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Drive-in circus to visit Killarney

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BACK ON THE ROAD: Stephen Courtney, his wife Teresa and baby Cora are bringing their drive-in circus to Killarney.

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By Sean Moriarty

Killarney is going to be one of the first stops as one of Ireland’s oldest circus returns to national touring this week.

Circus Vegas, which has been stranded in Tralee since the start of the national shutdown in March, will resume touring this week after staging several drive-in performances in the county town over the last week.

This week, Circus Vegas, which is operated by a branch of the Courtney Family, one of Ireland’s longest-serving circus families, will visit Listowel ahead of a three-day visit to Killarney between August 7 and 9.

Stephen Courtney, who is a third generation circus performer and artist, said he and his staff were overwhelmed by the generosity of the people of Kerry after their unexpected and extended stay in the county.

He also said that the current tour through the county is a way of saying thank you to the people of Kerry and that he does not expect or intend make a profit from it.

“We travel all over Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany. I have never seen anything like it. You won’t beat the people of Kerry anywhere in the world," he told the Killarney Advertiser.

"They came every day, some just to say hello and to see are we alright, they baked cakes for us, dropped off a pint of milk. The response to our drive-in has been great, it is not about making money, this is about getting the show back on the road."

An exact venue for the Killarney performances has yet to identified. It was hoped that the circus would take place in a field off the Muckross Road, but recent heavy rainfall may force a re-think on that site.

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Joey Sheehan wins historic sixth Dr Crokes Captain’s Prize

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Accomplished golfer Joey Sheehan scooped the Dr Crokes GAA Club Golf Society Captain’s Prize for the sixth time following the outing at The Killeen Course at Killarney Golf Club on Friday.

Society Captain Niall Botty O’Callaghan and his mother Eileen O’Callaghan hosted the prizegiving function in The Failte Hotel, where Joey was presented with a painting of the fourth hole at Killeen by local artist and Dr Crokes member Paul Downey.


Joey Sheehan won his first Dr Crokes Captain’s prize back in 1997, which was the start of an historic four-in-a-row.

He collected his fifth Captain’s prize in 2006 before adding his sixth with the 2026 title last Friday.

Over the years, he has also won two Dr Crokes Presidents prizes, numerous other society outings, and the Eddie Barry Memorial Cup three times as player of the year.


The prize giving function in The Failte featured speeches from society officer Brendan Keogh, Captain Niall Botty O’Callaghan, and overall winner Joey Sheehan.

During the speeches, a number of recently deceased local people and others from recent years associated with the Dr Crokes Golf Society were remembered.

Among those fondly remembered were Brian O’Regan, John O’Mahony, Ewan MacIndoe, Gerry Collins, Paudie O’Callaghan, Malachy Walsh, and Seani McCarthy.


The Dr Crokes Captains Prize was once again sponsored by Mike Buckley of Kerry Coaches. Following overall winner Joey Sheehan, the full list of prize winners included John Lynch in second, Finian Moran in third, and Liam Hartnett in fourth. Sean Brosnan took fifth place, followed by Maurice O’Donoghue in sixth, John O’Leary in seventh, Paudie Sheahan in eighth, Colm Galvin in ninth, and Eamonn Fitzgerald in tenth.

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Discussion on Irish-American literary voices

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The second series of talks for the new ‘Summer in Killarney’ festival took place at Killarney House in Killarney National Park, focusing on the lives and work of literary figures F. Scott Fitzgerald and Mary Lavin.

The event, titled ‘The Great Irish-American Voices of F. Scott Fitzgerald & Mary Lavin’, featured presentations by authors Gráinne Hurley, writer of Gratefully and Affectionately: Mary Lavin and The New Yorker, and Killarney native Patrick O’Sullivan Greene, author of Gatsby: Death of an Irishman.

Following their presentations, both authors joined Irish Times journalist Ronan McGreevy for a panel conversation exploring the impact of both writers on American literature.

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