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Killarney businessman swaps car for scooter to beat traffic

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One Killarney businessman has come up with a novel way of dealing with the town’s crippling traffic problem: he has ditched his car in favour of a nifty scooter.

Fed up with trying to get around town during the busy tourist, Frank Doran of Safeguard Security decided to buy a scooter so he could bypass the long lines of traffic that plague Killarney throughout the summer months.

“We offer a 24-hour service and we need to get to people’s properties pretty quickly in the event of a burglary or fire alarm activation,” Frank explained. “The traffic is so frustrating around different parts of the town. It’s definitely worse this year. Last year was bad, and that’s what prompted me to think about getting a scooter, but this year has been hectic. If you’re out the Fossa side and you’re trying to get in towards town, you come up Mission Road and it’s bumper to bumper. It can take you back as far as the cathedral sometimes and it moves at a snail’s pace.

“It’s the bane of our lives, really.”

The TEIR 1 report, which was released earlier this year, highlighted the town’s intertwined traffic and parking issues as major concerns but Mr Doran says it’s time for action, not words.

“I know the council are trying to do the best they can and they’ve done lots of surveys, but nobody seems to be coming up with any ideas,” he said. “You wonder, what’s the point of these surveys?

“It’s a marvellous town and we’re probably victims of our own success in that regard. I understand that Killarney is probably unique with the amount of visitors who come here but we still need to be able to get around and manage our town better from a traffic point of view.

“I think if a number of businesspeople – who see what’s happening each day of the week – in conjunction with the council and the gardaí could set up a committee to look at the problem, it might be a far better option. They’re doing surveys for a number of years now but we’re still no better off. Somebody needs to do something.”

Mr Doran is just one of a large number of residents and business owners who have expressed their dismay at the traffic in Killarney this summer. It appears as though long tailbacks on Muckross Road, Lewis Road, Mission Road, Rock Road, Park Road and the Cork Road, among other places, have left locals at the end of their collective tether. Fair play to Mr Doran for thinking outside the box but for many Killarney people alternative transportation isn’t an option.

Hopefully this worrying issue isn’t swept under the carpet as things get quieter and we approach the off-season. Surely now is the time to address it head on; it can’t be left until next summer when things get out of hand again.

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Chamber pays tribute to late Dick Henggeler

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee. Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee.

Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at his home in Baltimore, USA surrounded by his Aghadoe-born wife Eibhlin (née Moriarty), their son Franz, and other family members.
Dick and Eibhlin purchased The Rose Hotel in 2015 in tribute to their late daughter Dorothy, who represented Washington DC in the 2011 Rose of Tralee Festival.
The Chamber said Mr Henggeler would be remembered for his warmth, good nature and positive approach, as well as for being a forward-thinking and knowledgeable businessman.
“He knew how to run a good hotel and that was and still is very obvious at The Rose Hotel, which is a great success story,” the Chamber said.
It added that continuity of ownership will remain in place, with Eibhlin, Franz, daughter-in-law Amber, and grandchildren Conrad and Rowan continuing to honour Dick’s legacy and vision for the hotel.
“Dick took enormous personal pride in Tralee and all of Kerry and he was always available to generously support any community initiative or endeavour undertaken in Killarney,” the Chamber said.
“He will be greatly missed by all that knew him but he leaves a wonderful legacy.”

He will repose at O’Shea’s Funeral Home, Killarney, on Friday (October 17), from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The funeral will arrive at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday morning at 10:00am for Requiem Mass at 10:30am, with burial afterwards in Aghadoe Cemetery. The Requiem Mass will be live streamed at https://www.churchservices.tv/killarneycathedral.

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Beaufort Film Night returns with French drama-comedy

Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band. The film tells the story of Thibaut, […]

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Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band.

The film tells the story of Thibaut, a successful conductor recently diagnosed with leukaemia. A search for a bone marrow donor reveals that he was adopted and has a brother, Jimmy, a cafeteria worker.
The two meet, discover a shared love of music, and form a strong bond through an unexpected collaboration with Jimmy’s workplace band.
The Marching Band (French title En Fanfare) will screen at 8.30pm. Admission is €7, cash only, and will cover the motion picture licence fee.
The film has a 12A rating and is in French with English subtitles.
Beaufort Film Night is a non-profit community group that screens cultural English and international films that usually do not receive general release in Kerry.
The event is supported by Kerry County Council Arts Office and Access Cinema. Cullina National School is providing the venue.
Further details are available on Beaufort Film Night’s Facebook page @BeaufortFilmNight.

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