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Nagle announces retirement from World Rally Championship

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Sean Moriarty

Killarney World Rally Championship co-driver Paul Nagle will retire from the sport later this month.

RETIREMENT: Paul Nagle will retire from the World Rally Championship after the Spanish round alter this month. He is pictured here celebrating his win on on the same event in 2017 Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

RETIREMENT: Paul Nagle will retire from the World Rally Championship after the Spanish round alter this month. Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

The Spanish round of the World Championship in Salou later this month will be his last event as a professional co-driver.

The 44-year-old has called time after 18 years in the sport’s top flight.

He has chosen the Rally de Catalunya to bow out as it is a rally he holds very close to his heart.

The Aghadoe man made is WRC debut there in 2004 alongside his friend and neighbour Donie O’Sullivan in a Ford Focus WRC and this set the seed for a career in the sport.

Last weekend’s Rally New Zealand was his 101st event start in the WRC and since his debut 18 years ago he has won five rounds of the series as co-driver to Tyrone’s Kris Meeke.

Their last win together was in Spain in 2017 – another reason Nagle has chosen the October 13 to 16 rally as his last.

Another special Rally RACC Catalunya memory came in 2011 when he and Meeke won their first WRC stage together after topping the time sheets on the event’s PowerStage in front of a live television audience.

More recently Nagle has been co-driver to Waterford’s Craig Breen and the Waterford/Kerry pairing – Ireland’s only full-time crew in the WRC – have finished on the podium no less than six times – the most recent on Rallye Sardinia in June.

Ahead of last weekend’s Rally New Zealand he confided in those closest to him that he would confirm his future plans once he returned to Ireland.

“The time is right,” he said. “I have thought about it long and hard, I just know it's time to go. It has been a huge privilege, the highs outweigh the lows and I have been very lucky to get where I am. I have to give a special mention to Kris Meeke and Craig Breen who shared that journey with me.”

Nagle praised a loyal bunch of family, friends and supporters who have been with him through thick and thin.

His parents Angela and his late father Maurice instilled in him a passion for motorsport.

His wife Cathy is his biggest supporter, and she will take their two sons, Fitz and Leon, to Rally RACC Catalunya next week so they can see Paul in action at a World Championship event for the last time.

He thanked the loyal Kerry followers who have hoisted the tricolour over his rally car many times over the years.

He also thanked his personal sponsor Stephen Ferriter from Mallow Road Motors in Cork who has been by his side for a large portion of his career too.

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s


World renowned Paralympian and world record holder Jason Smyth paid a visit to St Brendan’s College on Wednesday afternoon as part of a high profile visit to Killarney.


The six time Paralympic gold medallist spoke to second year students from St Brendan’s College, alongside students from neighbouring schools St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School and Killarney Community College.
The interactive talk and interview took place ahead of World Sight Day, with the legendary sprinter sharing his personal journey with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that left him legally blind at eight years old.
The Derry native, who holds the world record as the fastest Paralympian on earth over 100 metres, offered inspiring insights into overcoming physical adversity and achieving success at the highest level of world sport.
The school visit formed the opening leg of his Killarney schedule before he took centre stage later on Wednesday evening at The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa.
Smyth headlined An Evening with Paralympian Jason Smyth, an event organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce as part of its winter schedule, sponsored by AIB.

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Deerpark Retail Park placed on market for fifteen million euro

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Deerpark Retail Park in Killarney has officially been placed on the market with a guide price in excess of 15.4 million euro, excluding VAT.

International real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as the sole sales agent to handle the high-profile commercial property sale on behalf of its current owner, Investcorp.

Investcorp, a global investment management firm headquartered in Bahrain, had previously acquired the prominent shopping complex.


The sale represents one of the largest commercial property offerings to launch in County Kerry this year.

Located roughly 1.3 kilometres west of Killarney town centre, the scheme enjoys strong regional connectivity and sits adjacent to independently owned operations including a Tesco Extra store, a Tesco petrol filling station, JYSK, and Aldi.


Constructed in 2006, the development extends across approximately 10,482 square metres, or 112,835 square feet.

The scheme comprises a mix of modern retail warehouse units and a complementary neighbourhood centre, offering 13 individual units in total with Part Open and Part Bulky Use planning permission.

The units range in size from 94.6 square metres up to 1,994.9 square metres. Visitors have access to approximately 248 customer parking spaces across the commercial grounds.

The park is currently 100 per cent occupied by a strong line-up of established national and international brands.

Key retail tenants include Marks & Spencer, Boots, DID Electrical, Maxi Zoo, and Mountain Warehouse.

The neighbourhood centre element accommodates service and convenience operators such as Costa Coffee, Card Factory, and Salon B.

The first-floor accommodation is fully let to Peak Performance Academy, which provides additional rental diversification.

Additionally, the scheme benefits from an agreement with Tesla to operate eight electric vehicle charging bays within the customer car park.


Commercial figures show that the property generates a total current rental income of 1,326,458 euro per annum, with a weighted average unexpired lease term of 4.45 years to break options and 6.46 years to lease expiry.

Cushman & Wakefield noted that the quoted guide price of 15.4 million euro reflects a net initial yield of 7.83 per cent, assuming standard purchaser costs of 9.96 per cent.

The selling agents highlighted that the fully occupied asset offers investors an attractive income profile alongside scope for additional income generation through parking commercialisation.

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