.At the launch of the Tralee International Bridge Congress recently were, front row, from left: Nicky Fitzgibbon , Aisling Foley (The Rose Hotel) Kelan O’Connor (Congress President) Back Row Raphael Nana (Home Instead) , Nevaeh – Lee Nana, Mark Sullivan (The Rose Hotel) , Minister Norma Foley T.D , Liam Lynch (North Munster President).
THE official launch of the Tralee International Bridge Congress 2024 held at The Rose Hotel recently set the stage for what is anticipated to be a highlight event in the Irish bridge calendar for 2024, scheduled from April 5th to 7th.
The launch was attended by Minister Norma Foley TD, and supported by generous sponsors, Home Instead – Kerry/West Cork and The Rose Hotel.
Taking place this weekend, the congress is expected to welcome over 300 participants. This year’s event will feature the prestigious Munster teams competitions for the Thomond and Desmond Cups.
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An invitation is extended to bridge enthusiasts nationwide to join them in Tralee for a celebration of skill, strategy, and camaraderie.
GARDAI in Tralee are appealing for information after a number of separate incidents in the Tralee area over the past week.
On Monday, April 1, at 2.26am, an incident took place outside a premises on Castle Street, where a man was pushed up against a glass door, which then smashed.
Gardai are appealing for witnesses or any dashcam footage from passing motorists to contact them at Tralee Garda Station on 066-7102300.
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On Thursday, March 28, at 6.30pm, Gardai received a report of a female, wearing a green tracksuit being assaulted on the Killeen Road and having visible injuries to her eye. The alleged assailant was described as a male with red hair.
Again, Gardaí are looking for any witnesses or motorists with dashcam footage to come forward to Tralee Garda Station.
Also on Thursday, March 28, between 10am and 6pm, a porch door of a house at Kielduff was forced open and entry was gained. Two rooms were ransacked, but its unknown at this point if anything was taken.
If anyone saw anyone acting suspicious in the Kielduff area or witnessed the incident to contact them at Tralee Garda Station.
LAST week, members of ViClarity participated in the planting of indigenous Hawthorn trees in Tralee, as part of their corporate social responsibility initiative.
The company, based at Kerry Technology Park, contributed to the planting of more than 400 trees at Holy Family Primary School, which will enhance the biodiversity of the area in time to come.
These trees will serve as vital habitats for local wildlife, offering shelter, food, and breeding grounds for various species.
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Tralee Tidy Towns Chairperson, Brendan O’Brien, said “we are delighted to have the support of ViClarity today on this important project, helping the school community to take climate and biodiversity action simultaneously with the planting of a native Hawthorn hedge. We were delighted to collaborate with Holy Family Primary School, ViClarity, Trees on the Land who donated the trees and Green and Growing landscaping who provided the mulch for the trees”.
ViClarity’s CEO, Ogie Sheehy said “I am delighted that the ViClarity team was able to give back to the local community this morning by helping plant Hawthorn trees in Tralee. This greatly helps with the biodiversity of the local area and the sustainability of our environment, underpinning our commitment to our CSR values at ViClarity.”
Through initiatives like this, we strive to leave a lasting, positive impact on both the natural world and the communities we serve.
The ViClarity team planting trees..The ViClarity team planting trees.The ViClarity team planting trees.The ViClarity team planting trees.The ViClarity team planting trees.
.Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan on their way to victory in last year’s Assess Ireland Rally of the Lakes. Photo: D Harrigan
THE 2024 Assess Ireland International Rally of the Lakes will take place over the May Bank Holiday weekend from May 3 to 5.
A capacity entry is anticipated for the fourth round of the 2024 Samdec Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
The rally is also a counting round of the new-for-2024 Stellantis Cup for Peugeot and Opel Rally4 cars, the Southern Four regional rally championship and the Kingdom of Kerry county rally championship ensuring a stellar entry across all categories.
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The Rally of Lakes is expected to generate over 5,000 bed nights for Killarney and surrounding areas which is estimated to generate more than €5m of revenue for the local economy.
Clerk of the Course, Cormac Casey, said “Event planning is at an advanced stage. We are holding regular meetings and the event is coming together nicely, We hope to open entries as soon as regulations have been approved.”
The rally will return to the famous stages on the Beara Peninsula on Saturday including such loved roads as Ardgroom, Cod’s Head and the Tim Healy Pass.
Saturday’s loop, close to Killarney, will be run over many familiar East Kerry roads with some new twists and additional mileage thrown in for good measure.
The rally will get underway with scrutineering of cars at 1.00 pm on Friday, May 3. This will be followed by a Ceremonial Start in Killarney town centre from around 7 pm that evening.
Both will be ideal opportunities to see the rally cars and drivers before the start of the competition. The headquarters for the event is the Gleneagle Hotel on Muckross Road.
Admission to all events will be free over the weekend. Official Rally Programmes will be available at least ten days before the event.
.The Board of the Kerry Tourism Industry Federation (KTIF) held their March meeting at the Hotel, Culinary and Tourism Building in Munster Technological University (MTU). Pictured were: Mark Sullivan (The Rose Hotel), Anne Looney (MTU), Pat O’Leary (Chair KTIF) and Martha Farrell (MTU). Photo: Michelle Breen Crean Photography
THE Board of the Kerry Tourism Industry Federation (KTIF) held their March meeting at the Hotel, Culinary and Tourism Building in Munster Technological University (MTU).
Present at the end of the meeting were members of the board of Tralee Chamber Alliance Mark Sullivan and Martha Farrell along with Anne Looney of MTU.
Tralee Chamber Alliance has been a member of KTIF since its inception back in 2018 and is represented on the board by John Edwards of Wild Water Adventures.
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As Tralee gets ready to host the 7th International Fire Behaviour and Fuel Conference this month, which will be based out of the Rose Hotel and will run alongside the US host Boise in Idaho and Canberra, Australia, Tralee Chamber members are keen to highlight the quality that the county capital has to offer.
Board member of KTIF and CEO of Tralee Chamber Alliance, Colette O’Connor said: “The relationship between KTIF and its members including Tralee Chamber has been instrumental in the growth and strengthening of Kerry as the Irish destination for visitors, engagement with industry members has been at the heart of KTIF since the very beginning.
The Board of the Kerry Tourism Industry Federation (KTIF) held their March meeting at the Hotel, Culinary and Tourism Building in Munster Technological University (MTU). Pictured were: Anne Looney (MTU), Mark Sullivan (The Rose Hotel), Colette O’Connor (CEO Tralee Chamber Alliance), Emer Corridan (Cahernane Hotel),Mike Buckley (Kerry Convention Bureau), Pat O’Leary (Chair KTIF), Patrick O’Donoghue (CEO The Gleneagle Group) and Martha Farrell (MTU). Photo: Michelle Breen Crean Photography
“I can remember the impact that first workshop held in the Brehon Hotel with Dr. Terry Stephens had back in 2018. The room was full of industry representatives from across the county all there to gain insights and to come together to see what we could do as a collective to drive Kerry as the ultimate destination for visitors both national and international and to be an effective voice for tourism in the county.”
Pat O’Leary, Chairperson of Kerry Tourism Industry Federation, said; “KTIF since its formation has on behalf of its members, championed the tourism sector across the whole county. The benefits of a collective approach to marketing, sustainability, and training as the single entity representing the tourism industry in the county interacting with local and national government bodies and industry agencies have enhanced Kerry’s reputation as the number one visitor destination in the country. The enhanced discoverkerry.com website and new Kerry brand developed in conjunction with Kerry County Council and Kerry SciTech is an example of how the county can benefit from this cooperative approach.”
David Moriarty reports on Kerry FC’s game against UCD in Dublin yesterday evening…
UCD 1-1 KERRY FC
Kerry were back on the road on the Bank Holiday Monday as they faced UCD for their first-ever trip to the capital.
It was a quick turnaround from Friday’s game which saw Conor McCarthy’s men draw at home against Wexford FC.
UCD came into the game with three wins in a row over Athlone Town, Cobh Ramblers, and Longford Town respectively. The confidence in the team was flying as they look to get back to the Premier Division where they had been for the previous two years.
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Kerry made a couple changes from Friday night with Victor Udeze and Cian Brosnan starting ahead of Ryan Kelliher and Sam Aladesanusi who was still feeling the effects of his collision on Friday night which forced him off in the first half.
Kerry FC fans were happy with the current unbeaten run by the first team, but UCD was a completely different test and knew that the team needed to be on their A-game if they were to come away from the bowl with the five-game unbeaten streak still intact.
Kerry had their first sight of goal when they earned a corner which was swung in by Cian Brosnan. The ball reached Andy Spain who got his head to it but was not anywhere near strong enough to trouble Kian Moore. Daire McCarthy added an effort from far out just six minutes later but was well wide of goal.
UCD had the majority of the possession in the early parts of the game but were not creating anything concrete. Michael McCullagh and Ciaran Behan tried shots from outside the area in an attempt to break the Kerry resistance, but both were saved and gathered by Antonio Tuta.
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The second attempt was more challenging for the Croatian shot-stopper, but he eventually got down and covered the ball saving any incoming danger of the ball going into an empty net.
Two minutes after the second shot on goal, UCD took the lead. Ciaran Behan who tested the waters earlier had plenty of space to go for yet another effort on goal.
He hit the jackpot on this occasion and his left-footed effort darted straight into the right side of the goal giving the hosts the lead with eleven minutes before the break.
Behan was involved again five minutes after the goal but not for the right reasons as he was booked for simulation which was not contested by many of his teammates.
The half-finished in a lead for UCD, and it was evident Kerry would need a big pep talk ahead of the second half.
Many times, similar to this last season, the game would be finished and done but the resilience Kerry FC has shown in 2024 has been something we did not see at all last year giving them all the chance in the world of getting back into this game.
Kennedy Amechi and Ryan Kelliher replaced Victor Udeze and Cian Brosnan at halftime in an attempt to salvage something in the second half and just twelve minutes after the restart they did so thanks to Daniel Okwute.
Okwute was persistent in creating a chance with the ball on the right wing and got away from two tackles on the flank. His first cross was blocked, and it came back to him to try again which he did and although it went straight into the hands of Moore, the keeper dropped the ball into the back of his own net.
Even though it was not as pretty on the eye as his goal away against Athlone, he did not care in the slightest and Kerry were back in it
The goal in the early stages of the half gave this Kerry team the world of confidence and they were playing much better than the opening half.
UCD were going without possession for substantial portions and were being forced back by this rejuvenated Kerry FC team.
UCD had another couple of big chances towards the end of the game with Ciaran Behan having a header at the near post go just wide of Antonio Tuta’s left-hand post. Michael McCullagh had a shot go over the crossbar too as time was running out for both sides to get the winner.
Kerry thought they had won it as a 92nd minute, but Ryan Kelliher’s goal was ruled out for offside.
After further inspection after the game, it was fair to say the right call had been made. The rest of injury time was played out and Kerry came out of Dublin in their first trip to the capital with a point.
Just one game away from the first quarter of the season being completed and already Kerry FC have half of their points total of last season.
The team is definitely going places and getting better and better each week. Once again, they hope to get that much-needed first-ever League of Ireland home win on Friday night when they take on basement side Longford Town in Mounthawk Park.
UCD Team: 1. Kian Moore, 2. Alex Dunne, 3. Adam Wells, 5. Harvey O’Brien, 6. Sean Brennan, 7. Michael McCullagh, 9. Michael Raggett, 10. Ciaran Behan (Goal ’34), 13. Donal Higgins, 18. Niall Holohan, 29. Jake Doyle.
Subs: Dara Kavanagh, Harry Curtis, Colin Bolton, Danu Kinsella Bishop, Ryan McBrearty, Adam Verdon, Luke O’Regan, Hugh Parker, Stephen Mohan.
Kerry FC Team: 1. Antonio Tuta, 15. Kevin Williams, 5. Andy Spain (C), 6. Ethan Kos, 3. Sean O’Connell, 21. Daire McCarthy, 7. Sean McGrath, 8. Ronan Teahan, 22. Victor Udeze, 11. Daniel Okwute (Goal ’57), 17. Cian Brosnan.
Subs: Darragh Foley, Steven Healy, Ryan Kelliher, Kennedy Amechi, Togor Silong, Samuel Aladesanusi, Finn Barrett, Graham O’Reilly, Cianan Cooney.
GARDAI in Tralee are appealing for information after a number of separate incidents in the Tralee area over the past week.
David Moriarty reports on Kerry FC’s game against UCD in Dublin yesterday evening…