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Killarney Basketball Legend Laid To Rest

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KILLARNEY Basketball legend and former Mayor  Paudie O'Connor was fondly remembered at his funeral mass in St. Mary's Cathedral, Killarney, last Saturday morning.

Killarney Parish Administrator Fr Kieran O¹Brien, chief celebrant, recalled Paudie's outstanding sporting and political career. There were also emotional tributes from Paudie's daughter Morgan and his brother Seamie O'Connor.

The huge crowd in the Cathedral included several people from all parts of Ireland as former teammates and opponents gathered to pay their respects.

Killarney came to a standstill as the hearse went through the streets. Paudie's former club and International teammate Tim Regan led the Basketball guard of honour while Dr. Crokes GAA Club Chairman Patrick O'Sullivan led the GAA one.

A Dr Crokes flag and Paudie's famous No.12 basketball singlet with St. Vincent's Killarney adorned the urn in the hearse.

At Aghadoe Cemetery, Seamie O'Connor released two white doves in memory of his late brother.

Paudie O'Connor  passed away on May 1st at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 66.  He is still ranked as the greatest Irish basketball player of all time and represented Ireland over 100 times.

A former Irish captain, he was the first and only Irish player ever to be selected on a European All Star first five in 1977.

His visionary skills and ambition brought Irish basketball to a new level in 1979 when he brought the first American professional players to the Irish league.

He was also a driving force of  the popular John Player and Pretty Polly Ladies Basketball Championships  that used to attract over  120 teams from all over Ireland to Killarney every Easter in the 1970s and 80s.

A funeral service also took place in Guardian Angel Cathedral, Las Vegas recently.

Predeceased by his parents Mai (1987) and Dan (2001) and brother Benny (2009), Paudie is survived by his beloved daughter, Morgan (nee O'Connor) Mauro, her mother, Marty; son-in-law, Marcello Mauro; grandson, Luciano Connor Mauro; brothers, Seamie and Mike; sisters-in-law, Fidelma and Peggy; and nephews, Patrick, Richard and Philip O'Connor, relatives and a large circle of friends.

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s


World renowned Paralympian and world record holder Jason Smyth paid a visit to St Brendan’s College on Wednesday afternoon as part of a high profile visit to Killarney.


The six time Paralympic gold medallist spoke to second year students from St Brendan’s College, alongside students from neighbouring schools St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School and Killarney Community College.
The interactive talk and interview took place ahead of World Sight Day, with the legendary sprinter sharing his personal journey with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that left him legally blind at eight years old.
The Derry native, who holds the world record as the fastest Paralympian on earth over 100 metres, offered inspiring insights into overcoming physical adversity and achieving success at the highest level of world sport.
The school visit formed the opening leg of his Killarney schedule before he took centre stage later on Wednesday evening at The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa.
Smyth headlined An Evening with Paralympian Jason Smyth, an event organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce as part of its winter schedule, sponsored by AIB.

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Deerpark Retail Park placed on market for fifteen million euro

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Deerpark Retail Park in Killarney has officially been placed on the market with a guide price in excess of 15.4 million euro, excluding VAT.

International real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as the sole sales agent to handle the high-profile commercial property sale on behalf of its current owner, Investcorp.

Investcorp, a global investment management firm headquartered in Bahrain, had previously acquired the prominent shopping complex.


The sale represents one of the largest commercial property offerings to launch in County Kerry this year.

Located roughly 1.3 kilometres west of Killarney town centre, the scheme enjoys strong regional connectivity and sits adjacent to independently owned operations including a Tesco Extra store, a Tesco petrol filling station, JYSK, and Aldi.


Constructed in 2006, the development extends across approximately 10,482 square metres, or 112,835 square feet.

The scheme comprises a mix of modern retail warehouse units and a complementary neighbourhood centre, offering 13 individual units in total with Part Open and Part Bulky Use planning permission.

The units range in size from 94.6 square metres up to 1,994.9 square metres. Visitors have access to approximately 248 customer parking spaces across the commercial grounds.

The park is currently 100 per cent occupied by a strong line-up of established national and international brands.

Key retail tenants include Marks & Spencer, Boots, DID Electrical, Maxi Zoo, and Mountain Warehouse.

The neighbourhood centre element accommodates service and convenience operators such as Costa Coffee, Card Factory, and Salon B.

The first-floor accommodation is fully let to Peak Performance Academy, which provides additional rental diversification.

Additionally, the scheme benefits from an agreement with Tesla to operate eight electric vehicle charging bays within the customer car park.


Commercial figures show that the property generates a total current rental income of 1,326,458 euro per annum, with a weighted average unexpired lease term of 4.45 years to break options and 6.46 years to lease expiry.

Cushman & Wakefield noted that the quoted guide price of 15.4 million euro reflects a net initial yield of 7.83 per cent, assuming standard purchaser costs of 9.96 per cent.

The selling agents highlighted that the fully occupied asset offers investors an attractive income profile alongside scope for additional income generation through parking commercialisation.

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