News
Kilcummin locals plan to hand petition to bishop
TOP TABLE: Claire Fleming (Kilcummin Pastoral Council), Cllr Marie Moloney and Donal O'Sullivan at the top table at a public meeting in Kilcummin Recreational Hall on Tuesday night to discuss the loss of the area's resident parish priest. Picture: Eamonn Keogh
By Sean Moriarty
Kilcummin parishioners are not going down without a fight – with plans to hand deliver a 1,200 signature petition to Bishop Ray Browne.
The action comes after locals held another public meeting on Tuesday night in their continued fight against theloss of their parish priest.
A delegation from the Pastoral Council had met with the Bishop last week in an effort to reverse his decision.
Parishioners were left shocked and angry last month to learn that they’d no longer have a resident priest after the Bishop made the decision to move Fr Eamon Mulvihill to the parish of Castlegregory.
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ALL IN FAVOUR: Parishioners in Kilcummin display a show of hands to vote in favour of delivering a petition of signatures to the bishop's House, Killarney, at a public meeting in Kilcummin Recreational Hall on Tuesday night to discuss the loss of the area's resident parish priest. Picture: Eamonn Keogh[/caption]
Priests from the Killarney area will now serve the Kilcummin parish – which is one of the biggest in Ireland with three schools, two nursing homes and two cemeteries.
It is all part of a restructuring project, initiated by the bishop, due to the lack of new priests coming through the ranks.
Tuesday night’s public meeting organised by the Pastoral Council explained to locals the outcome of the recent meeting with the bishop.
“There was a suggestion from the floor that our next step is to take the petition to the bishop,” Cllr Moloney told the Killarney Advertiser.
It is understood that a large proportion of those who signed the petition would accompany members the Pastoral Council when they hand in the petition.
However, Cllr Moloney and other council members pointed out that this would not be an organised protest and that attending the hand-over was up to each individual.
“It is up to the people if they want to join us, but we won’t be rallying the troops either,” Cllr Moloney added.
Six priests, three from Killarney and the respective parish priests from Fossa, Glenflesk and Firies will look after the Kilcummin parish in an on-going six week rota system.
Locals believe this cannot work and cited a similar issue in Keel, Castlemaine where the priests are on a four-week rota.
Locals believe that the priests will be too busy looking after their own parish and that their visits to other parishes will suffer.
“There was no priest available to say 10am Mass at Keel Church on Tuesday morning this week,” said concerned local John Foley. “Three days in to a new system and it is already not working. The same will happen in Kilcummin. There are six priests serving the 15,000 people in the Killarney area, so what happens if one of the priests on rota is too busy with duties in his own parish. That is why the people of Kilcummin are up in arms.”
There are also concerns that the pastoral house in Kilcummin will be left idle, with some locals calling for it to be made available to retiring priests.
It is understood that Bishop Browne agrees with this in principle, but that it would be up to each retiring priest if he wanted to accept relocating to Kilcummin not.
ANAM Centre launches packed summer cultural programme for locals and visitors
Kerry County Council’s Arts Service, in association with the Killarney Arts Working Group, has officially launched the 2026 ANAM Summer Arts Programme (ASAP).
The dedicated arts and cultural space on East Avenue Road is set to host a vibrant mix of live music, theatre, film, and youth competitions designed to appeal to both local residents and tourists throughout the peak holiday season.
The summer lineup aims to provide artists with critical platforms to showcase their work while giving audiences accessible opportunities to experience live art. Councillor Martin O’Grady noted that the programme includes a multitude of performances, offering an important platform for all ages to enjoy the arts. Mary Murphy of the Killarney Arts Working Group added that utilizing the ANAM space successfully draws new audiences to the Killarney arts scene.
Featured events include “Bog Jazz,” an innovative project by musicians Eoin ‘Stan’ O’Sullivan and Shane Murphy that reworks traditional Sliabh Luachra fiddle music using electric guitar and drums. Additionally, Sliabh Luachra Musician in Residence Aidan Connolly will lead a two-night concert series in late July alongside Bryan O’Leary, Colm Guilfoyle, and Charlie O’Brien, exploring the unique history, songs, and folklore of the region.
The programme also features “The Anam Sessions,” a series of five free bi-weekly evening concerts directed by Tim O’Shea. These sessions will showcase emerging local talent across Irish folk, singer-songwriter, and Afro-Irish genres. For younger musicians, the popular “Battle of the Bands” competition returns in August. Organised in partnership with Music Generation Kerry, it will feature separate junior and senior categories to highlight local youth talent.
The summer performance series is fully sponsored by the Kerry Arts Service. For further queries, the public can contact arts@kerrycoco.ie or call 066 7183541.
ANAM Summer Arts Event Calendar
Traditional and Folk Music (The Anam Sessions with Tim O’Shea) Dates: ; Wednesday, July 15; Wednesday, July 29; Wednesday, August 12; Wednesday, August 26 Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Sliabh Luachra Traditional Music Concert Series (Aidan Connolly and Guests) Dates: Wednesday, July 29; Thursday, July 30 Time: 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Battle of the Bands (Senior Competition) Dates: Friday, August 7; Friday, August 14; Friday, August 21; Friday, August 28 Time: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Battle of the Bands (Junior Competition) Dates: Sunday, August 9; Sunday, August 16; Sunday, August 23; Sunday, August 30 Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Bog Jazz Performance (Eoin O’Sullivan & Shane Murphy) Date: Thursday, August 20 Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
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