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Kerry’s brightest and best young entrepreneurs honoured

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PICTURE: DOMNICK WALSH

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YOUNG entrepreneurs from Killarney and Ballyhar were among Kerry’s brightest and best who took a bow when they received top accolades this week. Some €50,000 investment fund presented by Local Enterprise Office Kerry to six young entrepreneurs in the county, all aged between 18 and 35.

IBYE, which has a €2 million investment fund, is run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) and is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland.

A total of €50,000 was awarded in prizes across three different categories including best Business Idea, Best Start Up Business and Best Established Business.

The overall “Best Young Entrepreneur” for the county was named by Local Enterprise Office Kerry as Derek Counihan, age 32 from Tralee, who founded the company Harpoon. This business provides services to support businesses monetise their digital marketing using up to date technology. The entrepreneur also won the category for Best Start-Up Business and an investment fund from LEO Kerry worth €15,000.

The other main category winners on the day were Pádraig O’Leary, age 33, from Killarney, who won the Best Business Idea with his business Cora. Cora will provide cloud based services to assist pharmacies optimize their revenue streams through non-core activities. Pádraig won a prize of €7,000.

David Monson, aged 31, from Ballyheigue, of Monson Irish Jewellery, won the Best Established Business category and a prize of €15,000.

Jessica Clinton and Michael Lenihan of Ballyhar Foods were category runners-up in the Best Established Business category of the Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) county finals which took place in the Ballygarry House Hotel on Wednesday.

The category runners-up also shared an investment of €13,000 between their three businesses. The other runners-up were: Rowan Copeland, aged 21, Castlegregory in the Best Business Idea category with Go Yeti; and Joseph Moynihan, aged 27, JM Agri-Design, Tralee, in the Best Start-Up Business category.

Tomás Hayes, the Head of Local Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Kerry said: “Our office started the search to find Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur in August and the competition received a record-breaking number of entries this year, with 1,800 young entrepreneurs applying nationally. After a very successful IBYE bootcamp and County Final, the future is bright for both youth entrepreneurship and job creation in the region.”

These sentiments were echoed by Moira Murrell, the Chief Executive of Kerry County Council who commended the participants on the very high standard of the applications received.

Special guests at the IBYE County Final included the Mayor of Kerry, Cllr Michael O’Shea, Jerry Moloney, Regional Manager of Enterprise Ireland and Moira Murrell, Chief Executive of Kerry County Council.

The Regional Finals for IBYE to select 24 national finalists across the three competition categories will take place in January and February 2017.

Further details on the competition and supports available to young entrepreneurs are available through www.localenterprise.ie and from the IBYE website at www.ibye.ie.
 


 
Front, Tomás Hayes, Kerry LEO, Mayor Michael O'Shea, winner Derek Counihan, Jerry Moloney, Enterprise Ireland; back, David Monson, Jessica Clinton, Rowan Copeland, Padraig O'Leary and Joseph Moynihan. PICTURE: DOMNICK WALSH

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Women’s Aid highlights rising femicide figures following Killarney death

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Women’s Aid highlights rising femicide figures following Killarney death

Following the violent death of Jamey Carney in Killarney on Tuesday, national charity Women’s Aid has released a stark update regarding violence against women in Ireland.

According to the Women’s Aid Femicide Watch for the Republic of Ireland, eight women have died in violent circumstances so far this year.

This figure already exceeds the total of seven women recorded during the entirety of 2025.

Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid, said:

“Violence, abuse, and even at its extremes, death, are still a reality for many women living in Ireland. After the devastating murder of Ashling Murphy in 2022, Ireland said never again. But Ireland has not lived up to that promise.

“Since then, 40 women have died violently in Ireland. That is 40 women with lives, dreams, family, friends and communities.

“Since we started the Women’s Aid Femicide Watch in 1996, 286 women have died violently in Ireland. Every death is an outrage. An absolute tragic loss of life resulting in utter heartache and trauma for those left behind.

“We are thinking today of those who will be deeply impacted by the loss of life in Killarney. Prevention of all domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is crucial and urgent.”

“The Women’s Aid Femicide Watch shows that 87% of women (where the case has been resolved) were killed by a man known to them. We also know that in Ireland, one in three women has been subjected to domestic abuse of some kind.

“Every woman has the right to be safe in her home and in her community, and this is just not the case. We must do the work required to achieve equality and safety for all, to make Ireland a country that truly has zero tolerance for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.”

Support is available on the Women’s Aid 24-Hour National Freephone Helpline on 1800 341 900, or go to womensaid.ie to use the Instant Message Service or for more information on domestic violence and abuse.”

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Killarney Gardaí await post-mortem results as Muckross Road scene remains cordoned off

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Killarney Gardaí await post-mortem results as Muckross Road scene remains cordoned off

Gardaí investigating the discovery of a woman’s body at a residence on Muckross Road in Killarney are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination to determine the direction of their inquiries.

It is understood that a full murder investigation is expected to be launched.

The deceased has been named locally as Jamey Carney, an American national in her 40s and the mother of a 13-year-old girl.

The scene at the domestic residence remains cordoned off today for a full technical examination, with a visible Garda presence continuing at the location.

An incident room has been established at Killarney Garda Station under a Senior Investigating Officer. Local businesses in the area have already begun supplying CCTV footage to assisting officers.

Speaking to the Killarney Advertiser, local councillor Martin Grady expressed the deep sense of shock in the area.

“I want to offer my condolences to the family,” Cllr Grady said. “This is an awful shock to the local community. I encourage anyone to come forward with any information they may have to An Garda Síochána. Whoever committed such a crime is a cowardly person and should get the maximum penalty.”

Gardaí continue to appeal to anyone who was in the Muckross Road area between the evening of Monday, July 6 and the afternoon of Tuesday, July 7 to come forward. They are particularly appealing to road users and business owners who may have dashcam or CCTV footage from the area during those times.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Killarney Garda Station on 064 667 1160, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.

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