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Staff awarded for their hard work and dedication
The hard-working teams of the Great Southern and Killarney Royal celebrated their annual employee awards evenings last week.
Pictured at the Great Southern Killarney annual awards from left were: Milandi Basel (HR Director) Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Denise O'Sullivan (Manager of the Year) Mark Scally and Kamile Lyne (GSH Hotel Manager). Photo: Don MacMonagle
Long Service Awards at the Great Southern Killarney front from left: Kamile Lyne (GSH Manager) Prianka Saha Mark Scally Kathleen Bhuiyan Milandi Basel (HR Director) Christina O’Connor Eamonn Canty David Mulvihill Rory Gabriel Sean McAllister Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Stephen Quinlan Bogumila Bierdzio and Katarzyna Odwazna. Photo: Don MacMonagle
Pictured at the Great Southern Killarney annual awards from left were: Milandi Basel (HR Director) Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Bogumila Bierdzo (Employee of the Year) Mark Scally and Kamile Lyne (GSH Hotel Manager). Photo: Don MacMonagle
LONG SERVICE AWARDS: Pictured at the Killarney Royal Hotel from left were: Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Jevgenijs Kuksenkovs Joe Scally (Proprietor) Aoife Ross Alex Slabkovskis and Milandi Basel (HR Director). Photo: Don MacMonagle
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: Hayden Coffey received the 'Employee of the Year' award at the Killarney Royal Hotel. Photo: Don MacMonagle
Pictured at the Killarney Royal Hotel annual awards from left were: Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Joe Scally (Proprietor) Joanne Brosnan (Manager of the Year) Alex Slabkovskis and Milandi Basel (HR Director). Photo: Don MacMonagle
Pictured at the Killarney Royal Hotel annual awards in front were: Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Joe Scally Jelena Bivka (Employee Choice Award) Alex Slabkovskis Milandi Basel (HR Director). Back: Michael Cronin (Guest Choice Award) Aoife Ross (Positive Peer Influencer) Patryk Komosa (Team Player Award) and John Harrington (Constant Contributor). Photo: Don MacMonagle
Pictured at the Great Southern Killarney annual awards from left were: Milandi Basel (HR Director) Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Denise O'Sullivan (Manager of the Year) Mark Scally and Kamile Lyne (GSH Hotel Manager). Photo: Don MacMonagle
Long Service Awards at the Great Southern Killarney front from left: Kamile Lyne (GSH Manager) Prianka Saha Mark Scally Kathleen Bhuiyan Milandi Basel (HR Director) Christina O’Connor Eamonn Canty David Mulvihill Rory Gabriel Sean McAllister Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Stephen Quinlan Bogumila Bierdzio and Katarzyna Odwazna. Photo: Don MacMonagle
Pictured at the Great Southern Killarney annual awards from left were: Milandi Basel (HR Director) Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Bogumila Bierdzo (Employee of the Year) Mark Scally and Kamile Lyne (GSH Hotel Manager). Photo: Don MacMonagle
LONG SERVICE AWARDS: Pictured at the Killarney Royal Hotel from left were: Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Jevgenijs Kuksenkovs Joe Scally (Proprietor) Aoife Ross Alex Slabkovskis and Milandi Basel (HR Director). Photo: Don MacMonagle
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: Hayden Coffey received the 'Employee of the Year' award at the Killarney Royal Hotel. Photo: Don MacMonagle
Pictured at the Killarney Royal Hotel annual awards from left were: Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Joe Scally (Proprietor) Joanne Brosnan (Manager of the Year) Alex Slabkovskis and Milandi Basel (HR Director). Photo: Don MacMonagle
Pictured at the Killarney Royal Hotel annual awards in front were: Michael Jacobi (Managing Director) Joe Scally Jelena Bivka (Employee Choice Award) Alex Slabkovskis Milandi Basel (HR Director). Back: Michael Cronin (Guest Choice Award) Aoife Ross (Positive Peer Influencer) Patryk Komosa (Team Player Award) and John Harrington (Constant Contributor). Photo: Don MacMonagle
A wonderful night was had by all, enjoying their first celebration in over two years. During the events the hotels management teams celebrated their businesses, with long service and customer service excellence awards.
Monday evening last saw the Great Southern awards held in the Dromhall Hotel, followed by the Killarney Royal awards which were held in Great Southern on Tuesday evening.
The Great Southern event saw a range of awards presented, including Employee of the Year which went to Bogumila Bierdzo, Manager of the Year, which went to Denise O’Sullivan, Events Manager.
The Guest Choice Award went to Shubert Furtado, while the Employee Choice Award went to Goran Dijakovic.
Positive Peer Influencer was Marko Sarac, Team Player Award went to Liam Palmer and Constant Contributor to Pal Palfi.
There was over 20 Long Service Awards also presented on the evening with Restaurant Supervisor Kathleen Bhuiyan celebrating an incredible 30 years with Great Southern Killarney.
The Killarney Royal event saw awards go to Employee of the Year, Hayden Coffey, Manager of the Year, Joanne Brosnan, Guest Choice Award, Mike Cronin, Employee Choice Award, Jelena Bivka, Positive Peer Influencer, Aoife Ross, Team Player Award to Patryk Komosa and Constant Contributor to John Harrington.
Long Service Awards were also presented on the evening with Jevgenijs Kuksenkovs and Aoife Ross celebrating 10 years and Maura Gallivan celebrating a fantastic 20 years.
“We were delighted to welcome our teams together to celebrate in the same room and thank everyone for their hard work over the past two years,” Hayfield Family Collection Managing Director, Michael Jacobi, said.
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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