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Numbers not adding up for young drivers, says councillor

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A Kerry County Councillor has claimed that when it comes to motor insurance companies assessing the risk of young drivers, the numbers simply don’t add up and has called on the insurance industry to stop using young drivers as easy targets and to engage with recent data.

Data released to Cllr Jackie Healy-Rae by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) shows that there were 268,885 people in the country on a provisional licence by November 30 last of which 128,889 (47.9%) were under the age of 30.

“However, when one looks at the amount of road traffic accidents in this time only 4.4% of the total amount are attributed to drivers with provisional licenses," he said. "This is even down from 6.4% on the previous year and it all points very clearly to better driving practices than is perceived by the general public which is mainly due to the unfair negativity toward young drivers.”

Cllr Healy-Rae stated that insurance companies are just picking figures at random when it comes to giving out insurance quotes to younger drivers who are already facing bills of up to €700 between lessons and licences ahead of tests.

The Castleisland LEA based representative who has recently called on the Government to introduce more driving testers to alleviate a backlog of learner drivers, which currently stands at over 271k nationwide as those who pass a test, can see a drop of almost 50% in their insurance quote.

“By keeping young drivers longer on the waiting list to get a test, they are being forced to pay higher insurance costs for longer and it is simply not fair.”

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Chamber pays tribute to late Dick Henggeler

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee. Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee.

Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at his home in Baltimore, USA surrounded by his Aghadoe-born wife Eibhlin (née Moriarty), their son Franz, and other family members.
Dick and Eibhlin purchased The Rose Hotel in 2015 in tribute to their late daughter Dorothy, who represented Washington DC in the 2011 Rose of Tralee Festival.
The Chamber said Mr Henggeler would be remembered for his warmth, good nature and positive approach, as well as for being a forward-thinking and knowledgeable businessman.
“He knew how to run a good hotel and that was and still is very obvious at The Rose Hotel, which is a great success story,” the Chamber said.
It added that continuity of ownership will remain in place, with Eibhlin, Franz, daughter-in-law Amber, and grandchildren Conrad and Rowan continuing to honour Dick’s legacy and vision for the hotel.
“Dick took enormous personal pride in Tralee and all of Kerry and he was always available to generously support any community initiative or endeavour undertaken in Killarney,” the Chamber said.
“He will be greatly missed by all that knew him but he leaves a wonderful legacy.”

He will repose at O’Shea’s Funeral Home, Killarney, on Friday (October 17), from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The funeral will arrive at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday morning at 10:00am for Requiem Mass at 10:30am, with burial afterwards in Aghadoe Cemetery. The Requiem Mass will be live streamed at https://www.churchservices.tv/killarneycathedral.

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Beaufort Film Night returns with French drama-comedy

Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band. The film tells the story of Thibaut, […]

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Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band.

The film tells the story of Thibaut, a successful conductor recently diagnosed with leukaemia. A search for a bone marrow donor reveals that he was adopted and has a brother, Jimmy, a cafeteria worker.
The two meet, discover a shared love of music, and form a strong bond through an unexpected collaboration with Jimmy’s workplace band.
The Marching Band (French title En Fanfare) will screen at 8.30pm. Admission is €7, cash only, and will cover the motion picture licence fee.
The film has a 12A rating and is in French with English subtitles.
Beaufort Film Night is a non-profit community group that screens cultural English and international films that usually do not receive general release in Kerry.
The event is supported by Kerry County Council Arts Office and Access Cinema. Cullina National School is providing the venue.
Further details are available on Beaufort Film Night’s Facebook page @BeaufortFilmNight.

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