News
Local woman jets halfway round the world to watch hero’s last race
A Farranfore woman is such a fan of Formula One that she flew halfway around the world to see her hero race for the very last time.
Finish legend Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 World Drivers' Champion, retired from Grand Prix Racing after Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
North Carolina-based Karen McCarthy has followed the Finn’s 20 year career in the World Championship.
The enigmatic Räikkönen started F1 racing in 2001 with the Sauber team. He has raced for the world’s best teams, including McLaren and two stints with Ferrari, the first between 2007 and 2009 when he won the world title for the famed Italian team.
He earned a cult following for his lack of interest in post event press conferences which often resulted in hilarious one liner responses while his radio conversations with his team chiefs were littered with expletives and a 'leave me alone’ attitude.
Karen and her husband Richard Hull have attended 60 of his record-breaking 349 Formula One races all over the world.
They even followed him on his 2010 farewell tour, after which he raced in other forms of motorsport, before making a dramatic u-turn and returning to Formula One in 2012 with Lotus.
“Hard to put the last few days in words. So grateful to have been able to be here, but also completely heartbroken having to say goodbye to Kimi,” she said.
“I could never have imagined when I became a fan of his 20 years ago that it would shape my life the way it has or that I would have attended 17% of his 349 F1 starts. What an adventure it’s been. He’ll always be my hero.”
Karen and Richard run a motorsport electronics firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Despite the long-haul flight from the USA to Abu Dhabi the pair were determined not to miss Räikkönen’s final race. They got more than they bargained for as the 2021 world title was decided in controversial and dramatic circumstances between Max Verstappen, who took his first World Championship, and seven time champion Lewis Hamilton.
“I am so grateful for all the life-long friends we’ve made along the way, but I’m mostly grateful for my very understanding and patient husband. In our 15 years together, I’ve dragged him to F1 races for pretty much all of our holidays. Now Rich finally gets to take a break from F1 as well,” she added.
“We are still digesting the whole weekend to be honest! So lucky to have been able to be there. The atmosphere on Sunday was just incredible. Not the result we wanted, or the way the championship should have been won, but can’t deny that Max deserved it. Both of them did - they were both just on another level this year.”
Gardaí appeal for witnesses after woman’s body found on Muckross Road
Gardaí have launched a witness appeal following the discovery of a woman’s body at a residential property in Killarney on Tuesday afternoon, July 7.
Gardaí and emergency services responded to an incident at a domestic residence on the Muckross Road, where the woman, aged in her 40s, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The property has been preserved for a technical examination, and the State Pathologist has been notified. A post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course.
A Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the case, and an incident room has been established at Killarney Garda Station.
Investigating Gardaí are appealing for anyone who was in the Muckross Road area of Killarney between the evening of Monday, July 6 and the afternoon of Tuesday, July 7 to come forward. They are particularly asking anyone with camera footage, including CCTV or dashcam from the area during this timeframe, to make it available to them.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Killarney Garda Station on 064 667 1160, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
New summer film festival launches at Anam Centre
A new summer film festival has been launched at the Anam Cultural Centre in Killarney, featuring a series of works by local filmmaker Charlie O’Brien. The week-long event, titled Anam Echoes, runs from Sunday July 12 to Friday July 17.
The programme brings together documentaries, traditional music, and guest conversations, with a recurring thread of Irish connections to Latin America running through the week.
The festival opens on July 12 and July 13 with a screening of The Green Fields of Cuba, followed by a live concert with Argentine uilleann piper Pamela Schweblin. On July 14, the venue will screen The Trackless Wild, Song of a Wandering Tip, a documentary exploring the legacy of a 19th-century Irish ballad writer in Argentina, followed by a director’s Q&A.
On July 15, doors open at 8:30pm for a short portrait of the late fiddle player Eamon Flynn titled A Trip to Mountcollins, which will be followed by a traditional music session with Tim Browne and Charlie O’Brien. Musicians gain free entry to this session.
On July 16, in collaboration with the Kerry International Film Festival, there will be a screening of The Killarney Echo alongside a panel discussion on film production, costume, and sound with costume supervisor Ciara O’Connor, sound engineer Tony O’Flaherty, and Charlie O’Brien.
The series concludes on July 17 with A Captain Unafraid, a film charting the life of 19th-century sailor and rebel Johnny O’Brien, followed by a final director’s Q&A.
Doors open at 7:30pm each night, and tickets can be booked at charlieobrien.net/anam-echoes-film-series.
Gardaí appeal for witnesses after woman’s body found on Muckross Road
Gardaí appeal for witnesses after woman’s body found on Muckross Road Gardaí have launched a witness appeal following the discovery...
New summer film festival launches at Anam Centre
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