Geese on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
.Tralee Parnells Kilmoyley team that were defeated in the North Kerry U21 Championship Final in Ballyduff last Sunday.
North Kerry U21 Hurling Final
Ballyheigue 1-15
Parnells/Kilmoyley 1-13
At a wet and windy Ballyduff last Sunday, the Parnells/Kilmoyley combination were defeated by Ballyheigue in the North Kerry U21 Championship Final.
Having played with the wind and led by 3 points at half time (0-9 to 0-6), Parnells/Kilmoyley faced an uphill task in the second half, playing in to the teeth of the breeze, against the reigning champions, who had 2 games under their belt before the final.
Ballyheigue used the wind to their advantage and had a couple of quick scores in the 2nd half, including a goal which floated in from midfield and ended up in the back of the net.
However, a beautiful move up the pitch from the combination side saw Darragh Corridan place Odhran Kerins for a cracking goal to leave Parnells/Kilmoyley 2 points in front.
However Ballyheigue gradually pegged back the lead and with time almost up the sides were level. Ballyheigue finished the stronger with a great point from out near the sideline and a close-in free to seal the victory.
Well done to all the players and coach Ian Brick for putting up a great performance in terrible conditions. Parnells were represented by co-captain Luke Chester (0-1), Cillian Litchfield, Rory Reen, Ben Cullinan, Odhran Kerins (1-0), Niall Cassidy (0-1), Barry Hamilton, Sean Barrett, Dylan Cunningham, Donnacha Buttimer and Manager Tom Crowley.
Congratulations
..to Clanmaurice on winning the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Camogie Final in Croke Park last Sunday. A fantastic result for all involved and a great boost for Kerry Camogie.
Club Social – Save the Date
The Tralee Parnells Hurling & Camogie Club social will take place on Saturday 24th February next in The Rose Hotel. If last year is anything to go by, this promises to be a great night.
Guests of honour will be the Mens Senior Hurling Team, who will be presented with their Co. League and Intermediate Championship medals and the U15 Camogie squad who won the All-Ireland Feile title in Roscommon last June.
National Club Draw
Tickets for the GAA’s National Club Draw have been received and these will be issued to all club members over the Christmas period. This is our first fundraiser of the new season and any and all support will be most welcome.
Seasons Greetings
The club would like to wish all our members and their families a very Happy and Peaceful Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. We look forward to seeing you all on the hurling and camogie pitches again in 2024.
Everyone in Ballymac GAA would like to wish all our friends near and far a very Happy Christmas and a New Year full of Health and Happiness and lots of football.
Fundraiser
Our Ballymac 30k is an exciting prize draw which has €30,000 in prizes. The draw will be held on January 19th next.
The main prize is a fantastic €20,000 in cash with runner-up prizes of €5,000, 4 x €1,000 and 2 x €500 along with a super bonus prize of a club coaching session with David & Paudie Clifford.
There is also an Early Bird Draw on December 27th for two tickets for the 2024 All-Ireland Football final with overnight accommodation and €250 spending money. Everyone who purchases their ticket before December 27th is automatically entered in both draws.
Tickets are just €50 making them the ideal gift for Christmas. The draw is being run in conjunction with Pallas Marketing who have run several successful draws for clubs in Kerry over the past few years.
“Tickets are already selling really well and are definitely a fantastic Christmas gift idea”
Links are up on social media please share
Health and Wellbeing
Ballymacelligott Healthy Club Committee represented by Oonagh O’Rahilly were delighted to be awarded the Healthy Club Gold Status at a presentation ceremony hosted in Mallow GAA on December 5th 2023.
This award recognises the work of the Healthy Club committee over the last 3 years across the community of Ballymacelligott in physical health, mental health, social inclusion and engagement, along with sustainable and green initiatives.
Thank you to all members past and present who made this award possible.
The committee always welcomes new ideas and new members. Please feel free to contact Christina at 0871811249 to find out more.
Lotto
On Monday 11th December 2023 Maureen and Phil O’Shea conducted the lotto draw online.
The Numbers drawn were: 21,31,3 and 25.
There was no winner of this week’s Jackpot of €5700.00
Congratulations to the lucky dip winners this week:
€30.00 -Sean Hennessy -online purchase
€20.00 -Ciaran Fitzmaurice- online purchase
€20.00 -Eileen Moriarty -seller Paula Sills
Next week’s Jackpot is €5800.00 and the draw will take place on Monday 18th December. This is the last draw before Christmas and the lotto will resume after Christmas.
Play Ball Lotto Ticket sales close at 6 pm sharp.
Tickets can be purchased here https://play.clubforce.com/play_newa.asp?ll_id=2258&PC=0&RP=#Anchor
or from our regular sellers Paula Silles, Gene O’Keeffe, and Maureen O’Shea.
Quick Pick Envelopes are available at The Half Way Shop and O Riadas Bar. Simply, pop 5 euros into the envelope with your name and contact details. We’ll generate a quick pick of 3 lines for you! You will be automatically entered into the draw. It couldn’t be easier!
The closing time for entries will be 4 pm on Mondays to facilitate the draw.
Save the date, John Mitchels annual social will be held on Saturday February 3rd in the Rose Hotel. Get ready for an unforgettable night of fun, laughter and camaraderie!
Keep your eyes on social media for updates and sneak peeks. More information coming your way soon. Mark your calendars spread the word and get ready to celebrate the Mitchels way.
John Mitchels Christmas hours
John Mitchels will be closed on Friday 22nd and reopening on January 02nd. This includes both pitches the hall and the astro.
We thank all our valuable customers for being with us all year and we wish you all a Merry Christmasand a Happy new year from all here at John Mithels GAA Club.
Bingo
Bingo is on Wednesday and Friday nights. Eyes down at 8.30pm sharp at Chamfers John Joe Sheehy Road Tralee. Please note that only patrons 18 years and over are eligible to play bingo and proof of age will be required on request. Any persons under 18 years of age cannot unfortunately attend bingo.
Lotto
John Mitchels GAA Club Lotto Results: Sunday 17nd December 2023.This week’s Lotto numbers are 04 ,07 ,11 & 29 .The numbers today were drawn by club force . There was no winner of the Jackpot of €2,250.00.
Congratulations to our three lucky dip winners this week
€25.00: Kallie Houlihan
€25.00: Paddy O Mahony
€25.00: Mark Noonan
Next week’s Jackpot is €2,300.00 and the draw will take place on Facebook Live on Sunday 24th December 2023 at 11am. Ticket sales close at 9am sharp. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3LlAIYu We thank you for all your support.
Sympathy
On behalf of all in John Mitchel’s we also extend a sincere sympathy to the families of the following.
Richard O’Sullivan Árd Na Lí, Oakpark, Tralee, Kerry.
Eileen McMahon (née O’ Sullivan) Gurrane, Firies, Kerry / Tralee, Kerry.
Jessy Joy Brendan’s Park, Tralee, Kerry.
John Chambers Camp, Kerry / Tralee, Kerry.
Joan Dunne (née Hurley) Ballincollig, Cork / Tralee, Kerry.
Beryl Adams Rock Park, Tralee, Kerry.
John Browne Oakpark, Tralee, Kerry / Fenit, Kerry.
There was no winner of our club Lotto Jackpot of €5100 on Sunday night last the numbers drawn were 10,16,20 & 25. The five €30 euro consolation prizes went to:
1. Florrie O’Sullivan Farranfore
2. Teidi Sheehy Kilmoyley
3. Joan Clifford c/o B. Poff
4. Caroline Clapham c/o Betty’s Bar
5. Mike & Eileen O’Connor Annagh
Winner of our fourth Christmas Hamper is Kathleen Byrne c/o Keane’s of Curraheen
Next week’s Lotto will have a Jackpot of €5200 and the draw will take place on Saturday Night 23/12/2023 at 9pm in Keane’s of Curraheen lotto can be played online through the club website www.stpatsgaaclub.com online at https://www.locallotto.ie/play.asp?LL_ID=1328&PC=0 from any club officer, or at the following outlets:
O’Shea Shop and Service Station Blennerville
Poff Motors Dingle Road
Seamus O’Sullivan Master Butchers Manor
Noyeks Mile Height
Byrnesworth
Skelper Quanes
Keane’s Of Curraheen
Betty’s Bar
The Rock Inn
Many Thanks to all who contribute to our weekly club Lotto. The club cannot emphasize enough the importance of our members promoting the club Lotto among family, friends, and work colleagues. The lotto is now a critical source of funds for the club. We are appealing to all club members to promote our Lotto at this time to ensure our club’s future viability. Please have your Lotto entries in by 7pm, every Sunday night.
Thank You
Derryquay National School would like to thank Curraheen Community Choir and the local community who supported our school fundraiser on Sunday evening, it was a lovely occasion.
Eiresports
Welcome to Eire Sports….a sports gear company we recently established for our TY Enterprise, Jack Costello St Pats GAA, and Daragh Morris Na Gaeil GAA. We are selling club football gloves and grip socks in a variety of colours.
Prices are as follows: 1x football gloves for €15 each. 1x grip socks for €6 each or 2x for €10.
We have plenty St Pats stock to fill the Christmas stockings, all sizes available from u5-Seniors.
Contact us on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp to order in advance and call to our Pop-Up shops at St Pats Clubhouse on 22nd Dec @6:30-7:30 to collect. We greatly appreciate your support for our business.
Club Positions
We are still looking for the following positions be filled.
· Player Rep
· LGFA Chairperson
· Juvenile PRO
If interested, please contact secretary.stpatricksblennerville.kerry@gaa.ie
New Players
St Pats are Actively seeking new players born in 2010 and 2011 to join our girls’ team!!
If you would like to be part of a friendly team and enjoy all aspects of ladies’ football, including indoor training, strength and conditioning, ball skills and agility. We would love to see you, All Welcome!
50 Years of Memories
We are currently trying to source old photos from the club also including memorabilia from events, matches, programmes, newsletters etc. The time frame we are focusing on is from 1973 onwards before everyone had a camera at hand!
If anyone has any items that they would like to share with us, we would greatly appreciate anything of interest as we are trying to create a collage of memories from the past 50 years of our fantastic club. Thanking you in advance.
We are aware these items are of sentimental value to families, so we will only be requesting copies of photos, the facility is also available to scan newsletters/Programmes etc. if required. The owners will always keep the originals. Any enquiries/items can be emailed to pro.stpatricksblennerville.kerry@gaa.ie or for collection of items Sharon 0879712665
Congratulations
To Deirdre Poff and Jonathan O Regan on their recent marriage.
Sympathy
The club would like to extend its sympathy to the families and friends of John Browne Liosdara, Paul Hobbart Hawley Park, John Chambers Camp, Tom Fred McElligott Kilflynn, Tom Rohan Stradbally, Eileen McMahon née O’Sullivan Firies/Derrymore.
Nollaig Shona: Wishing a very happy Christmas to all our club members and their families at home and abroad. Stay safe everyone.
Lotto results: Lotto Tue 12th December 2023. No winner. Numbers drawn were 1, 16, 18, 29. Lucky dip winners of €20 were Declan Healy, Joe Moriarty, Katherine Duggan, Siobhán Ní Mhathúna, Ita Behan. Tomorrow night’s jackpot will be €4,400. Why not try your luck in our lotto. The links is as follows:
RIP: Our sincere sympathy to the family of John Chambers of Camp who passed away last week. John was a very familiar face in Na Gaeil where he held dance lessons for years and he was also a great supporter of our club lotto. May he rest in peace.
Club AGM: Our annual AGM will be held on Thursday 18th January 2024 in the clubhouse. All motions for the AGM together with nominations for Officer positions are to reach the Secretary, John Keating via email on secretary.nagaeil.kerry@gaa.ie by Thursday 11th January. Nomination/motion forms are available from the secretary using the above email.
Scór: We’ll shortly be starting on our annual Scór journey, and are looking for secondary school kids – up to u/17 – who’d be interested in taking part in drama, recitation, music, singing etc. We’d also be interested in hearing from adults who might like to take part in any of the above too. Please contact Margaret at (086) 0855008 or Mary at (086) 080 6665 if you’d like more information.
Bingo: Our mini jackpot house wasn’t won last Monday night so tonight it will be worth €280 if won in 48 calls. Lots of other cash prizes to be won as well as the Bumper Christmas Hamper Raffle which will take place tonight. Make sure you are there by 8pm sharp. Strictly over 18s. Valid proof is required where necessary.
Volunteers: The club are looking for people to help out at bingo on Monday nights. If you can spare 2 hours every 5 or 6 weeks then Niamh (087-9863667) would be delighted to have you on board.
Tesco Blue Tokens: We are delighted to have been chosen as a beneficiary for Tesco’s Community Fund. If you, or anyone you know, is shopping in Tesco over the next 4-5 weeks please support Bord na n-Óg with blue tokens available at the tills on payment of groceries. Thanks.
Sponsorship Opportunity: If you have a business and would like to promote it with Na Gaeil we have various sponsorship packages available to suit all budgets. Enquiries to Donal (087-2577729) or Terry (086-8293261) or Colm (087-9080465) or Mike (086-2440158) or any member of the club Executive.
Club History: During the year Michael Golden spent many hours putting together a list of notable club results and other information about the club since its foundation in 1978. This can now be found on our website (www.nagaeil.ie). Click on “Club News” then “Weekly notes” and select ”Old results by Michael Golden”.
Review of u14 girls team’s season: The u14s travelled all over the county with some great performances in the County League. They shared the Shield title with Dingle.
Review of u16 girls team’s season: Our u16s did well in the County League, eventually losing at the semi-final stage. They also had a good run in the North Kerry League where they lost to Kerins O’Rahillys after extra time in the Shield final.
Review of u13 boys team’s season: Our U13’s started their year in the chilly weather in early February in the astroturf in MTU.
Interest and skill standards were high from the start as we began to put a kicking and fast paced game-plan into place.
Great credit to the players who braved Arctic conditions at times, but hopes were high among players and coaches of a successful year.
The boys gathered momentum through the Town/Brendan’s Board competition and entered Phase 1 Division 1 of the county league.
Competition was fierce and we had wins over town rivals Austin Stacks and John Mitchel’s and away to Laune Rangers.
Despite falling at home to Killarney Legion, we topped the group and were deserved winners of the league, captained by Tom Slattery.
In this period the coaches took the boys to the Munster Senior football final in Limerick to watch Jack Barry & Diarmuid O’Connor in action for the green and gold.
In Phase 2 of the County League we struggled with absences and ended up in a Division 2 semi-final against Ardfert. After dispatching our near neighbours, we faced old foes Austin Stacks in the final.
In a virtuoso performance, the boys in green, captained by Eoin Tansley prevailed to take the title. Meanwhile our B team also made the final before falling in the final to a particularly strong John Mitchels team.
Next up was the annual Rose Cup competition where we beat Churchill, Ardfert and Keel/Listry in the group stages. This led to a semi-final against a strong Cork side Douglas. In arguably our best performance of the year, we won again meaning we faced John Mitchels in the final.
In another highlight of the year in a simply sensational contest we took the spoils 3-10 to 3-8 to the delight of winning captain Seán O’Connell.
Our final competition was the Central Region where we again played some great football reaching the final. Unfortunately, John Mitchels got their revenge and took the win by the minimum on the day.
We are incredibly proud of our U13 players this year, their application and effort at training is always first class and all of the players have come on in leaps and bounds this year.
We had 58 sessions and both teams played over 20 games making it an incredibly busy year. Throughout the year, 35 young men wore the green jersey with pride as we travelled the county with our two teams. Many thanks to the coaches who gave up their time to help improve our future stars.
Squad; Ibrahim Altayan, Nathan Anthony, Jake Barrett, Ned Breen, Danny Brick, Jayden Chalke, Ruairí Coakley, Andy Costello, Luca Cronin, Aaron Donovan, Philip Doyle, Ephrem Falvey, Kieran Feely, Joseph Field, Adam Fitzgerald, Eoin Hannon, Paddy Hennessey, Jude Hogan, James Kelly, Corey Kinsella, Xavier Kurovski, Éanna Leahy, Rory John O’Brien, Donagh O’Connell, Seán O’Connell, Eoin O’Connor, Dean O’Leary, Ben O’Sullivan, Conor Reidy, William Scanlon, Daragh Sheehan, Jonathan Sheehy, Roma Skchurin, Tom Slattery, Eoin Tansley.
Kerry (Men) McGrath Cup Football Fixtures 2024: Round 1 (January 3rd) Kerry v Tipperary. Round 2 (January 8th) Limerick v Kerry. The final is fixed for January 19th.
Kerry (Men) Munster Senior Championship 2024: Semi-final v Cork or Limerick on 20th April 2024.
Kerry (Men) Munster Minor Championship 2024: Quarter-final v Cork on 30th April 2024 at a Kerry venue.
Kerry (Men) Co-Op Superstore Munster Hurling League Fixtures 2024: Round 1 (January 2nd) Kerry v Waterford; Round 2 (January 14th) Tipperary v Kerry. The final is fixed for January 21st.
Hire the Hall: The hall in the clubhouse is available for parties or other events. Please emailnagaeilclubhouse@gmail.com if you’d like to make a booking.
Na Gaeil cycle club: Cycle each Saturday at 9am from Na Gaeil club. Everyone is welcome to come for a nice friendly cycle.
Cards: The weekly 45 card game is held every Wednesday night starting at 9pm. Everyone is welcome.
Notes: If you’d like anything included in the club’s weekly notes please send it to me at pro.nagaeil.kerry@gaa.ie before 9am on Monday and I’ll do my best to include it.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy Christmas and best wishes for 2024.
Christmas came early for GAA clubs last week with the announcement that JP McManus had donated €1M to each county board for distribution to clubs within their counties.
Fundraising has, and will always be a challenge, but this magnanimous gesture will see the club benefit to the tune of approx €10k – the club is most grateful for this donation.
Lotto:
This week’s jackpot ( 18th Dec) will be for a jackpot of €10,100 – you can play at the usual outlets or online @ Kerins O’Rahillys GAA Club – Clubforce; the cut off time for Monday’s draw is 4 pm online.
The Christmas lotto draw will take place on Saturday 23rd in the Klub @ 5 pm – online deadline is 2pm ( Sat)
NÓTAÍ NA mBAN:
Now that we’re in the festive season it’s a time to reflect on a very enjoyable 2023. It has been a phenomenal year for us fielding teams from U12s up to seniors.
Our ladies section of the club continued to blossom this year and we have new players already enquiring about joining in 2024. The increase in girls playing football and enjoying themselves demonstrates the values of our club.
Congratulations to all of our players on a great year. They took part in competitions, challenge matches and blitzes. All teams competed well with many making finals. Some were victorious, some not but it’s not all about the winning. It’s about the girls enjoying their football and making lifelong friends.
Every team brought great pride to Kerins O’ Rahillys Club.
Thanks so much to our coaches, admin and of course to the parents and families for their wonderful support.
As 2023 draws to a close we would like to take this opportunity to wish our players, coaches , brilliant supporters and our community a happy and peaceful Christmas . A sincere thank you to everyone who has helped and supported our ladies in any way during the year.
Best wishes also to everyone who is abroad. We are also thinking of those who have passed away and of their families and friends.
2024 will be a year for more opportunities on and off the pitch. We wish all of our players and mentors the best of luck in the year ahead. Enjoy the downtime!
Go dtí go mbuailfimid le chéile arís..
U14 KERRY TRIALS
Well done to our players Sophie Constable, Lexi Keane and Taylor Kate Leane who have made it to phase 2 of Kerry U14 trials.
Best wishes to everyone!
CONDOLENCES
Our condolences to the families and friends of Richard O’ Sullivan, Eileen McMahon ( née O’ Sullivan), Jessy Joy, John Chambers, Joan Dunne (née Hurley), Beryl Adams and John Browne. May their souls rest in peace.
.The ladies from Johnny’s Cottage bring their show to Siamsa Tire on January 6.
THE social media sensation that is Johnny’s Cottage with Breeda Hurley, Miriam Moriarty Owens, and Áine O’Callaghan is set to bring all the fun and mayhem of their online show to the theatre in a few weeks time.
The show entitled ‘Johnny’s Cottage, A Hooley in the Kitchen’ will come too Siamsa Tíre on Women’s Christmas, January 6.
It will feature a host of surprise guests, music, dance, and laughter. Johnny’s Cottage is the brainchild of sisters Breeda and Miriam.
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A few years ago they decided one night to go live on Facebook to show friends how to bake an apple tart and it took off from there.
Two became three when their mischievous sister Áine joined in and then their antics really grabbed the attention of their many followers. The Johnny’s Cottage show now goes live at least three times a week.
It has amassed a following of over 30,000 weekly fans and some of the videos have become viral sensations with millions of people watching.
Johnny’s Cottage is a truly authentic entertaining show where the love of three sisters is evident and the fun they have is side-splitting.
Miriam says: “We are not afraid to let our hair down and can get up to anything including swimming in a kids pool, falling into the bath, and mimicking TV shows such as the Rose of Tralee and the Apprentice. The stage show will be no different with lots of special guests on the night and some of our best bits.”
Breeda continues: “The three of us embody what it is to live life to the full and not to ever care about any negative judgment. We have recently completed our first cookbook with a difference and now we are delighted to bring a night of good craic to Siamsa Tíre. We can’t wait and it is lovely to do this on the night of Women’s Little Christmas. Anything could happen on stage!
Áine simply states: “Ye better watch out, especially Miriam.”
Tickets for Johnny’s Cottage, A Hooley in the Kitchen are on sale now from the Siamsa Tíre box office by calling 066 7123055 or online by visiting www.siamsatire.com with the show starting at 8pm on Saturday January 6th, 2024.
.Rap Buivydas lays up the first of his hat trick of first quarter scores. Photo by Liam Ryan
Alan Cantwell reports on the InsureMyVan.ie Men’s Super League 2023/2024 – Round 10 game in the Complex at the weekend…
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 86
Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig@MTU 73
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors unbeaten run continues after an 86-73 win over Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig@MTU in a prequel to the meeting of the sides in the semi-final of the National Cup in three weeks.
The Warriors took the opportunity to introduce their exciting new American Caleb Jordan, and despite the absence of sharpshooter Daniel Jokubaitis, produced a dominant performance of real quality to get the better of the team they will play for a place in the Cup final in January.
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The Warriors could not have got off to a better start with new recruit Caleb Jordan confidently swatting in two free throws to open his and the Warriors account and when Rap Buivydas followed that up with a powerful hat-trick of scores the home side led 8-2.
Ryan Leonard drives through Nikola Roso and Sean McManus to score. Photo by Liam Ryan
Ballincollig’s response was limited to back to back scores from Ronan O’Sullivan but when Jordan struck again from either side of the arc and Buivydas and Doles both found the Ballincollig basket the Warriors led 18-7.
Shawndale Jones Jnr., former Warrior Nikola Roso and Adrian O’Sullivan cut the gap back to 5 and despite an Andre Nation three, Eoin Quigley from distance and back to back scores from Kieran Donaghy saw the Warriors lead 27-18 at quarter time.
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The Warriors piled on the pressure early in the second with a double from Doles and a hat trick from Buivydas, who was relishing the physical battle under the Ballincollig board, combining to push their advantage out to 15.
Jones Jnr. replied for the visitors with a quickfire 6 points but when Jordan and Leonard fired down threes and Cian Sullivan hit three in a row the Warriors lead was out to 49-32.
Kieran Donaghy shoots one of his two first quarter baskets. Photo by Liam Ryan
Jones Jnr. from the line and Sean McManus with a drive to the board kept the visitors in touch but a floated effort from Doles and two from two from the line for Leonard had the Warriors 53-36 up at half time.
Ballincollig needed a third quarter response and baskets from Nicola Roso and Adrian O’Sullivan gave them the ideal start but Ryan Leonard replied in kind with two scores from inside and one beyond the arc to keep the Warriors lead intact.
Sean McManus was in range again twice for the Cork side but Doles and Jordan with a cracking three had the Warriors 20 points up.
Keelan Crowe battles for possession under the Ballincollig board. Photo by Liam Ryan
Scores from Jones Jnr. and Nation and a three from Keelan Cairns pared the lead back to 13 but Buivydas was unerring from the line and the Warriors looked comfortable at 69-54 up turning down the stretch.
Proven three point shooter Keelan Cairns fired down a major score for the visitors to kickstart the comeback but Virgin Media MVP on the night Caleb Jordan replied in kind and when Warriors captain Eoin Quigley took the new recruits lead to arc in back to back threes the gap was back out to 20 points.
Jarvis Doles jumpshot lands another score for Warriors. Photo by Liam Ryan
Ronan O’Sullivan and Roso edged Ballincollig a little closer but Doles and Leonard combined to restore their unassailable advantage.
It was one way traffic from there until the final buzzer as the Warriors stepped off the gas and Ballincollig cut the advantage back to 13 with Nation, Jones Jnr., Adrian O’Sullivan, McManus and Diego O’Herlihy all on the mark to bring the margin of defeat down to 86-73 in the end.
Caleb Jordan takes to the air. Photo by Liam Ryan
Scorers:
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors: Caleb Jordan 20, Rap Buivydas 17, Ryan Leonard 14, Jarvis Doles 14
Irish Guide Dogs Ballincollig@MTU: Shawndale Jones Jnr. 16, Sean McManus 12, Andre Nation 12
• The sides will meet again in the semi-final of the National Cup on January 6th in Neptune Stadium and on the evidence of Saturday night Ballincollig have plenty to ponder.
That said, Cup basketball takes on a life of its own and the form book is rarely a reliable guide, but it does promise to be another intriguing clash between the sides as the Cork outfit look to go one step further than they did last season and the Warriors looking to get back to Tallaght to contest a Cup final as they did two seasons ago on the way to their historic double.
In the meantime the Warriors will contest the Castleisland Blitz on the 28th and face EnergyWise Ireland Neptune in Tralee on the 30th.
AFTER the mega €500,000 win in Tralee on Friday in the Euromillions, another player who bought their ticket for Saturday night’s Lotto draw is celebrating another big win.
A Lotto player in Dingle matched five numbers and the bonus in the main Lotto draw to win an incredible €192,994.
The lucky player from Dingle picked their own favourite numbers on a Normal Play ticket which they purchased on Tuesday 21st November at Garvey’s SuperValu in Dingle.
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The winning numbers in last night’s (Saturday 16th December) Lotto draw were: 07, 09, 13, 23, 34, 36 and the bonus 25.
A player in Tralee won the top prize of €500,000 in Friday’s EuroMillions Plus draw with a ticket they purchased in Tesco in Tralee town.
TraleeToday.ie’s coverage of Christmas Party Nights in town is brought to you by CH Tralee…
.St Ita’s and St Joseph’s School staff Noreen Flaherty, Aoife O’Connor, Maura Joy, Joanne Devane, Rita O’Connor, Angelina Moriarty and Rena Glavin on their Christmas Party Night in Molly J’s at Benners on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
THE town was packed on both Friday and Saturday night as the busiest weekend for Christmas parties was upon us.
The hotels, bars and restaurants did a roaring trade and it was great to experience the party atmosphere with just a week to go until Christmas.
We visited a number of places to find people enjoying a well-deserved night out. Scroll down for photos…
Presentation Secondary School Ashlea Sheehy, Caitriona Walsh, Laura Boyle and Sandra Moore staff on their Christmas Party Night in Molly J’s at Benners on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Presentation Secondary School staff Mary Twomey, Catherine O’Mahony, Inez Toal, Kay Galvin, Brid Prendiville and Helena Madigan on their Christmas Party Night in Molly J’s at Benners on Friday night. Photo by Dermot CreanCatherine Gayson, Niamh Brosnan, Lauren Moriarty and Lucy Mason enjoying a family night out in Kirby’s Brogue Inn on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Philomena Moriarty, Ellen Gayson, Anne Mason and Adrienne Lynch enjoying a family night out in Kirby’s Brogue Inn on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot CreanFDC Abbeyfeale staff Mairead McAuliffe, Sinead Carmody and Anne Ryan on their Christmas Party Night in Molly J’s at Benners on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.FDC Abbeyfeale staff Amy O’Connell, Claire O’Sullivan and Maura Daughton on their Christmas Party Night in Molly J’s at Benners on Friday night. Photo by Dermot CreanHelen Twomey, Stephanie Leahy, Edel Powell and Eimear O’Connor from Tralee Medical Centre enjoying a night out in Kirby’s Brogue Inn on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Siobhan O’Donoghue, Mary Foley, Sharon Dooley and Pat Kerins from the HSE enjoying a night out in Kirby’s Brogue Inn on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot CreanRehabcare staff Rachel Duffy, Nicole Patton, Elaine Giltrap, Megan Jones and Loretta Locke on their Christmas Party Night in Molly J’s at Benners on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Staff from Kane Crowe Kavanagh enjoying their Christmas party at the Kerins O’Rahillys Club on Friday night. Photo by Dermot CreanPresentation Secondary School staff Paddy O’Shea, Mary Mulcahy, Colm Ó Suilleabháin and Joanna Keane Flynn on their Christmas Party Night in Molly J’s at Benners on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Presentation Secondary School staff Róisín Ní Bheaglaoi, Clodagh Musgrave, Nora Kennedy, Sarah Gavaghan and Marion Cronin on their Christmas Party Night in Molly J’s at Benners on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
.Attending ‘Carols By Candlelight’ presented by Glenderry NS last week.
‘CAROLS By Candlelight’ was performed by the pupils of Glenderry NS in St Mary’s Church, Ballyheigue on Wednesday evening front of a packed Church.
All classes in the school performed, accompanied by Ann O’Mahony and James Moore, the school’s music teachers.
Juniors to second classes were on stage first where they sang three Carols and hymns together. Firstly, Rule the World, followed by Away in a Manger, and Dear Santa.
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Then Ms Corridon’s class continued with Mary had a baby, Ten Little Angels, Little Drummer Boy, Children Gather Round & Sing/Dia do Bheatha and finished their performance with Feliz Navidad.
Then it was the turn of the Senior Classes, 3rd to 6th classes and they sang One Toy Soldier, Nearly Christmas, What a Glorious Night, Oiche Ciúin, and they completed their evening with a Christmas Medley of Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, Rudolf the Re-nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is coming to town, Jingle Bells.
Finally they wished everyone present a Happy Christmas in English, Polish, Ukranian and Spanish.
The consensus afterwards was that it was a most enjoyable evening and that the church was a beautiful setting for the harmonious singing of our excellent children. Scroll down for photos…
Singing at ‘Carols By Candlelight’ presented by Glenderry NS last week..Singing at ‘Carols By Candlelight’ presented by Glenderry NS last week.Singing at ‘Carols By Candlelight’ presented by Glenderry NS last week..Attending ‘Carols By Candlelight’ presented by Glenderry NS last week.Attending ‘Carols By Candlelight’ presented by Glenderry NS last week..Attending ‘Carols By Candlelight’ presented by Glenderry NS last week.Attending ‘Carols By Candlelight’ presented by Glenderry NS last week..Attending ‘Carols By Candlelight’ presented by Glenderry NS last week.
A EuroMillions Plus draw winning ticket worth €500,000 was bought in Tralee.
The winning player picked their own favourite numbers on a Normal Play ticket, and they purchased it at the Tesco store in the Square in the heart of Tralee town.
The winning numbers for the EuroMillions Plus draw last night were: 04, 06, 10, 12 and 20.
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The National Lottery have called on players to check their tickets carefully and have asked the lucky winner to make contact as soon as possible to ensure that they are paid their prizes before Christmas.
A spokesperson for the National Lottery said: “There’s never a bad time to win a big lottery prize but there’s extra excitement in the Winners Room when we print the big cheque for players at this time of year.
With less than two weeks before Christmas, we are asking these big winners to get in touch with our Prize Claims Team as soon as possible and we will ensure that the prizes are paid, and they can enjoy the holiday season in style. If you are one of the big winners, you can call us on 1800 666 222 or email claims@lottery.ie.”
TraleeToday.ie’s coverage of Christmas Party Nights in town is brought to you by CH Tralee…
.Triona Daly, Veronica O’Donovan, Therese Greaney, Mary V Dennehy and Denise O’Dowd from Scoil Eoin Balloonagh at their Christmas party night at Kirbys Brogue Inn on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean
ANOTHER December weekend, another plethora of Christmas parties.
Yes, with just over a week until Santa does his thing, the town is rocking with people out enjoying themselves in Tralee’s hotels, bars and restaurants.
We ventured with enthusiasm (and a degree of trepidation) into the Brogue Inn and The Ashe Hotel on Friday night to find an amiable bunch willing to pose for pictures on their night out. Scroll down for photos…
Christine McAuliffe, Angie Galvin, Michael Flynn and John Fitzgerald from the Fire Service enjoying their Christmas party at The Ashe Hotel on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.John Hegarty, Aaron Fahy, Margaret O’Sullivan, Tracy Hawkins and Caroline Lynch from the Fire Service enjoying their Christmas party at The Ashe Hotel on Friday night. Photo by Dermot CreanSiobhan Daly, Carol Anne O’Donoghue, Fiona Sheehan and Grace Hobbert from Scoil Eoin Balloonagh at their Christmas party night at Kirbys Brogue Inn on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Anne O’Donnell, Lillian Culhane, Stephen Phelan, Elaine Cahill and Sean Farrell from Scoil Eoin Balloonagh at their Christmas party night at Kirbys Brogue Inn on Friday night. Photo by Dermot CreanLadies from the outpatient department at UHK enjoying their Christmas party at The Ashe Hotel on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Seated; Susan Lane, Eileen Pitcher, Lilia Iskra, Helena Makhodova with, at back, Emilia Obrusnik, Larissa Vichente, Sheila Murphy and Suzanna Lysenko from Edinburgh Woollen Mills at Ballyseedy enjoying their Christmas party at The Ashe Hotel on Friday night. Photo by Dermot CreanAileen Hill, Catherine Moore, Una O’Mahony and Eileen Stack from Scoil Eoin Balloonagh at their Christmas party night at Kirbys Brogue Inn on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Deirdre Lyons, Shandon Sugrue, Sinead Curtin and Aine Baker from Scoil Eoin Balloonagh at their Christmas party night at Kirbys Brogue Inn on Friday night. Photo by Dermot CreanKerrie McCord, Robyn Teahon, Lorna O’Neill and Jonathan Hyland from Scoil Eoin Balloonagh at their Christmas party night at Kirbys Brogue Inn on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Rachel Worthington, Shane O’Shea, Adrienne Gibson, Clodagh Mangan, Mairead Farmer and Sinead Fitzgerald at the Resilience Adult Club Christmas Party at the Ashe Hotel earlier this week. Photo by Dermot CreanSeated; John Bambury, John Eggelston and Brian O’Callaghan with, standing, Lorraine Costello, Tom Murphy, Anna O’Mahony, Carmel Moloney and Geraldine O’Connor from Ballybunion Golf Club enjoying their Christmas party at The Ashe Hotel on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.Lorraine Horan, Anne Marie Sheehan and Siobhan Flynn from McCarthy Insurance enjoying their Christmas party at The Ashe Hotel on Friday night. Photo by Dermot CreanEileen O’Leary, Catherine Foley, Lorraine O’Flaherty, Caitriona Hartnett, Samantha Stackpoole and Hilda Maguire from UHK enjoying their Christmas party at The Ashe Hotel on Friday night. Photo by Dermot Crean.
TraleeToday.ie’s coverage of Christmas Party Nights in town is brought to you by CH Tralee…
.Clodagh Leahy, Cliodhna Hayes and Kate Fitzgerald at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
IF anyone deserves a night out it’s the hard-working staff from University Hospital Kerry!
There were around 220 stylish ladies and gents at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel last night for a well-earned Christmas party night.
They enjoyed a bubbly/mulled wine reception followed by a delicious meal with entertainment from band ‘Free Beer’ followed by a DJ taking them into the early hours. Scroll down for photos…
Sandra O’Shea, Julie Cahill, Triona Brassil and Brenda O’Donoghue at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean.Louise Madden, Leanne McCarthy, Angela Walsh, Patrick O’Callaghan, Katie Moynihan, Katie Quill and Miriam Hanlon at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot CreanMehr Awan, DJ McCarty and Sumanth at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean.Teresita Perez, Mary Jo Daly, Joan Harmon and Karen Maher at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot CreanGemma O’Connor and Emma Lynch at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean.Emma Flaherty and Alan Kearney at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot CreanJanet Grunau and Cheryl McCloud at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean.Bunmi Abubakar and Cherry Mae Vente at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot CreanPaschal Boylan, Noel Lawlor, Niall Enright and Sibu Hlongwane at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean.Christina Murphy and Mossie Kelliher at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot CreanLaura Jennings, Breda Curran and Róisín Walsh at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean.Eileen McGrath, Sandra Brosnan, Amy Griffin and Pearl Baguio at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot CreanAlica Kissane and Jennifer Casey at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean.Chloe Hyde, Cheryl McCloud and Maura Hennessy at the University Hospital Kerry Christmas party night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
.Past pupils Gráinne O’Carroll, Doireann O’Carroll and Katie Ahern at Presentation Secondary School on Friday morning. Photo by Dermot Crean
PAST pupils of Presentation Secondary School came back to their alma mater to share their advice with the current sixth years at a special event in the school on Friday.
The past pupils shared their stories on the career paths they have chosen using the format of a ‘parent/teacher meeting’.
Students worked in small groups with the past pupils in the annual event which has proven popular. This initiative now in its 12th year and co-ordinated by Guidance Counsellor Mary Mulcahy.
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Topics on the day included course structure/content/options; work placement; career opportunities; studying abroad; post graduate opportunities; accommodation; mentor system; tutorial system; assessment and exams and scholarships/grants.
“We are indebted to our past pupils who offer invaluable advice on course content, career prospects and the highs and lows of college life,” said Ms. Mulcahy. Scroll down for photos…
Past pupils Dorian Pachacz and Sarah Gavaghan at Presentation Secondary School on Friday morning. Photo by Dermot CreanPast pupils Ava Kelliher, Arthur Czyrkiewicz and Ella Scanlon at Presentation Secondary School on Friday morning. Photo by Dermot Crean.Past pupils Ella Scanlon and Anna Lynch at Presentation Secondary School on Friday morning. Photo by Dermot CreanPast pupils Scarlett Bright, Aine Hanafin and Isabella Bright at Presentation Secondary School on Friday morning. Photo by Dermot Crean.
.Large crowds turned up for the Christmas parade and it takes place again in town this Sunday. Photo by Dermot Crean
THE countdown to Christmas is truly on and this Sunday sees more family fun on the streets of Tralee and in the Square.
If you missed Santa’s Magical Fairy Parade last Saturday week (0r want to watch it again!) then you can experience the colour and noise from 2pm tomorrow.
Presented by Sean Murphy Electrical with generous support from local businesses, the parade will make its way from outside Holy Family school, down Matt Talbot Road, onto Pembroke Street, Rock Street, Bridge Street and down The Mall, finishing in The Square.
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Santa and Mrs Claus, along with elves, your favourite characters and more will be there to pose with photos for the young boys and girls.
Also on Sunday, ‘Santa Claus The Show’ returns to The Square at 12.30pm and 3.30pm. The show will feature many of our Christmas musical favourites with lots of surprises along the way and promises to get everyone into the festive spirit.
WITH the festive cheer in full swing, there is no better time to plan your post Christmas break away.
The Dingle Skellig Hotel reopens on December 27th all the way through to January 4th and there are a selection of dates still available with rates from €200.00 per room per night.
The award winning team are on hand to ensure a warm, festive ambiance and during your stay you can enjoy the full amenientis of the hotel including the leisure club with pool and gym and the Spa facilities which include Sauna, Steam room and Outdoor Hot tub.
Families can rest assured that their fully supervised Fungi kids’ club will keep the little ones engaged with an amazing line up of delightful activities, ensuring parents can savour their moments of peace without worry.
Dingle itself offers atmosphere at every corner with live music, quaint shops and things to do at every turn. For bookings and more information visit www.dingleskellig.com or call 066 9150200.
Mary O’Donnell of the Cosmetic And Hair Restoration Clinic has advice on the Dermalift Microface Intense treatment at the Clinic…
New to the CHRC is Dermalift Microface Intense. Microcurrent is known to be the most effective non-surgical method to help tone and tighten sagging skin.
As we age skin loses its tone, becomes dull, lined, and starts to lose its youthful glow. The renowned Dermalift microface intense treatment is a non-surgical face lifting procedure, which provides a real alternative to surgery to combat the unwanted signs of ageing.
The treatment works on fine lines and wrinkles, crow’s feet, puffy eyes, hooded eyelids, sagging brows, neck lines, jaw lines, lip lines and facial contours.
Think of this treatment as a gym membership for your face. Normally 6-10 sessions are needed for optimum results to be achieved. A maximum of two treatments can be booked each week but weekly treatments are a usual choice.
After your final treatment, it is recommended to visit the clinic every 4-6 weeks to maintain your results. The treatment is suitable from the ages of 20-80+ if you don’t have any contraindications, that will be discussed during your consultation.
After your treatment you may experience minimal redness, and this should disappear within a very short period but there is zero down time with this treatment.
The full face takes one hour, the eye area and the jawline take 30 minutes, so very doable on your lunch break.
The first 50 clients to sign up for this treatment in 2024 will receive a 50% reduction in price.
Book in with this award-winning clinic chrc@bonsecours.ie or phone 086-0786120 to arrange your appointment now!
Know Your Rights has been compiled by Kerry Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public…
Q. What can someone do if their application for a social welfare payment is unsuccessful?
If you think you have been wrongly refused a social welfare payment, you can appeal this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office or if you can seek a review of the decision.
You must appeal within 21 days of the date of the decision letter. There is no charge for making an appeal.
To make an appeal you should download and fill out the Appeals Form which is available on line, include relevant documents (for example, your decision letter). You then email your completed form to swappeals@welfare.ie
You can also print and fill out the form and post it to Social Welfare Appeals Office, D’Olier House, D’Olier Street, Dublin, D02 XY31or get a paper form from your local Citizens Information Centre
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Where can I get help to appeal a Social Welfare decision?
The Citizens Information Service (CIS) provides an advocacy service, and many of their advocacy cases relate to social welfare issues. So, if someone feels they have been wrong refused a payment, they should contact their local CIS.
They will go through the matter with you and see if you have grounds for appeal. If they can identify ground for an appeal, they will advise on what supporting documentation you may need to support your appeal and they will assist you to put together your appeal.
In most cases the CIS will request your file from DSP to examine the reasons for the refusal and identify the factors that gave rise to the decision
When appealing a decision, it is important to focus on the reason for the refusal and then provide evidence to show that the refusal was incorrect.
Q. Are all social welfare payments covered by the appeals process?
No, some social welfare payments are not covered by the appeals process. This is because they are not set out on a statutory basis, for example, Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits, the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance or Supplementary Welfare Payments such as the Additional Needs Payment
There is no formal appeals process for these payments, but if you are unhappy with a decision on a payment not covered by the Social Welfare Appeals Process, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed by the section in the Department of Social Protection that dealt with your application. If you contact your local CIC, they can advise you about this.
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Q. Who investigates the appeal?
The Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) operates independently of the Department of Social Protection.
It is set up to provide an independent, accessible and fair appeals service in relation to entitlement to social welfare payments. The Office is headed by a Chief Appeals Officer and has its own Appeals Officers who make decisions on appeals.
As part of the appeal process, the SWAO notifies the Department of Social Protection section of the appeal and the DSP must send any relevant documents to the SWAO.
This also triggers a review of the original decision in the DSP to decide whether it should be reviewed in your favour.
In some cases, new evidence is reviewed by a social welfare inspector, or by a medical assessor if the appeal is about a sickness or disability-related payment.
If the decision is changed by the Department at this stage, you will be informed. The Department can only change the decision at this stage if the change is in your favour.
If the decision is not changed by the Department, your case will be examined by an Appeals Officer.
The Appeals Officer may decide your appeal based on written evidence. This is called deciding the appeal summarily or in some cases you may be invited to attend an oral hearing.
Q. What is an oral hearing?
Your appeal may be heard at an oral hearing. This can be arranged either because you have requested one or because the Appeals Officer decided that this is appropriate for your appeal.
Hearings are held in private. You will be invited to attend this hearing. It is informal and you can bring a representative to the hearing with you for support or assistance.
A representative can be a friend, colleague, public representative of trade union official. You can also bring legal representation.
The Citizens Information Service frequently represent people in oral hearings if they have assisted them on putting together their appeal and resources allow..
Hearings are held at a venue as near as possible to where you live.
Q. Are there any fees or other charges?
There is no fee for making an appeal about a social welfare decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
If you have to travel to attend an oral hearing, the Social Welfare Appeals Office will compensate you for any reasonable travel expenses. You can also be compensated for any loss of earnings if you have to take time off work to attend.
Q. Is there a time for appealing a decision?
You must appeal within 21 days of the date of the letter notifying you of the Deciding Officer or Designated Person’s decision. In exceptional cases, appeals received outside 21 days may be accepted. If you are making your appeal outside of the time limit, you must explain why.
• For anyone needing information, advice or have an advocacy issue, you can call a member of the local Citizens Information team in Kerry on 0818 07 7860, they will be happy to assist and make an appointment if necessary.
The offices are staffed from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. Alternatively you can email on tralee@citinfo.ie or log on to www.citizensinformation.ie for further information.
Our movie guy, James Finnegan, says there’s some shaggy dog stories, action and drama on TV today…
Based on the Jack London novel, Call of the Wild(Saturday 6.30pm RTE1) is based around the central character of a dog named Buck.
He is a crossbreed between a St Bernard and a Scotch Sheppard, a big kind hearted dog, who enjoys life in Santa Clara, California.
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He is stolen and finds himself in Alaska and the Yukon during the famous 1890’s Gold Rush, where big dogs are needed to pull sleds.
Although he is more used to a life of leisure, his will to survive is strong which is badly needed, and he needs to be strong among the pack of dogs he lives and works with on the mail run.
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An incidental moment of kindness to a grieving widow, Thornton, has long term ramifications for Buck, but there are many adventures between their intermittent meetings.
This is a fine family film, and although the CGI effects are variable, the warmth and charm of the cast, including Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Dan Stevens and Karen Gillan, ensure an enjoyable watch.
More action adventure takes place in Skyscraper (Saturday 9pm RTE2) where Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) is a former Marine, FBI hostage negotiator and amputee who is now a security expert at the world’s tallest building in Hong Kong.
He finds himself framed for sabotage when the skyscraper bursts into flames. Not only that, but his family are being held hostage by criminals on the 225th floor, and he must fight his way back into the towering inferno – sorry, I couldn’t resist it – to rescue them.
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Also starring Neve Campbell, Chin Han and Roland Taylor, and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, this disappointed at the Box Office, hence the lack of Skyscraper 2 sightings.
In Man About Dog(Saturday 9.30pm TG4), Mo Chara (Allen Leech), Cerebral Paul (Tom Murphy) and Scud Murphy (Ciaran Nolan) jointly own a greyhound. They intend to use the dog to pay off a £50,000 debt to a Belfast bookie, but the dog begins to cause more problems than anticipated.
However, when the dog shows an unexpected talent, the trio work hard and travel far to keep the dog and stay out of the clutches of the various groups who have taken an unexpected interest in their canine friend. This is a decent, home grown comedy that was directed by Paddy Breathnach.
Sandra Bullock stars as Gwen Cummings, a big city newspaper columnist in 28 Days(Saturday 10.45 RTE2). She is rather over fond of having a “good time” courtesy of drink and drugs.
When she gets loaded at her sister’s wedding and crashes the limousine, her family decide it is time she got herself sorted out at the 28 Days rehab facility referred to in the title.
Also starring Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West, Elizabeth Perkins, Diane Ladd and Steve Buscemi. Not one of Sandra’s best but will while away a couple of hours. Enjoy!
.The ‘Mer Sisters’ preparing for the Bryan Carr School of Performing Arts production of ‘The Little Mermaid JR.’ at Siamsa Tíre on Thursday. Photo by Dermot Crean
THE students of Bryan Carr School of Performing Arts are presenting their musical production of the famous Disney story in ‘The Little Mermaid JR’ which will come to life on the stage of Siamsa Tire this weekend.
They’ve already performed a matinee shows for schoolchildren over Thursday and Friday, before another performance tonight and two on Saturday and young audiences will love it.
The Bryan Carr School of Performing Arts cast includes over 100 students led by their director and singing teacher Bryan Carr with choreography by Eleanor Feely and Laura Daly.
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Audiences are invited to journey “under the sea” with Ariel and her aquatic friends in Disney’s The Little Mermaid JR., adapted from Disney’s Broadway production and the motion picture.
Some tickets are still available for Friday evenings and Saturday’s performances. Click here for ticket information. Scroll down for photos…
The ‘seagulls’ preparing for the Bryan Carr School of Performing Arts production of ‘The Little Mermaid JR.’ at Siamsa Tíre on Thursday. Photo by Dermot Crean.Kneeling; Herman Purtov and Luke Sheehy. Standing; Ella Mazurek, Robyn McCluskey, Ella Sheehy, Maria Samy and Rí-Ann Zhang preparing for the Bryan Carr School of Performing Arts production of ‘The Little Mermaid JR.’ at Siamsa Tíre on Thursday. Photo by Dermot CreanMatthew Riordan, Amy Cronin, John Feely and Cathal Carr preparing for the Bryan Carr School of Performing Arts production of ‘The Little Mermaid JR.’ at Siamsa Tíre on Thursday. Photo by Dermot Crean.Flotsam and Jetsam — Kayla Kirwan and Cáit Griffin preparing for the Bryan Carr School of Performing Arts production of ‘The Little Mermaid JR.’ at Siamsa Tíre on Thursday. Photo by Dermot CreanThe ‘Tentacles’ preparing for the Bryan Carr School of Performing Arts production of ‘The Little Mermaid JR.’ at Siamsa Tíre on Thursday. Photo by Dermot Crean.The ‘Sea Creatures’ preparing for the Bryan Carr School of Performing Arts production of ‘The Little Mermaid JR.’ at Siamsa Tíre on Thursday. Photo by Dermot Crean
.Maurice Dillon, Corey O’Brien, Michelle Ward, Bernadette O’Connor and Patrick Doody at The Ashe Hotel on Thursday evening. Photo by Dermot Crean
IF you passed by the Ashe Memorial Hall or Kerry County Buildings last night you might have noticed a bit of a colour change.
The buildings were lit up blue to mark National Irish Sign Language Day. On December 14 2017, the Irish Sign Language (ISL) Act was passed by the Dáil.
This date was a momentous day as it followed years of hard work and campaigning by the Deaf community, led by the Irish Deaf Society and supported by Senator Mark Daly.
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To commemorate this milestone, the Deaf community now celebrates National ISL Day every year on that date.
Local members of the community came out to mark the event in front of The Ashe Memorial and enjoyed refreshments afterwards in The Ashe Hotel.
.Teresita Bobiles, Shane Murphy and teacher Kay Lanigan Ryan at the fundraiser at Kerry College on Thursday. Photo by Dermot Crean
THE students of the QQI Level 5 Professional Cookery and Hospitality Operations course at Kerry College pulled out all the stops on Thursday at a special fundraiser with all proceeds going to Tony Noonan’s Christmas Lights Charity.
There was a get-together for staff and students in the main canteen of the Clash Campus where guest speaker was Tony Noonan from Templeglantine, with tasty treats were served and donations encouraged. Eventually, €335.31 was raised.
Tony —who spectacularly lights up his home every year and welcomes donations to charities Recovery Haven Cancer Support House; Slí Eile, Churchtown, Co. Cork; Limerick Suicide Watch and Milford Care Centre — spoke passionately about the impact that this fundraiser would have for the four beneficiaries.
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He commended the initiative and drive shown by the student body. According to Tony it’s people like those in Kerry College who make a powerful difference to others lives at Christmas.
Students of the QQI Level 5 Professional Cookery and Hospitality Operations course hosted a coffee morning in the college restaurant ‘Restaurant 22’ and held a raffle also with all proceeds going to Tony Noonan charity efforts.
Teacher Miranda Cournane with Tony Noonan speaking to students at Kerry College in Clash on Thursday morning. Photo by Dermot Crean.Teacher Miranda Cournane and Principal of Kerry College Stephen Goulding with students Brendon Bearss, Edelina Ogu, Iryna Schernova, and Liudmyla Dumanova at the fundraiser at Kerry College on Thursday. Photo by Dermot CreanHospitality Operations and Professional Cookery students Ella Hannon, Chloe Hennebery and Mane Graagac at the Kerry College fundraiser on Thursday morning. Photo by Dermot Crean.The presentation of a cheque taken outside college after the fundraiser. Included is Kay Lanigan Ryan (Teacher), Stephen Goulding (Principal), Miranda Cournane (Teacher and Events Co-ordinator) with Tony Noonan of Noonan’s Christmas Lights Charity.
THE Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital Kerry (UHK) is currently experiencing overcrowding due to increased presentations with a variety of complex needs.
There were 32 patients waiting on trolleys at the hospital this morning according to the latest figures from Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
Management at the hospital is asking members of the public to only attend in the case of a genuine emergency and are advising that, where possible, a GP or South Doc out of hours service be consulted in the first instance.
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However, if members of the public are seriously injured or ill, the Emergency Department is always available.
Staff and management are working to prioritise the discharge of patients as soon as possible where appropriate. Management at UHK will monitor the situation on a continued basis and apologise to the public for any inconvenience caused.
THIS year has seen the highest numbers of patients waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Kerry since records began in 2006.
GARDAI are appealing for information after a number of theft incidents over the past week or so.
AFTER the mega €500,000 win in Tralee on Friday in the Euromillions, another player who bought their ticket for Saturday night’s Lotto draw is celebrating another big win.
A EuroMillions Plus draw winning ticket worth €500,000 was bought in Tralee.
Mary O’Donnell of the Cosmetic And Hair Restoration Clinic has advice on the Dermalift Microface Intense treatment at the Clinic…
Know Your Rights has been compiled by Kerry Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public…
Our movie guy, James Finnegan, says there’s some shaggy dog stories, action and drama on TV today…
More action adventure takes place in Skyscraper (Saturday 9pm RTE2) where Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) is a former Marine, FBI hostage negotiator and amputee who is now a security expert at the world’s tallest building in Hong Kong.
However, when the dog shows an unexpected talent, the trio work hard and travel far to keep the dog and stay out of the clutches of the various groups who have taken an unexpected interest in their canine friend. This is a decent, home grown comedy that was directed by Paddy Breathnach.
When she gets loaded at her sister’s wedding and crashes the limousine, her family decide it is time she got herself sorted out at the 28 Days rehab facility referred to in the title.
