Celebrations are continuing across Fossa following a hugely successful showing by Fossa Rowing Club at the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation All-Ireland Championships in Bantry.

Over 50 local rowers travelled to West Cork to represent the club across 19 crews during three days of intense competition against the top coastal rowing talent in the country.

Action began on Friday with strong performances from two U16 Mixed crews, before the Novice Mixed Final yielded the club’s first silverware of the weekend.

In a closely fought race, the Fossa Novice A crew put in a trojan effort to claim a brilliant third-place bronze, while the Novice B crew battled bravely to the finish line.

Saturday saw early morning action as crews gathered at the Bantry marina.

The club’s U16 Girls got proceedings underway, with the A crew securing qualification for Sunday’s final. Strong displays followed from the Sprint Ladies, while Alison Coffey featured in a composite crew masterclass.

The U18 Mixed crew put major pressure on the field in their final, before the U14 Boys finished strongly in their heat to book their place in Sunday’s showpiece event.

Flawless morning conditions greeted rowers on Sunday for the final day of racing. Fossa’s Pre-Veteran Mixed and Senior Mixed crews put in solid performances, followed by a standout display from the club’s youngest participants, the U12 Girls crew.

Despite deteriorating weather and choppy waters as the afternoon progressed, the Fossa Novice Men’s crew delivered the highlight of the day in Race 9, producing a superb team performance to capture All-Ireland silver.

Solid showings from the U18 Boys, Novice Ladies, and U16 Boys closed out a historic and proud weekend for the Fossa club on national waters.

Kerry County Council has granted 10-year planning permission for a large-scale solar farm and battery storage facility outside Milltown.

The application, lodged by Laurel Ridge Solar Farm Ltd, covers a 57-hectare site across the townlands of Ballyoughtragh South, Commons, Farranmanagh, Knocknaman, and Lisheennashingane near Milltown.

The approved development features approximately 230,000 square metres of ground-mounted solar photovoltaic panels, string inverters, and 14 single-storey electrical transformer stations.

An energy storage compound on site will house 36 containerised energy storage modules, nine transformers, two auxiliary transformers, spare parts storage, and an office unit.

Permission was also granted for a 38kV substation with a single-storey control building, alongside a 3.87km underground grid connection running along private lands and local roads (L11003, L8003, and L80030) to link with the existing Oughtragh 110kV substation.

Access to the site will be served by six entrances off the L11003 and L80030 roads, with one entrance reserved strictly for the temporary construction phase. A Natura Impact Statement was submitted as part of the application process.

The solar farm has been granted an operational lifespan of 40 years.