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Killarney ‘Cleaner than European Norms’ in IBAL report

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Killarney has once again cleaned up in the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) report which was just released as it was once again named ‘Cleaner than European Norms’.

However, Killarney was edged out of top spot by Kilkenny and Athlone - but was awarded third in the ranking of 40 towns and cities nationwide.

The first nationwide litter survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) since the COVID-19 crisis shows Tralee deemed ‘clean’ in 15th position. There was a dramatic fall in the number of towns and cities deemed to be ‘clean’, to its lowest level since 2007. Kilkenny was again judged best of the surveyed, with ‘seriously littered’ Dublin North Inner City at the foot of the table. The survey showed PPE litter to be widespread and a rise in the prevalence of cans and glass bottles.

‘In such a difficult year for the town, Killarney has maintained its exemplary cleanliness,’ the Taisce report for Killarney stated.

‘All the approach roads got the top litter grade and this high standard was sustained for well over the majority of the remaining sites surveyed. Among many top ranking sites, some deserve special mention – the Jarvey Parking & Environs was spotless throughout and beautifully presented and maintained; Killarney National Park is a wonderful natural resource which has been lovingly tended and very well respected. Main Street was another site which wasn’t just good with regard to litter but a very freshly presented environment.’

"We're absolutely delighted to be rated third," Yvonne Quill from Killarney TidyTowns told the Killarney Advertiser.

"It's a great honour."

She said that this year has been hard on everyone but they have continued to work hard despite the challenges.

"There are fantastic volunteers there. It's hard for everyone but I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone especially the Council workers, they have been superb."

THE NATIONAL PICTURE

IBAL’s Conor Horgan added that nationally "the rise in litter levels this year is across the board”.

“The COVID crisis has seen more dumping, more outdoor socialising, especially drinking, and PPE litter, but less cleaning by local authorities and less activity by volunteers like TidyTowns - a perfect storm, in many ways, which has brought us to the worst position we’ve been in in over 10 years.”

In the fight against COVID-19, local authorities have curtailed cleaning schedules and diverted resources to other areas. At the same time, households have been generating more litter during lockdown and there has been a visible increase in drinking outdoors as pubs are closed, a fact borne out by the rise in bottles and cans found by the An Taisce inspectors, Galway City being one example. However, there was a reduction in cigarette butts, perhaps also a reflection of pubs and offices being closed. Half of all recycle facilities surveyed were heavily littered, another likely consequence of the COVID crisis, he explained.

PPE litter was prevalent across the country, with masks five times as common as gloves.

“Understandably, people are reluctant to pick up these items for fear of contracting COVID, so they tend to stay on the ground. We need to see a rapid rise in the use of reusable masks,” he said.

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

RETIREMENT NIGHT: Pictured at the retirement party held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday, October 3, celebrating a combined 185 years of service with An Post, are Connie Brady, James Foley, Terry Potts, Pat Cronin, and D.J. Cahill.


Five well-known local postmen celebrated their retirement at a special function held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday night, October 3.


The event brought together current and former An Post colleagues to mark the combined total of 185 years of service delivered across Killarney and surrounding areas.
Delivery Services Manager Terry Potts retired after 43 years with An Post. He began his career in Dublin, where he worked for 10 years, before moving to Killarney in 1993 for a further 33 years.
Pat Cronin completed an impressive 51 years of service between Killarney and Farranfore, spending 44 of those years delivering post on the Farranfore route.
James Foley served 35 years with An Post, delivering on routes across Killorglin throughout his entire career.
D.J. Cahill marked 32 years of service based out of Killarney post office, delivering mail across Killarney town, Killorglin, Kilcummin, and Headford.
Connie Brady retired following 24 years with the postal service, spending 17 years in Killarney town before completing his service in Killorglin.
The celebration offered local postal staff an opportunity to gather and catch up ahead of the busy Christmas rush.

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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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