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Club pay respects to the late Liam Murphy

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GUARD OF HONOUR: Dr Crokes Chairman, Patrick O'Sullivan (extreme left) at the front of a guard of honour for former player and officer Liam Murphy, as club members John O'Leary, Niall Keogh, John O'Shea and Der Brosnan carry the coffin at St Mary's Cathedral on Monday evening. Picture: Eamonn Keogh

 

By Eamonn Keogh

 

Dr Crokes GAA Club members turned out in force this week to bid a final farewell to former star player and vice-president Liam Murphy, who passed away last Friday.

Liam, of Marian Terrace and late of St Anne's Road, Killarney, passed away peacefully in Heather Lee Nursing Home in Killarney.

The famed black and amber flag was draped over Liam's coffin following the removal from O'Shea's Funeral Home on Monday evening and again after the Funeral Mass in St Mary's Cathedral on Tuesday morning. Past and present Dr Croke’s players and officers provided guards of honour on both occasions.
During a prominent playing career Liam won seven East Kerry Senior Football Championship medals (O’Donoghue Cup), captaining Dr Crokes to a 2-04 to 1-02 victory over local rivals Legion in the 1960 final.

His son Connie went on to match Liam's record, also winning seven O'Donoghue Cups between 1986 and 2000. Liam was a proud father watching Connie enjoy an illustrious playing career with Kerry from 1987 to 1995, winning an All-Star award in 1989 and captaining the county in 1992, the same year his Man of the Match performance helped Dr Crokes clinch their first All-Ireland Club title.

Liam is survived by his wife Sheila, daughters Mary, Sheila and Kate, sons Jerry and Connie, sons-in-law Kieran, Pat and Eoghan, daughters-in-law Catherine and Yvonne, grandchildren David, Alison, Juliette, Steven, Trish, Adam, Laura, Mark, Lia and Tara, and extended family.

He was laid to rest in the New Cemetery, Killarney.

 

 

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Concerns over future of St Mary of the Angels

Two Kerry TDs have voiced concerns over the future of St Mary of the Angels and St Francis Special School in Beaufort, highlighting the urgent need for respite services for […]

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Two Kerry TDs have voiced concerns over the future of St Mary of the Angels and St Francis Special School in Beaufort, highlighting the urgent need for respite services for children and adults with profound disabilities and special needs.

The campus, set on lands generously donated by the Doyle family, offers 30 acres of grounds, existing buildings, and services, making it a valuable asset for the provision of respite care in Kerry. TD Michael Cahill emphasized that the Doyle family’s wishes should be respected, and that the grounds should be made accessible immediately.
“The special needs community in Kerry has a major respite crisis and families don’t have time to wait. Families need help — they are not asking for full-time residential care but respite care, a break, a helping hand,” Deputy Cahill said.
He added that a bespoke approach is needed to meet the individual needs of children attending St Francis Special School. “Many of the children in the county with profound needs need a safe haven where they can roam the grounds freely, and St Mary of the Angels offers this.”
Deputy Cahill has accompanied several Ministers to the Beaufort campus to highlight its value to Disability Health Service providers. A working group has been formed including St John of Gods, the HSE, representatives of residents at St Mary of the Angels, and St Francis Special School, to explore options for maintaining and expanding respite services.
“Parents are worn out and at the end of their tether. This needs to be dealt with expeditiously, in an environment of cooperation between the relevant Government Departments of Health, Disability, and Education. We need to get this across the line urgently and put it permanently in place,” he said.
Deputy Cahill pointed to the current shortfall of respite services in Kerry. “As of now, Cunamh Iveragh respite in Cahersiveen is only open Friday to Sunday, running at half capacity — two adults per night instead of four. The issue is staffing, and the HSE will not release funding to open full-time. The Beaufort campus is available and should be utilised as parents are crying out for overnight respite. Cooperation and compassion could see this done quickly.”
TD Danny Healy Rae echoed these concerns during a Dáil speech this week. “We are still short of respite beds on the southern side of the constituency. Families caring for people with disabilities just want a break, but there is nowhere available locally. Places are being offered only in Tipperary or Meath for those needing new residential care. It makes no sense. St Mary of the Angels in Beaufort has 40 or 50 acres of grounds that could be expanded, with facilities already in place such as swimming pools. It could be developed as a model for the rest of the country.”
Both TDs are urging the Government and the HSE to take immediate action to utilise the Beaufort campus for respite care, in line with the intentions of the Doyle family and the needs of Kerry families.

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Cardiac Response Unit’s ‘Restart a Heart’ training event

Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) is set to run a range of events as part of the global initiative Restart A Heart, which aims to increase awareness and actual rates […]

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Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) is set to run a range of events as part of the global initiative Restart A Heart, which aims to increase awareness and actual rates of bystander CPR worldwide.

The main event, titled RAH 2025, invites the public to learn life-saving skills and the basic steps in the chain of survival. This will take place on Saturday, October 18, at the Killarney Outlet Centre.
Members of the public are encouraged to join KCRU at the centre between 10:00 am and 5pm.
Key feature of the day will be the CPR Competition, offering “fantastic prizes to be won.”
For further information, visit www.killarneycru.ie/rah25

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