News
Killarney man completes in one of the world’s toughest adventure races
By Sean Moriarty
Killarney mountain runner Joe O’Leary was part of a four person team that finished one of the world’s most arduous adventure races in Spain this week.
The Dingle Adventure Race team, Noel O'Leary, Joe O'Leary, Colm Casey and Ailise Deane started the six-day race in Adventure Race World Championship in Gallaecia on Saturday.
They only reached the finish line in the early hours of Thursday morning after enduring 220km of mountain trail hiking at heights of 7,500m, an 80km mountain bike race and an 11km kayak race in a river with currents so strong they had to carry their canoe along the river bank just to make the section-finish.
They did all this while surviving on limited sleep taken on a short bus journey to connect sections and 17 minutes of open air sleeping on the side of a mountain in the middle of the night.
“The 2021 World Championship will be the most mountainous, the longest and the most technical edition of our race so far, covering 600km across three of the four provinces of Gallaecia and passing very near to the border with Portugal,” explained a pre-event press release. “Teams can expect a varied and technical race delivered by a crew which has been together for many years and has a reputation second to none for their courses, logistics, mapping and organisation.”
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At the event start, all teams were given 51 maps and had a limited time to plot the correct route via several pre-ordained check points.
They were not allowed use modern GPS technology and one mobile phone was allowed per team, however this was switched off and placed in a sealed bag and if the seal was broken they would have been disqualified from the race. A digital wrist watch, that showed no more than the time and a date was the team’s only connection to real time as smart watches and Fitbits were also banned.
The course opened on Saturday morning and they had exactly seven days to complete it.
Following a very difficult opening night, they spent 40 hours on a mountain side in driving rain, missed a cut off time at a check point and were forced to complete a stage by bus. While the bus trip offered much needed rest, Team Dingle Adventure Race were forced to drop down to the shorter course and were no longer eligible for overall honours. It was a cruel blow for the squad as they were the last team to be cut off.
They continued with the Mountain Bike section but before they could participate in the kayaking element of the event they had to carry their boat through difficult mountain trails to reach the start of that section.
The final section, 12km of street racing, was as difficult as the mountain courses they had just completed.
“We got over the line at about 3am, there was one person there to clap us,” a clearly exhausted Joe told the Killarney Advertiser a few hours after the finish.
“What day is it? I literally don’t know what happened over the last few days. I will be getting flashbacks about this for the next six months and it will take a long time to piece it all together. Right now I am drifting between back to life and being completely delirious from sleep depravation.”
Get Involved in Culture Night 2026
The Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Cllr Mikey Sheehy, is encouraging people across the town to get out, get involved and experience Culture Night 2026 on Friday, September 18.
The local programme includes exhibitions, workshops, theatre, concerts, film, dance, and street spectacle across Killarney, running from afternoon into late evening.
Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir is brought to you by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon, in partnership with local authorities and cultural organisations across Ireland. In Kerry, the Arts Office of Kerry County Council coordinates the programme and provides funding towards participating events.
Cllr Sheehy said: “Culture Night is a great night for the Kingdom because it shows just how much creativity we have in every corner of Kerry. Our artists, musicians, performers, makers and communities bring it to life, and for one evening we get a chance to celebrate all of that together.”
Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer with Kerry County Council, said: “Culture Night is one of those evenings when Kerry feels full of possibility. What gives the Kerry programme its energy is that it comes from the ground up. Local people have the ideas and make the events happen in their own communities. The Arts Office is delighted to support that work through funding, coordination and promotion, and to help bring all of that activity together for one night across the county.”
All events are free, though some require advance booking.
Culture Night 2026: Killarney Event Highlights
Clay Culture Tiles with Me and The Moon
Venue: Muckross Garden Restaurant, Muckross Traditional Farms
Time: 16:00 – 19:00
Details: Kids create their own tile for the ‘Culture Wall’ celebrating diverse identities.
Dancemania with Katrina Galvin
Venue: Killarney Heights Hotel
Time: 16:30 – 20:00
Details: A fun general dance class for children, followed by a student performance showcase.
30 Years of Kerry Travellers Health & Community Development Project
Venue: Anam Arts and Cultural Centre
Time: 18:30 – 21:00
Details: A special celebratory exhibition marking 30 years of community development and health initiatives.
Betty Rohan Art Exhibition
Venue: Dromhall Hotel
Time: 19:00 – 22:00
Details: A showcase dedicated to breathtaking landscapes by Kerry-born artist Betty Rohan. Accessible and neurodivergent/ASD friendly.
Film Screening – TRAD (Kerry International Film Festival)
Venue: Cinema Killarney
Time: 20:00 – 22:00
Details: A free KIFF Film Club presentation celebrating traditional culture on screen
Funding sought for Bohereen na Goun link road
The compulsory land acquisition process for the proposed Bohereen na Goun link road has advanced, but construction remains dependent on securing capital funding.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Killarney Municipal District, Councillor Niall Kelleher raised the timeframe for the project, asking: “What is the update on Bohereen na Goun? When will this link road be open?”
In a formal response, Kerry County Council confirmed that statutory land acquisition procedures are moving forward alongside initial site preparation.
Local authority officials stated: “The compulsory acquisition/land-access process has formally progressed via Notice to Treat, and Kerry County Council is now co-ordinating with affected property owners while preparing the initial works. Progression to the construction phase of the project is subject to securing an appropriate funding stream. Kerry County Council is actively pursuing all available funding opportunities to enable the project to proceed.”
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