Pickleball Club’s record medal haul at Munster Open

Killarney Pickleball Club celebrated its most successful outing to date at the Munster Open held last weekend at the MTU Tralee sports complex

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The club sent a record number of eight members to the tournament, which featured players from across Ireland and beyond.
The Killarney contingent secured medals across several divisions. Jeremy Foley took home gold in the men’s intermediate section, competing alongside Alan Cunningham from Tralee. In the mixed doubles lower section, Max and Stephanie Regosa claimed silver medals following a strong run in their bracket.
Mike Lyne had a standout weekend, securing two bronze medals. He placed third in the 60+ men’s doubles with partner Tommy McCarthy of Castlegregory and followed it up with another bronze in the mixed doubles on Sunday.
Lyne’s Sunday performance included a dramatic comeback in the final match, trailing 10-1 before rallying to win 15-13.
The club was also represented at the high-energy event by Shane O’Sullivan, Hanne Winther, Jyotindra Swaroop, and Kumar Shreyansh.
Hosted by the Kingdom Pickleball Club, the 2026 Munster Open utilised the top-class facilities at MTU to accommodate multiple skill levels and divisions, marking one of the largest competitive pickleball weekends in the country this year.

The Killarney Women’s Shed has teamed up with local nurse Chandra Arias to host a major charity auction of upcycled furniture on Tuesday, March 10.

The event, held at the Spa GAA Club in Tiernaboul, aims to raise vital funds for residents in the Philippines still struggling in the aftermath of the devastating Typhoon Tino.

The fundraiser follows a series of natural disasters that hit the Philippines late last year. On September 30, 2025, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake, the strongest ever recorded in northern Cebu, struck the region, followed weeks later on November 4 by Typhoon Tino. The typhoon brought winds of 185km/h, resulting in 269 deaths and displacing over 700,000 people.

Many families remain in temporary tents or schools as infrastructure and agricultural lands were decimated.

Chandra Arias, a native of Mandaue City in the Philippines, has lived and worked in Killarney for 25 years, primarily as a nurse at St Columbanus Community Hospital.

An accomplished artist, Chandra is donating several unique pieces of furniture she has personally upcycled for the auction.

Support for the project has come from across the community.

The Killarney Men’s Shed donated three pieces of furniture for the project, while local Arbutus furniture expert James Flynn personally donated four contemporary pieces for Chandra to transform.

The event, which runs from 10.30am to 2.00pm, will include an upcycling demonstration by Chandra, the furniture auction, and a raffle.

Attendees will also be served traditional Filipino finger food prepared on-site by professional caterer Nympha Tacaza.

Entry to the fundraiser is €3, with all proceeds going directly to help those affected in the Philippines.