Connect with us

News

Champagne Football author was “flabbergasted” by Healy-Rae’s praise for Delaney

Published

on

Champagne Football co-author Paul Rowan says he was “flabbergasted” by Michael Healy-Rae’s infamous defence of John Delaney at the Oireachtas Committee for Sport in April of last year.

Delaney, who was the Executive Vice President of the FAI at the time, was appearing before the committee to answer questions about serious allegations of financial mismanagement. However, the Kerry TD instead used his three minutes to praise the embattled administrator, assuring Delaney that he would get “the mother of all welcomes” in Kerry.

“If you’re guilty of anything,” Healy-Rae added, “you’re guilty of trying to help an Association in the best way you saw it at that time.”

Delaney was subsequently forced to resign from the FAI as the allegations against him continued to mount.

Rowan addressed the Kilgarvan politician’s remarks at a virtual launch for Champagne Football, an explosive new book which explores Delaney's ill-fated 15-year reign at the FAI.

“I was flabbergasted, frankly, by Michael Healy-Rae’s whole performance,” Rowan told launch co-hosts Eoin McDevitt and Ken Early.

“I’ve been living in London so I don’t really know that much about the Healy-Rae family, but they are obviously a colourful bunch of people.

“And John O’Regan (Secretary of the Kerry District League), I was just speaking to him last week and he’s as pro-Delaney as ever. He was pointing out that they wouldn’t have grounds there [in Kerry] if it wasn’t for John. You hear a lot of that.

“So, what do I think about those two gentlemen? John O’Regan is obviously immersed in football. [But] I’m not too sure how much interest Michael Healy-Rae has in football.

“I would say that of all the people I know in Kerry, they would be two individuals who I would find particularly funny in this particular case.”

Both Healy-Rae and O’Regan are mentioned in Champagne Football. The book, which Rowan co-wrote with his Sunday Times colleague Mark Tighe, is out today.

Listen to the virtual book launch on the Second Captains website.

Advertisement

News

Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

Published

on

By

Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

Continue Reading

News

How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

Published

on

By

Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

Continue Reading