This week, the Killarney Advertiser team were looking through old records of the magazine, and we stumbled across this story from 1979.

It was published on March 23, almost 47 years to today’s date.

We thought it was quite the coincidence, given the current roadworks happening on Park Road at the moment.

The current roadworks, which are part of the active travel and road resurfacing project, were originally scheduled to be completed before Christmas; however, they are running behind schedule.

Back in February, it was indicated that the works wouldn’t finish until March, like the article in 1979, wouldn’t it be great if it was finished before Easter?

The new sports complex at Derreen is on track to open in time for the 2026/2027 basketball season, which traditionally begins in early October.

Members of St Paul’s Basketball Club visited the site last Saturday to view the ongoing progress and get an inside glimpse of what the finished facility will look like.

The project is driven by the Kerry Stars Special Olympics Club, St Paul’s Basketball Club and Killarney Judo Club.

The new complex is being built adjacent to the Killarney Celtic grounds and Killarney Legion GAA Club and will create a central sports hub in town.

Cllr Niall ‘Botty O’Callaghan, a member of the St Paul’s club and a long-time supporter of the project, told the Killarney Advertiser:

“The building is really coming to fruition for the whole community. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media have been outstanding in helping us with us with the paperwork and a big thanks goes to Minister Patrick O’Donovan. We are working really hard to have the hall up and running before next season. I can’t wait for St Paul’s, the Judo Club and the Kerry Stars to get up and running in our new hall.”

The development represents a major addition to the sporting infrastructure in the area, providing a permanent home for several local clubs that have previously relied on various school halls and external venues.

Once completed, the hall will serve as a high-spec hub for basketball, judo, and Special Olympics activities