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Who says school isn’t fun?

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By Michelle Crean

Students got stuck into Arabic belly dancing, Irish Sign Language, Russian ballet and Portuguese Capoeira - to celebrate language and culture.

BELLY DANCING: Students in Killarney Community College participated in the #ThinkLanguages day. Exploring the culture and languages associated through belly dancing were: Carla Luis Sofia Gimenez Ava Sheahan and teacher Tara O'Shea. Photo: Marie Carroll-O'Sullivan

The colourful and fun day, to highlight the benefits of foreign language skills, took place last Thursday for Transition Year students in Killarney Community College as they joined with 15,000 other TYs nationally for the #ThinkLanguages workshops.

The school is in the running to be crowned the #ThinkLanguages Champion Team of the year after submitting their very impressive entry. If successful the college will be awarded the trophy as well as live workshops for their students which will run over a full day in the school.

The event included inspirational talks, fun language-filled workshops, and a quiz where the students in the college had the opportunity to compete against schools nationwide in the interactive #ThinkLanguages Quiz.

There was an opening ceremony with inspirational speakers, online language workshops, and a selection of live workshops that were made available for the nationwide event by Languages Connect. The students got to choose from a variety of workshops made available to them through the Languages Connect programme.

The college were given the opportunity to manage their own workshops and invite local speakers and businesses to take part and support their event and showcase the languages that are spoken in the school and used in the community. It gave students a chance to explore how people use different languages in their lives, workplaces and families and most importantly work with local people within the community. The students organised a variety of workshops including CPR training in German and Polish.

Mindfulness in German, Speed Dating in French and Spanish, Portuguese basketball lesson, Tortilla Making, Ukrainian Culture workshop and finished off the day with a slideshow they had prepared on 'Strange Traditions' in other countries.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to work with people within our community and it is evident from the array of live workshops that were available that we are fortunate to be able to celebrate living in such a multi-cultural society," Principal, Stella Loughnane, said.

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Network Ireland Kerry discuss sustainable success

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Network Ireland Kerry held their third annual collaboration event last Wednesday at the Rose Hotel, Tralee. The theme was: “The Journey to Sustainable Success” which brought three industry experts together to talk about their own journey to sustainable successful.

Business professionals, entrepreneurs, and financial leaders came together for this highly anticipated event to learn about the journey from becoming a start-up, to a small-to-medium enterprise (SME), and a large SME.

The event was opened by AIB Branch Liaison for Network Ireland Kerry and AIB Castleisland Branch Manager, Colleen Shannon. It was MC’d by AIB Tralee Branch Manager, Stephen Stack.

Sarah Farrar of AINMHÌ, Garrett Dillon of Mr. Binman and Dillon Waste Ltd. and Susan Quirke-Crowley of Mounthawk Montessori School Group were among the speakers at the event.

These leaders spoke about their challenges, milestones, and breakthroughs they encountered, from launching an idea to scaling operations nationally.

Tara Elzingre of Tara Elzingre Consultancy, Zaneta Labuz-Czerwein of Rustic Boowa and Sharon Hartnett of U Coaching promoted their businesses for ‘Minute on the Mic’

Emily Reen, Network Ireland Kerry President, described the event as a testament to the power of partnership. She said: “The event underscored a powerful message: sustainable business success is not a solo journey. With the right partnerships, teams and financial tools, businesses of all sizes can grow with purpose, resilience, and long-term impact.”

Network Ireland Kerry will host their next monthly event on November 12 in Killarney and in collaboration with the Kerry Local Enterprise Office, titled: “Gain Competitive Advantage in Your Business”. This event will be MC’d by Karen Ronan, 2025 National Vice President of Network Ireland and CEO of Galway Chamber. This event is open to non-members and members, and everyone is welcome from 6 pm for networking and refreshments, with the event taking place from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

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Minor injury clinic to open by this time next year

The Killarney Local Injury Clinic is expected to be open by Q3 2026, according to the HSE. The proposed unit will be located on the grounds of St Columbanus Home. […]

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The Killarney Local Injury Clinic is expected to be open by Q3 2026, according to the HSE. The proposed unit will be located on the grounds of St Columbanus Home.

The timeline was confirmed in response to a Parliamentary Question from Fianna Fáil TD Michael Cahill, who said the project will follow the relocation of the Community Nursing Unit from its current site to the grounds of the old St Finan’s Hospital. Once the transfer is complete, construction of the injury clinic can proceed.
Deputy Cahill described the two new health facilities as “a fantastic addition for Killarney and the wider East, Mid, and South Kerry regions” and noted they will help reduce waiting times at University Hospital Kerry A&E.
“I will continue to push for enhanced health services for our people,” added the Fianna Fáil Spokesperson for Older People.
The new clinic is expected to provide urgent care services for local residents, easing pressure on hospital emergency departments and improving access to timely treatment in the Killarney area.

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