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Killarney motorcycle racer gets advice from world’s best

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MEETING A HERO: Road racing legend Michael Dunlop offers advice to Killarney motorcycle racer Kevin Coyne at a test in Spain last week.

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By Sean Moriarty

A young Killarney motorcycle racer has been getting tips from some of the best riders in the world ahead of the start of the 2020 Irish season.

Kevin Coyne is preparing for the Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship which gets underway in Mondello Park in County Kildare in two weeks’ time.

Last week the 17-year-old took part in a three-day test at El Circuito de Velocidad de Cartagena in Spain.

It was his first time riding the new Kawasaki he will use in Ireland and selected rounds of the British Superbike Championship this year.

Professional motorcycle racers like Ryan Farquhar and Michael Dunlop were there too as part of a bigger test and when they spotted the young Killarney rider were able of offer help and advice.

Kevin’s aim was to complete a lap of the famous Spanish track in under two minutes.

On the opening day of the test he set a best time of 2 mins 07 seconds in windy conditions.

In the early part of day-two he was still unable to break the two-minute barrier, despite an improvement in weather conditions until Farquhar, a multiple Irish Road Racing champion and former factory BMW and Kawasaki rider offered to help - and the times came tumbling down.

“With the help of Ryan Farquhar and his knowledge of Kawasaki he set the bike for Kevin and by the end of the day he was going around in 1.58min consistently,” his father Mark told the Killarney Advertiser. “Kevin started to feel really confident and felt he could get down to 1 min 56 seconds.”

On the third day Kevin was lapping consistently in 1 min 55 seconds, but the best was yet to come.

With just half a day left, road racing royalty Michael Dunlop spotted the Killarney youngster and came over for a chat. The advice worked as Kevin managed a week-long best of 1 min 54 seconds after speaking to the Isle of Man TT legend who was in Spain for his first run on the PBM Ducati he will race this year.

Coyne’s season gets underway this weekend with the official Irish test in Mondello Park ahead of the season-opener at the same venue at the end of March.

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New Streetscapes murals launched at College Square

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A colourful collaboration between the Kerry Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) and the Architecture Kerry Festival at Kerry County Council launched yesterday evening at College Square.

Titled Streetscapes, the open-air public art installation officially opened at 5pm on Thursday, accompanied by a performance from the Killarney Youth Drumming Band THUMP! under the guidance of Urs Wenk from Drum Dance Ireland.


The public art project features a series of wall murals depicting Killarney through the eyes of local children, exploring freedom, play, and potential future evolutions of the townscape.

The artworks reimagine Killarney’s iconic landmarks and streets, blending youthful imagination and curiosity.


Supported under the Creative Ireland Programme, the installation is mounted on the gable wall of Reen’s Life Pharmacy in College Square, where it will remain on public display until March 2027.


Speaking at the launch, Daniel O’Shea, Youth Development Officer at Kerry ETB, stated: “Streetscapes is a wonderful celebration of how children see things. Their creativity brings new perspectives to the townscape, and we are proud to support their ideas and their art through this public artwork.”


Deirdre Enright, Co-Ordinator of the Local Creative Youth Partnership at Kerry ETB, acknowledged the community support behind the initiative: “We are very grateful to Reen’s Life Pharmacy who have shared their built space with us. Huge credit is due to the artistic team from Me+The Moon whose dedication to creativity and to children’s art shine through in this work.”


The project forms part of the annual Architecture Kerry Festival and receives funding through Creative Ireland and the Department of Education and Youth via Kerry ETB and Kerry County Council.


Victoria McCarthy, Festival Organiser and Architectural Conservation Officer at Kerry County Council, welcomed the continued inter-agency project: “It’s always a great event for Architecture Kerry and we are so pleased with this collaboration between public sector organisations. It remains a key feature of the Architecture Kerry programme.”
See next week’s Killarney Advertiser for full photographic coverage of the event.

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Dr Crokes stalwarts enjoy lake cruise

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Dr Crokes stalwarts enjoy lake cruise

Dr Crokes stalwarts enjoy lake cruise

Dr Crokes GAA Club hosted a special day out for its senior members on Monday, this week, taking a group aged between 70 and 90 on a cruise across the Lakes of Killarney.

Organised by the Dr Crokes Healthy Club committee under its Crokes Cruisers initiative, the event was held to recognise the lifetime contribution made by long-standing members who continue to support club activities behind the scenes.
The group travelled on two vessels, including An Cathal, an open boat operated by local brothers Tony and Mike Fleming. Built to preserve the traditional Killarney lake boat style, it is the only purpose-built, fully accessible boat on the lakes, allowing members with mobility issues and wheelchair users to safely join the two-hour trip.
Following the lake tour, the party gathered on shore for coffee and refreshments provided by Derric McMahon and Harry Clifton of the Ross Castle Garden Cafe.
The initiative forms part of the club’s ongoing community work as a Gold Award winner in the GAA Healthy Club programme.

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