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Volunteer says Special Olympic trip was a “life-changing experience”

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And Special Olympic hero Gary welcomed home in Killarney and Castleisland

By Sean Moriarty

The Killarney woman who volunteered for the Irish team at the recent Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi has described her experience as “life-changing”.

Leanne Cronin, from Spa, has been a volunteer with Special Olympics Ireland for little over a year, after signing up for a scheme set up by her employer, Kerry Group.

She was the only Kerry person on the 74-strong volunteer team in the United Arab Emirates earlier this month.

She witnessed first-hand the success of Castleisland athlete Gary O’Sullivan who won a gold and silver medal at the games.

Gary, a member of the Kerry Stars, won gold in the shot put competition and backed this up with silver in the 400m walk.

He returned to Kerry last weekend to a hero’s welcome at the Dromhall Hotel on Friday night after a Garda escort from the railway station. On Saturday night he was paraded through his native Castleisland.

“It was a privilege to share my Special Olympics World Games experience with Gary. Gary is a gent,” she said. “Although we approached the games from different angles I felt so fortunate to be in Abu Dhabi for the Games when a proud Kerry man displayed his best ability and put his hard months of training to good use. He raised the flag not just for Ireland those days, but Kerry also, and that made me very proud. It was phenomenal, the entire experience,” she added. “To witness the sportsmanship and the friends for life that I made from all over the world. We were treated like royalty over there and the people of the UAE were some of the friendliest people I met in all my travel. The experience was life-changing.”

Leanne started volunteering for Special Olympics Ireland last year and her first major event was the Dublin qualifiers in June and this prompted her to join the local Kerry Stars Special Olympic Club as a volunteer.

“I was lucky that Kerry Group set this up. I always wanted to volunteer but this helped me take the next step,” she added. “The great work that the Kerry Stars do in all sports is fantastic.”

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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