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Killarney girls to live on €3.25 a day

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INTO THE UNKNOWN: Killarney Girl Guide members, Sarah Kenny and Sarah Canavan, are all set to take part in the 'Explorer Belt Challenge' in a top secret foreign country. 

Two Killarney women are all set to take part in Irish Girl Guides’ toughest challenge – by surviving on just €3.25 a day while hiking 180km over 10 days.

Sarah Kenny (23)from Firies,and Sarah Canavan (22) from Knockasartnett, will take part in the ‘Explorer Belt Challenge’ in a yet unknown foreign country, where they will have to carry all their camping and cooking equipment, clothes, food and water.

The two Sarahs, who are both Leaders of Sika Senior Branch, Killarney, the senior branch of Irish Girl Guides for 14-30 year olds, will also have to complete a number of projects during the challenge. These will involve completing a service for the local community and finding out about local history and culture without using a smartphone!

While the duo have trained over the past few months by hiking and regular gym workouts, it has been impossible for them to prepare for the projects as they will not know where in Europe they are going until they arrive with their rucksacks at Dublin Airport on Sunday.

Most of their training has taken place separately as they are currently living in different parts of the country. Sarah Canavan lives in Galway where she is studying Commerce in NUI Galway and Sarah Kenny is in Dublin where she is a dietitian in St James’s Hospital.

While both are looking forward to the challenge, some nerves are beginning to set in. The fact that they will be taking it on together gives them some encouragement.

“We are well used to working together as we have been in Guides together since we were 13, and we have completed most of our Guiding challenges together,” Sarah Kenny said.

Both girls successfully completed the Irish Girl Guides’ Chief Commissioner’s Award last year when, as a team, they hiked 60 kilometres over five days in Co Waterford and survived on €3.50 a day.

“I feel the mentality side of the challenge will be the hardest,” she said.

“I get extremely grumpy when I’m lacking sleep but the best thing about doing it with Sarah is that she understands that and it’s the same vice versa.”

Sarah Canavan added that another big problem for them will be food. “I’m vegetarian and Sarah is allergic to nuts and gluten, so we’ll be having a lot of eggs,” she said.

The Explorer Belt survival adventure is being organised by two experienced IGG leaders, Katherine Ryan and Jemma Lee, who themselves successfully completed the Explorer Belt Challenge in Germany four years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

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A Celebration of Culture, Community and Talent at St Brigid’s Presentation

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St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School was alive with music, song and celebration at their recent Trad Night 2026, a wonderful evening that showcased the rich cultural talent within their school and wider community.This special event was a joint fundraiser organised by their Gaelbhratach committee, promoting the Irish language and culture; their Yellow Flag committee, celebrating diversity and inclusion; and their dedicated Music Department. The night reflected the spirit of unity in the school, bringing together students from all year groups in a vibrant celebration of heritage through music, storytelling and dance. The programme featured an impressive lineup of performances including the brush dance, junior and senior set dancers representing local clubs such as Kilcummin and Spa, and a spectacular performance from Irish dancing World Champion Caoimhe O’Halloran. Thri junior and senior traditional groups performed beautifully, alongside the hugely talented Glenflesk Ballad Group, multiple All-Ireland award winners, who brought the audience to their feet. The evening was made all the more special with the generous sponsorship of tea and traditional brack from O’Sullivan’s Bakery, which was warmly enjoyed by all in attendance. The night concluded with a memorable performance from Deputy Principal, Liam McGill, who entertained the audience on guitar and vocals, accompanied by well-known local music teacher Rosie Healy and Aine McCann. St Brigid’s are immensely proud of all students who performed and contributed to making the night such a resounding success. Trad Night 2026 highlighted the extraordinary talent within the school and the strong sense of community that defines St Brigid’s Presentation.

A Celebration of Culture, Community and Talent at St Brigid’s Presentation

St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School was alive with music, song and celebration at their recent Trad Night 2026, a wonderful evening that showcased the rich cultural talent within their school and wider community.This special event was a joint fundraiser organised by their Gaelbhratach committee, promoting the Irish language and culture; their Yellow Flag committee, celebrating diversity and inclusion; and their dedicated Music Department. The night reflected the spirit of unity in the school, bringing together students from all year groups in a vibrant celebration of heritage through music, storytelling and dance. The programme featured an impressive lineup of performances including the brush dance, junior and senior set dancers representing local clubs such as Kilcummin and Spa, and a spectacular performance from Irish dancing World Champion Caoimhe O’Halloran. Thri junior and senior traditional groups performed beautifully, alongside the hugely talented Glenflesk Ballad Group, multiple All-Ireland award winners, who brought the audience to their feet. The evening was made all the more special with the generous sponsorship of tea and traditional brack from O’Sullivan’s Bakery, which was warmly enjoyed by all in attendance. The night concluded with a memorable performance from Deputy Principal, Liam McGill, who entertained the audience on guitar and vocals, accompanied by well-known local music teacher Rosie Healy and Aine McCann. St Brigid’s are immensely proud of all students who performed and contributed to making the night such a resounding success. Trad Night 2026 highlighted the extraordinary talent within the school and the strong sense of community that defines St Brigid’s Presentation.

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European title for Killarney handball star

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By Con Dennehy

Killarney handball star Owen Brosnan answered Ireland’s call at the weekend with a breathtaking display at the European One Wall Tour in London.

Currow native and Spa Killarney Handballer, Brosnan took on the best players in England, Wales, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, France and Israel and thanks to a superb display returned back to Kerry with a European gold medal following his phenomenal success in the Men’s C Plate competition.
Played at the Westway Sports Complex in London, more than 150 players took part in the competition on six indoor courts with Brosnan and his Killarney team colleague Tim Cronin playing 15 games over the two days. Following earlier round victories, Brosnan was paired with Tim Cronin in a Kerry dominated semifinal clash. This was an exciting high-octane game with both players producing a classic display of handball. Aces were hard fought with just one point separating both players at the end of a pulsating game. Brosnan advanced to the final on a 21-20 scoreline. “I was thrilled with my semifinal game. It was a hard-fought contest with all the training at the Spa GAA Hall helping me edge out a win. We train together and know each other strengths and weaknesses which added to the excitement of the occasion. We both teamed up in the Men’s B Plate Doubles competition reaching the semifinal where we were defeated by Matt Flapan and Gleb Spiridon, a USA/Israel combination,” said Owen.
Brosnan produced a superb display of fast paced handball in the Men’s C Plate final where his opponent was the highly fancied Josh Thomas from Wales. Using the court to his full advantage, the Killarney player produced a brilliant all-round performance to record a 21-18 victory and in the process his first major title.
“Naturally, I was delighted with the success. Both Tim and I started the sport by accident over 12 months ago when we attended an Open Family Day at Spa GAA Club. Brendan O’Donoghue, one of the founders of Spa Killarney Handball Club, was giving a demonstration of handball and invited us to try it out. We both enjoyed the experience and have been playing ever since. We are looking forward to the various domestic competitions over the coming months and really enjoy the training and fun element to the sport in the club.”

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