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Killarney teacher’s video raises funds for UHK

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LOCKDOWN SONG: Killarney Community College teacher Mike Lynch recorded a song with his family to raise funds for University Hospital Kerry.

By Michelle Crean

One Killarney teacher didn’t let the lockdown boredom set in once school was over as he and his family recorded a song - social distance style – for charity.

Mike Lynch, who has been teaching Maths and PE in Killarney Community College for the last 10 years, teamed up with 15 members of his musical family, including his daughter Emma who has just finished Sixth Year at the school, with each videoing themselves singing at home.

The family chose Michael Jackson’s ‘We are the World’ and re-wrote it to ‘'We are the World - COVID-19', changing the lyrics to suit the present situation so many have found themselves in.

And they also added a GoFundMe page: ‘Lynch Family Support for UHK Tralee’ with a target of €500 to donate as a thank you to staff at University Hospital Kerry who are working on the frontline. However, with almost 40,000 views and hundreds of shares online, the video, individually posted up online by the family members, has so far raised approximately €1,400 with donations still coming in.

“It was my brother Jerry who came up with the idea, he was the brains behind it all,” Mike, speaking to the Killarney Advertiser this week, said.
“My sister’s wedding last year was when we all sang together as a family for the first time and Jerry wanted us all to record a couple of lines for this. Then we started writing our own lyrics, there was 15 of us in total including my parents John and Lena and their grandchildren.”

Mike, who lives in Tralee, comes from a very musical family with many of them members of Tralee Musical Society.
He said that they’re overwhelmed with the response to the five minute-long project.

“It wasn’t easy doing it individually as Jerry had to learn new editing skills! It was great craic."

For the end of the video the family are united to complete the harmony of the song but remained socially distanced from each other.

"We had a target of €500 to raise and are overwhelmed with the response so far. They’re our own local frontline workers and deserve a bit of a dig out.”

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Musical Society announces ‘Sister Act’ as 2027 production

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Killarney Musical Society has announced that its 2027 musical production will be the comedy Sister Act.

The show will run at the Gleneagle Arena from Tuesday, March 2nd to Thursday, March 4th, 2027.

Based on the film, the musical tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a nightclub singer placed in protective custody in a convent after witnessing a crime. While there, she helps transform the parish choir.


Society Chairperson Derek O’Leary expressed excitement about the selection. “It is a show that combines humour, heart, spectacular music and an inspiring story, making it a perfect fit for Killarney Musical Society and our audiences,”

O’Leary said. He also confirmed that award-winning director Oliver Hurley and musical director Jimmy Brockie will return for the production.


The society, which draws performers, musicians, and backstage volunteers from across Kerry and neighbouring counties, will release details regarding auditions and production updates in the coming months.

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Killarney retains top ten position in national litter rankings

Killarney has maintained its position in the top ten of the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, securing 9th place out of 40 towns and cities surveyed nationwide. The […]

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Killarney has maintained its position in the top ten of the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, securing 9th place out of 40 towns and cities surveyed nationwide. The town was officially deemed to be ‘Cleaner than European Norms’.

The accompanying report by An Taisce praised Killarney for delivering a solid performance, noting that there were no heavily littered sites found within the town boundaries.
Several local areas received top marks for maintenance and presentation. Main Street was highlighted as exceptionally well-presented, while Park Road, Muckross Road, and the Knockreer Playground and environs were also singled out for praise. The report noted that the playground area was in very good order across all elements.
However, the inspectors did highlight some areas for improvement. The JYSK site showed slight progress compared to the previous survey but remained classified as moderately littered. The report warned that care must be taken to prevent the location from deteriorating further.
On a national level, IBAL representative Conor Horgan noted that entering the peak tourist season, the country has fewer littered areas than at any time in the past 25 years.
Despite the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), the survey highlighted a national rise in specific waste items. Plastic bottles were found in 19% of all surveyed sites across the country, and drinks cans were present in 22%. The prevalence of coffee cups also reached its highest level since 2023, alongside an increase in cigarette butt litter.

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