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Major town school works almost complete

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By Michelle Crean

One local school could see major new works completed by mid-March as the building - deemed essential by the Dept of Education during the current restrictions - nears completion.

The brand new, and much needed extension at The Monastery primary school on New Road, will include two new classrooms to cater for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and children with two and more diagnosed learning difficulties, multi-sensory rooms, as well as works to extend the school hall, which is currently too small for the 190 pupil school.

There are also plans for a new school stage and PA system in the hall.

And, according to principal of the school, Colm Ó Súilleabháin, works for a soft play area outside and colourful murals should be finished during the summer holidays.

The school was founded in 1838 and has been located on the site on New Road since 1958. A three classroom extension was added at the rear in 2015 to cater for growing numbers.

Late last year the school ran ‘THE MON-ster Giveaway' asking the public to make ‘a small donation for the next generation’ to help cater for the growing school population.

And, although they initially thought they'd raise somewhere in the region of €20,000 - Colm says they were blown away by the €40,000 raised.

"We're hoping to have the interior finished by mid-March, which is six weeks away," Colm told the Killarney Advertiser.

"We're waiting on funding from the Dept for additional works, and some additional works might have to wait for the [summer] holidays. The response to the fundraiser was phenomenal. I thought we'd get €20,000 but it's now close to €40,000. It gave us all a great lift. We want to thank everyone for supporting our fundraiser, businesses who sponsored fantastic prizes and all the community groups who made donations and everyone who bought tickets."

He also added it's great news that those attending the school for special education would be returning on February 11 after Minister for Education Norma Foley and education bodies agreed the date on Monday adding that "there was a lot of pressure" for the decision makers given "the situation".

"Two weeks ago we were disappointed it didn't happen. We've two special classes and we'll be delighted to have them back. There's 11 in total, and two teachers and two SNAs. There won't be more than 20 people in the school."

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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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.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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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.

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