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Fassbender’s Road to Le Mans a step close to reality this weekend

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ROAD TO LE MANS: Michael Fassbender's ambitions of tackling the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans Race will take a step closer this weekend. Photo: Porsche Media Services.

 

By Sean Moriarty

 

Local Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender’s dream of taking part in the biggest endurance motor race in the world will take a step close to reality this weekend.

The Fossa man has held long-term ambitions to contest the legendary 24 Hours Le Mans Race in France.

Last year, as part of his preparation, he competed in national-level Porsche Sports Club events in Germany at the wheel of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup as well as driving a Ford Escort Mk2 in the cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes.

He also contested rounds of the Ferrari Challenge North America in 2017 and 2018.

His German Porsche Cup races featured on his popular online documentary ‘Road to Le Mans’.

The final rung on the ladder is the European Le Mans Series, a five round endurance racing championship that gets underway at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France this weekend.

Fassbender has signed for the Proton Competition team and will drive a Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE class in the series and a successful season will pave the way for his debut at Le Mans next June.

The 43-year-old will share the car with Porsche factory drivers Richard Lietz and Felipe Fernandez Laser.

“Even before I started acting, I had a big dream to go racing - it was clear to me at a young age,” he said. “My father was a driving enthusiast who taught me a lot.”

Porsche will work closely with the local Hollywood star and his progress in the European championship will feature in further episodes of ‘Road to Le Mans’.

“It’s always wonderful to be able to tackle new projects. This is a very special one,” says Proton Competition team owner Christian Ried who has worked with another notable Hollywood celebrity and Porsche racing enthusiast Patrick Dempsey at Le Mans. “It’ll be interesting to see how Michael progresses. As a team, we’re delighted to be able to accompany him on his ‘Road to Le Mans’.”

Following Sunday’s four-hour race, Fassbender will also tackle events in Belgium, Spain and Italy, ahead of the season finale in Portugal on November 1.

Fans can follow the race or Saturday’s qualifying session via: live.europeanlemansseries.com.

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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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