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International Storytelling Festival back on track in Listowel

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The traditional art of storytelling is alive and well and will be celebrated from this Thursday to Sunday (September 15 to 18) at the Listowel International Storytelling Festival.

Performance, workshops, spoken word, music sessions and children’s events radiate out from the Kingdom’s cultural capital, as the best of Kerry’s storytelling talent merge with invited global guests, offering locals and visitors an opportunity to celebrate and discover oral traditions and cultural diversity.

An initiative of Kerry Writers’ Museum, this year’s programme features the cream of storytellers from the island of Ireland and beyond, including Cork storytellers Maria Gillen and Paddy Regan; Liz Weir from Antrim; Joe Brennan from Wexford, and Maria Credali from the UK. Musical guests include singer/songwriters Ger Wolfe, Cormac O Caoimh and Hank Wedel. They will be joined over the weekend by local storytellers Frances Kennedy, Sonny Egan, Sean Lyons and Godfrey Coppinger; poet Gabriel Fitzmaurice; legendary singer/songwriter Mickey MacConnell and emerging singer/songwriter Lorraine Nash.

“It has been a tough few years where our festival has had to find ways to stretch and change as the world circumstances demanded," Festival Artistic Director, Maria Gillen, said.

"We are so proud that we managed to keep going through the COVID crisis, bringing our festival online in 2020 and having a smaller live festival in 2021. We are near the end of the tunnel now and are ready to celebrate as the Listowel International Storytelling Festival 2022 gets underway. Come join our tribe, meet old friends and new on the Story Road – all are welcome, and we can’t wait to see you.”

Kerry Writers’ Museum would like to acknowledge the generous support received from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media; Kerry County Council and Fáilte Ireland, without which the festival would not take place.

To view the full festival programme and book your tickets visit www.kerrywritersmuseum.com/storytelling-festival.

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Céilí Mór will send ‘em home sweatin’

It will be a case of all around the house but mind the dresser at a traditional Céilí Mór which will be one of the real entertainment highlights of this […]

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It will be a case of all around the house but mind the dresser at a traditional Céilí Mór which will be one of the real entertainment highlights of this year’s St Patrick’s Festival in Killarney.

It will take place on the eve of the big feast day in the Killarney Great Southern and there will be a wonderful party atmosphere guaranteed on the night.
Providing the tunes will be the very highly regarded Uí Bhriaín Céilí Band and they promise to send everybody home sweating after what will be a memorable night for locals and visitors.
The March 16 céilí will commence at 9.00pm and continue right through until midnight and the admission for a wonderful night of pure Irish trad is just €10.00.
Bookings can be made on the festival website or patrons can pay at the door on the night.

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St Brendan’s student Aodhagan O’Sullivan crowned CPR champion

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Aodhagan O’Sullivan, a student at St Brendan’s College, Killarney, has been named the 2026 School CPR Challenge Champion.

The prestigious award was presented on Thursday, 26 February, during a large-scale event at the Gleneagle Hotel, where approximately 300 students from post-primary schools across the county gathered to compete for the title of “who can compress the best.”


Now in its fourth year, the event is organised by the Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) Community First Responders.

The KCRU is a volunteer-led group that provides vital emergency response services to Killarney, Beaufort, Killorglin, Firies, Rathmore, and Kenmare.

The challenge focused on “Quality CPR” (QCPR), combining a high-stakes competition with practical life-saving training and the chance for students to engage directly with local emergency and community services.


The competition utilised advanced QCPR technology to measure the depth and rate of compressions, ensuring that students aren’t just learning the motions, but are performing life-saving techniques to a clinical standard.

Beyond the competitive element, the day served as an educational hub, highlighting the “chain of survival” and the importance of immediate bystander intervention in the event of a cardiac arrest.


The 2026 challenge was made possible through the support of the Vodafone Foundation, The Gleneagle Hotel, and First Aid Systems Ltd, alongside a variety of local sponsors. Organisers praised the enthusiasm of the 300 participants, noting that such events are essential for building a “heart-safe” community and equipping the next generation with the skills to save a life.

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