News
Donation to be made in memory of Johnny Batt
By Sean Moriarty
Spa GAA remembered one of their most loyal members this week when his beloved club donated to a Kerry charity.
Club stalwart Johnny Batt Cronin, who was steeped in Spa GAA club history, passed away in September 2019 after a battle with cancer.
An outstanding footballer, he won seven O'Donoghue Cup medals with Spa as well as a county Intermediate Championship medal in 1974 and a County League Division One title two years later.
He was also a member of the star-studded East Kerry divisional side that won the inaugural All-Ireland Club Championship in 1971.
When he hung up his boots, Johnny trained and coached many underage teams and was honoured with a hugely deserved lifetime achievement award by his beloved Spa GAA Club in 2015.
He was also a champion card player, winning the Spa Championship of Kerry 31 Card Drive on two occasions.
After his passing, Spa GAA wanted to run a 31 Card Drive in his memory and to raise funds for the Oncology Department in University Hospital Kerry.
The Card Drive was postponed on several occasions due to the pandemic - and while some of the earlier rounds were completed by early 2020 - it was not possible to complete the competition that has now been cancelled completely due to ongoing crowd gathering concerns.
“A number of teams had entered this Card Drive competition (two people per team) and it started in early 2020 and most but not all of the early rounds did get played,” club PRO, Deirdre O'Sullivan Darcy, said.
“When COVID-19 hit they delayed the next stages of the competition.”
Nevertheless, teams had paid entry fees and it was decided to handover the funds raised to the Comfort for Chemo charity at the Oncology Department in University Hospital Kerry.
Members of the organising team met this week to reveal the winners of spot prizes had the event gone ahead. The money will be handed over next week to the charity when the final amount is totalled.
“They kept delaying and postponing but at this point have decided to cancel it completely and make the donation for the money that was collected at the time,” added Deirdre.
WINNERS
The prize-winning teams are:
€100 voucher for the Great Southern Killarney: John Kerins and Tim McCarthy
€100 voucher for the Great Southern Killarney: Con Lynch and Alan Cronin
€100 voucher for the Great Southern Killarney: Finbarr Godfrey and Tim Regan
€50 voucher (each) for Killarney Carpet & Furniture Centre: Seanie Kelliher and Connie Doolan
Bottle of whiskey and bottle of wine: Peter Cahill and Barry Duggan
The club also thanked event sponsors: Skellig Hotel Dingle, Kennelly's Pharmacy, Hegarty's Spar Muckross Road, Daly's SuperValu, Killarney Oil, O'Leary's Electrical, Paul Herlihy Contractor, Liam Chute, Killarney Oaks Hotel and Bowler's Centra.
KWD Recycling shortlisted for national environmental awards
Killarney-based KWD Recycling has been announced as a finalist in the 2026 Repak Resource Awards, securing a spot on the national shortlist for environmental achievement.
The local waste management company has been nominated in the Best Recovery Operator Innovation category, sponsored by DNV, for its state-of-the-art residual waste recovery system.
The Killarney facility utilizes optical sorting, screening, and mechanical processing to extract recyclable plastics and organic material from municipal waste. In its first year of operation, the technology recovered more than 10 per cent of plastic packaging from residual waste for recycling and diverted almost 50 per cent of organic material toward composting.
KWD Recycling will compete alongside Dublin operators Panda and Thorntons Recycling for the category title.
Repak CEO Zoe Kavanagh commended the Kerry firm for demonstrating environmental leadership and bringing local ambition to the national awards.
Category winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin on Friday, October 23, where each winner will also compete for the Overall Repak Resource Award.
Local businesses have a strong track record at the national event, with Killarney town venue The Killarney Park and The Ross previously taking home the overall title in 2023.
Drivers warned as deer rutting season begins
Motorists in Killarney are being urged to exercise extreme caution as the annual deer rutting season gets underway, causing animals to stray far beyond their usual habitats inside Killarney National Park.
The autumn mating season sees deer becoming highly active and unpredictable, leading to increased sightings and collisions on local roads outside traditional park boundaries.
Two separate incidents highlighted the growing hazard on local routes this week. A reader contacted the Killarney Advertiser to warn drivers after spotting a deer roaming near Tiernaboul towards the school on Sunday afternoon around 7.30pm.
Later that same night, in the early hours of Monday morning, a local driver collided with a deer near Kerry Airport around 1am while returning home from an event.
Despite attempting evasive action, the motorist struck the animal, which died at the scene and temporarily blocked the road before local Gardaí were alerted to clear the obstruction.
The driver sustained substantial vehicle damage, requiring repairs to the bumper, headlamp, and internal components, leaving her facing significant garage costs and time off the road.
Gardaí and road safety advocates advise motorists travelLing during early morning and late evening and remain vigilant along tree-lined routes.
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