News
Oisín lands global clothing deal with Hollister Co
BRAND DEAL: Oisín O'Connor from Ross Road has secured a deal with global retail giant Hollister Co. Photo: Michelle Crean
By Michelle Crean
A young Killarney man who had extra time on his hands due to lockdown over the past year - has accidently become an online "influencer" - and managed to bag himself an impressive contract.
Global retail giant Hollister Co was so taken with Oisín O'Connor's Instagram following over the past few months that they offered him an ambassador role for the year as part of their new campaign.
It's a dream come true for the Mary Immaculate College student, son of multi-talented musician Liam O'Connor, who lives in Ross Road.
Oisín (20), who himself is a drummer and guitar player, had a small online presence - but by posting music which he recorded in his home studio - within a year he has amassed 5,000 followers. This lead to sponsorship from drumstick makers Vic Firth, as well as a paid partnership with Bulldog Skincare North America, and others.
"Over lockdown I was doing music and my friends told me I should post it online," Oisín told the Killarney Advertiser.
"I wasn't doing Instagram for business. I started out with nothing but I reached out to Vic Firth as they'd be renowned in the music industry and have 700k followers."
One of Oisín's songs got 50k plays and his presence grew from there, so much so that Oisín couldn't believe it when American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo also made contact with him and they're now in regular contact via text message.
"Ne-Yo reached out to me, he messaged he on Instagram. I did a cover of his song 'Let Me Love You', and I nearly fell down when I saw his message."
From there Hollister got in touch.
"It's a yearly contract and I took the opportunity as they're good to be associated with. I probably wouldn't be in this position only for COVID which gave me the time to do more music which is definitely what I want to go into."
Check out his page on Instagram @oisinoconnor12.
Two young local girls showed great business initiative on Saturday ahead of the Kerry v Donegal match at Fitzgerald Stadium.
Erin McSweeney and Jessie Doolin set up a sweet stall outside a house on Lewis Road, catching the thousands of football fans walking towards the grounds.
The enterprising pair did a busy trade selling soft drinks, sweets, and chocolates to the passing crowds before throw-in.
Their match-day venture also caught the attention of the national sports media, with a photograph of the girls at their stall captured by Sportsfile photographer Stephen McCarthy ahead of the game.
Noel O’Neill has claimed first place in the Unrestricted category of the latest Killarney Camera Club competition, which focused on the theme of the ‘Kerry Landscape’.
His winning photograph, titled ‘Conor Pass Lake and the Three Sisters’, features a detailed study of Mullaghveal located beneath the Conor Pass.
The image captures the wide sweep of the valley, utilizing an elevated viewpoint that allows the glacial landscape to unfold toward the Atlantic horizon. The composition highlights the quiet lakes in the foreground against the dark, rocky slopes of the valley, with the distant outline of the Three Sisters adding further depth and scale to the scene.
The judges praised the photograph as an outstanding example of landscape work, noting its effective balance of composition, light, and perspective to capture the vastness of the West Kerry terrain.
Young entrepreneurs spot match-day business opportunity
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