News
2018 East Kerry Super League finally concludes
T
The final of the last year’s East Kerry Super League took place on Sunday, over a year after the tournament began in February of 2018.
The Super League is effectively a pre-season tournament which is sometimes billed as good preparation for the real stuff, i.e. the County League which starts in March and the Club Championship which is played in the month of in April.
But that’s not how the players feel. When I spoke to players about the fixtures crisis late last year, they were universally in favour of scrapping the Super League. It was described to me as a series of “glorified challenge matches” on numerous occasions and many felt that it the tournament was merely taking up weekends in an already over-crowded schedule.
The bottom line is that it’s not taken at all seriously by players and very few clubs, if any, see value in it.
Timeline of Events
Last year’s Super League kicked off on February 11. The competition was comprised of Division 1 (two groups of five) and Division 2 (one group of four). The winner of Division 1A was to play the winner of Division 1B in the Division 1 final, with the top two in Division 2 facing off in the Division 2 final.
That’s three or four games for the 10 teams who didn’t reach the final and four or five for the four teams who did.
So how did a tournament that requires teams to play a maximum of five fixtures take all of 53 weeks to conclude?
Here’s a quick run down of how things panned out. Dr Crokes won their first three games in Division 1B by an average margin of 19.3 points. It’s hard to imagine how results like that are good preparation for the teams on the receiving end of such drubbings, and games like that hardly do Crokes any favours either.
Kilcummin gave a walkover to Rathmore on February 27 and a number of games were called off due to inclement weather on March 4.
Fixtures were still being played in all three groups in May, three months after the tournament began. Spa beat Cordal in the Division 2 final on May 20.
Crokes reached an agreement with Legion that their County League game on June 16 would double as the pair’s final Super League game. Crokes won that match by five points and so topped Division 1B with four wins from four.
The outcome of Division 1A was still unclear well into June. Three teams were still in contention. Fossa and Glenflesk were scheduled to play on June 24 with the winner to face Listry in a playoff to see who would top the group, but that match was postponed. All teams involved were expecting the tournament to eventually be played out at some stage in 2018.
Towards the end of the year you had a situation where Glenflesk were out of everything else, so the only remaining fixtures they had were in the Super League. How can you expect a group of players to hang around indefinitely for one more game, when that game is probably one of the least important games they’ll play all year? It’s ridiculous.
Fossa v Glenflesk was eventually played two weeks ago on February 3, 2019, doubling as group game for this year’s Super League. Glenflesk won so they played Listry on Sunday in the Division 1A playoff, which also trebled as both the 2018 Super League final and a 2019 group game. Glenflesk won.
(Presumably Division 1B winners Crokes were left off the hook, so to speak, because of their ongoing involvement in the All-Ireland Club Championship.)
So far in this year's tournament, All-Ireland Intermediate champions Kilcummin have already given walkover and teams are once again trying to double up Super League games with County League fixtures.
Not Fit for Purpose
The East Kerry Super League is supposed to be a competitive pre-season tournament, but it's not competitive and it isn't being run off in the pre-season. Simply put, it’s not fit for purpose. It occupies precious weekends in a schedule that is already so packed that it can only be described as a mess.
Teams clearly don’t care about it. If they did then they wouldn’t give walkovers, they wouldn’t be trying to double fixtures up with important games in other competitions, and it wouldn’t take over 12 months to run off a tournament that only requires teams to play four or five games in total.
As I’ve said before, the fixtures crisis isn’t the East Kerry Board’s fault. The entire GAA calendar needs a radical overhaul from start to finish. But as things stand in this part of the world, if the East Kerry league and championship were played off in a timely fashion, players would at least be guaranteed a decent break between one season and the next.
The O’Donoghue Cup is a fantastic tournament with great history, but there’s no denying that it has lost some of its shine in recent times. The fact that the competition didn’t finish until a few days before Christmas last year infuriated players and the consensus locally is that something has to change.
It remains to be seen how things will work out this year but one interesting solution for 2020 might be to combine the Super League and the O’Donoghue Cup to form one efficiently-run group and knockout championship. That way we’d have one East Kerry tournament that works, instead of two that don’t.
Pic: Séamus Healy.
KILARNEY ADVERTISER OPINION:
A manhunt needs a description
Gardaí are searching for a man in connection with the murder investigation into Jamey Carney.
The Gardai say they are looking for a “person of significant interest’ and that “that his whereabouts are unknown”, and but they cannot comment in detail on his age, name, or nationality for legal reasons.
That is not enough for the public.
No one is asking Gardaí to convict a man in the media. No one is asking them to publish speculation or damage a future trial. But if a person of significant interest is missing, and ports and airports are on alert, ordinary people need practical information.
A manhunt only works when people know who to look for.
Gardaí do not have to name the man. They do not have to publish nationality. They do not have to say he is guilty. They could release a limited description: age range, height, build, hair, clothing, last known area, possible route, or vehicle details.
That would protect the investigation while giving people something useful.
There is also a numbers problem.
Ireland had 14,529 sworn Gardaí at the end of February 2026. Even counting Garda staff and reserves, the total Garda workforce stood at just over 18,000. The population of the State is about 5.46 million.
Fourteen thousand Gardaí cannot see what 5.46 million people might see.
Gardaí have powers, training, and access to information. The public has eyes. People work in taxis, hotels, airports, ports, petrol stations, shops, bus stations, train stations, guesthouses, restaurants, and border areas.
A careful description turns the public into useful witnesses. Without it, people are left watching for “a man,” which means watching for nobody in particular.
There is also a public-safety question.
If a person being sought in a murder investigation is unaccounted for, people will ask whether he may pose a risk to others. That does not mean he is guilty. It does not mean the public should panic.
But it is a reasonable concern.
If Gardaí believe there is no wider risk, they should say so. If they believe there may be a risk, even a limited one, the public should have enough information to protect themselves and assist the search.
Media reports have described the man Gardaí are seeking as an asylum seeker who had been living in Killarney. Photos said to show him with Jamey Carney have also circulated through media reports and social media.
That leaves the public in a strange position. People are already seeing fragments of information, but not one clear official description.
Gardaí may have legal reasons for staying silent. They must protect the presumption of innocence, avoid prejudicing a trial, and avoid identifying the wrong person.
Those concerns matter.
But the public has concerns too. Some people may feel basic information is being withheld because the man is reported to be an asylum seeker. That concern should not be dismissed.
A crime is committed by an individual, not by a nationality, religion, or category of people. No community should be blamed for the alleged actions of one person.
But silence does not reduce fear. It feeds rumour.
The phrase “person of significant interest” may be legally safer than “suspect”.
But it is not useful to a taxi driver, hotel receptionist, shop worker, bus passenger, ferry worker, neighbour, or member of the public.
If Gardaí have a specific operational reason for withholding a description, they should say so plainly. If they do not, they should release a careful description now.
Public fear grows in a vacuum.
A community cannot help find someone it cannot identify.
If this man is innocent and help with the investigation he should have nothing to fear and come forward.
Champion jockey Oisín Murphy set for home debut
Five-time British Champion Flat Jockey Oisín Murphy is scheduled to compete at his home track for the first time ever on Tuesday July 14.
The Killarney native grew up near the venue but has never ridden a professional race here. Since moving to England at 17, his Irish appearances have been rare, yielding just eight winners.
“Riding a winner at Killarney has always been a lifelong dream of mine,” Murphy said. “I grew up watching racing here, and to finally ride here in front of my family, friends, and the home crowd is going to be an incredibly special moment. I hope I can give everyone plenty to cheer about.”
Killarney Racecourse Manager Karl McCay commented: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Oisín Murphy back to his hometown. Having a world-class, champion jockey born right here in Killarney ride at our track for the very first time is a massive honour. It is a very proud day for our community and local racing fans and will really add to our July Festival.”
The appearance takes place on day two of the July Festival, which runs from Monday July 13 to Friday July 17.
KILLARNEY ADVERTISER OPINION: A manhunt needs a description
KILARNEY ADVERTISER OPINION: A manhunt needs a description Gardaí are searching for a man in connection with the murder investigation...
Champion jockey Oisín Murphy set for home debut in Killarney on Tuesday
Champion jockey Oisín Murphy set for home debut Five-time British Champion Flat Jockey Oisín Murphy is scheduled to compete at...
Gardai confirm person of interest “has left jurisdiction” in Killarney murder case
Person of interest leaves jurisdiction in Killarney murder case Gardaí investigating the murder of Jamey Carney have confirmed that a...
Ade Desbrow wins Killarney Camera Club final seasonal competition
Ade Desbrow wins Killarney Camera Club final seasonal competition Killarney Camera Club member Ade Desbrow has secured first place in...
Shronedraugh songwriter to release new single inspired by the Paps of Anu
Shronedraugh songwriter Gersemi Witch is set to release her second single, titled ‘The Hawthorn and the Hearth’, on Friday, July 17....
Fossa Swimmers make a splash at County Finals
The Fossa Swim team pictured at the Tralee Sports Complex following their successful outing at the County Finals of the...
On the Ball Part 2 of the Mikey Daly Interview
Éamonn Fitzgerald EF: Killarney Celtic are invited to participate in an Irish competition. That has big financial implications for travel,...
LUKE MANGAN recently caught up with Kerry FC’s manager, Colin Healy.
He spoke to him about his careers as a player and manager. Here’s how it went: When you began your...
Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic
Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1) Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell Saturday 7.30pm Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre...
Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan
After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork...
