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Car hire costs leading to cancellations

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By Sean Moriarty

The crippling cost of car hire in Ireland is going to have a detrimental effect on the local tourism industry.

That is according to a local councillor and is backed up by research conducted by the Killarney Advertiser.

Kerry Airport is by far the most expensive place to rent a car in a list of 10 popular tourist destinations across Europe.

The cost of renting a small car like a Fiat 500, at Kerry Airport, will cost €713 over three days in July.

The cheapest like-for-like rental over the same period is available at Frankfurt in Germany and costs just €109.

Renting a car in London, the second dearest location in the Killarney Advertiser’s survey, is cheaper than renting a car in Kerry but British rentals still far exceed average European averages.

The extortionate prices being charged in Ireland are forcing holidaymakers to cancel their arrangements according to Deputy Mayor of Kerry, Councillor Michael Cahill.

“Visitors to this country are being faced with car hire costs that are totally unaffordable and are the cause of cancellations on a daily basis. Those tourists who wish to view Ireland by car are a large percentage of the overall figure and pricing them out of the market, could be fatal for this very important industry,” he said.

"Hotel, Guest House and B&B operators across the county are receiving cancellation after cancellation as a direct result of the enormous increase in car hire and this issue needs to be addressed as a matter of extreme urgency before it destroys the tourist season here in Kerry.”

Councillor Cahill raised the issues at a recent meeting of Kerry County Council.

“When a prospective visitor to Ireland budgets for their holiday, any large increase in the cost, like car-hire, could be the reason they would choose another, more affordable destination and we cannot allow that to happen,” Cllr Cahill told the meeting.

"Ireland is fast getting a reputation for being overpriced, and being quoted thousands of euros to hire a car for a week or 10 days is certainly turning visitors away.”

COMPARISON

Three days from July 1 at 10am to July 4 at 10am for a Ford Ka or equivalent on price comparison website Rentalcars.com:

Kerry Airport €713
London Heathrow €594
London Luton €458
Salou €240
Faro €198
Paris €179
Brussels €155
Alicante €175
Barcelona €165
Frankfurt €109

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Chamber pays tribute to late Dick Henggeler

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee. Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee.

Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at his home in Baltimore, USA surrounded by his Aghadoe-born wife Eibhlin (née Moriarty), their son Franz, and other family members.
Dick and Eibhlin purchased The Rose Hotel in 2015 in tribute to their late daughter Dorothy, who represented Washington DC in the 2011 Rose of Tralee Festival.
The Chamber said Mr Henggeler would be remembered for his warmth, good nature and positive approach, as well as for being a forward-thinking and knowledgeable businessman.
“He knew how to run a good hotel and that was and still is very obvious at The Rose Hotel, which is a great success story,” the Chamber said.
It added that continuity of ownership will remain in place, with Eibhlin, Franz, daughter-in-law Amber, and grandchildren Conrad and Rowan continuing to honour Dick’s legacy and vision for the hotel.
“Dick took enormous personal pride in Tralee and all of Kerry and he was always available to generously support any community initiative or endeavour undertaken in Killarney,” the Chamber said.
“He will be greatly missed by all that knew him but he leaves a wonderful legacy.”

He will repose at O’Shea’s Funeral Home, Killarney, on Friday (October 17), from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The funeral will arrive at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday morning at 10:00am for Requiem Mass at 10:30am, with burial afterwards in Aghadoe Cemetery. The Requiem Mass will be live streamed at https://www.churchservices.tv/killarneycathedral.

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Beaufort Film Night returns with French drama-comedy

Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band. The film tells the story of Thibaut, […]

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Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band.

The film tells the story of Thibaut, a successful conductor recently diagnosed with leukaemia. A search for a bone marrow donor reveals that he was adopted and has a brother, Jimmy, a cafeteria worker.
The two meet, discover a shared love of music, and form a strong bond through an unexpected collaboration with Jimmy’s workplace band.
The Marching Band (French title En Fanfare) will screen at 8.30pm. Admission is €7, cash only, and will cover the motion picture licence fee.
The film has a 12A rating and is in French with English subtitles.
Beaufort Film Night is a non-profit community group that screens cultural English and international films that usually do not receive general release in Kerry.
The event is supported by Kerry County Council Arts Office and Access Cinema. Cullina National School is providing the venue.
Further details are available on Beaufort Film Night’s Facebook page @BeaufortFilmNight.

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