Connect with us

News

Races ensure a massive €8m boost for Killarney

Published

on

K

KILLARNEY Races are now worth nearly €8 million to the local economy and the company that organises the three yearly festivals insists that the estimate is on the conservative side.

Hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, bars, shops and transport service providers all report a boom during the races in May, July and August, in addition to fashion houses and hair and beauty professionals who enjoy a huge spin-off from the Queen of Fashion event in July and Ladies Day in August.

An extra day of racing was added in July – bringing the total number to 12 in the year – and a whopping €1.5 million in prizemoney was on offer for the 2018 season.

“The hope is to increase this next year, along with adding new dates to our already busy calendar,” said Killarney Race Company Chairman, Gerard Coughlan.

He said attendances for the three festivals was hugely encouraging and he thanked all patrons and sponsors who supported the races.

“We went out on a real high with a 15 per cent increase in attendance last Saturday, the closing day of the August Festival, bringing a very successful year on the track to a wonderful climax.

“Despite the drought, the course was in pristine condition for all three festivals and we would like to compliment course supervisor, Padraig Bruton, and his team for their great work,” Mr Coughlan stated.

Killarney is unique in Irish Racing in that it hosts two separate Ladies Day events. This year marked Dawn Milk’s 25th consecutive year associated with Killarney Racecourse through Queen of Fashion sponsorship in July and a new sponsor joined this year for the August Ladies Day with Simply Suits of Killarney and Cork coming on board.

Another big attraction this year was the arrival at the track, by helicopter, of newly crowned Rose of Tralee, Kirstin Mate Maher, who was making the first public appearance of her 12-month reign presenting the Killarney Advertiser Handicap winners

In keeping with the company’s customer care policy, a complimentary return shuttle bus service from the town centre to the track and back was very well received by racegoers and it assisted greatly with the overall traffic management plan in place in the town.

Behind the scenes, a new addition this year was the provision of ice baths for the competing jockeys and they were absolutely delighted with that facility.

On the racing front, there were a number of notable performers with a potential superstar winning his maiden in Killarney in July. Anthony Van Duck won by eight lengths and he has followed up since with wins in a Group 3 and, most recently, a Group 2 at the Curragh. Anthony Van Dyck is also the current ante-post favourite for the 2019 Epsom Derby.

Another impressive winner in Killarney in July was Wicklow Brave who went on to win in Galway before returning to the August festival to win again.

Peregrine Run won in Killarney in July 2017 and followed that a year and a month later to win the feature race last Saturday. Camlann, meanwhile, won in Killarney in July and followed up with a victory at the Galway festival while Espere won in Killarney in May and also tasted success in Galway.

Lizzies Champ finished second in Killarney in July and went on to win in Galway.

“Killarney has unearthed some notable performers in the past along with some household names such as Derby winner Wings of Eagles and we hope that many more superstars will perform at the track in years to come,” said Sales and Marketing Manager Peter O’Reilly.

Advertisement

News

Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s

Published

on

By

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.

Attachments

Continue Reading

News

Deerpark Retail Park placed on market for fifteen million euro

Published

on

By

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.

Attachments

Continue Reading

Last News

Sport