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Beaufort teen completes one hundred Carrauntoohil climbs

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By Michelle Crean

She may be only 14-years-old but Orlaith Kelly from Beaufort has accomplished an amazing feat by climbing Carrauntoohil one hundred times.

SNOW FUN: Orlaith Kelly pictured with her dad Piaras on Carrauntoohil which she has climbed 100 times in the last five years.

ACHIEVEMENT: Orlaith Kelly (14) this week scaled Carrauntoohil for the one hundredth time.

Orlaith pictured with her dad Piaras Kelly and mom Catherine Kelly.

On Monday, Orlaith once again scaled Ireland's tallest mountain - but this time it was extra special for her and her family as it was the teen's centenary climb.

Orlaith has a special connection to the mountains as her parents Catherine and Piaras Kelly run Kerry Climbing - and live right beside the MacGillicuddy Reeks.

"She has always been into hiking and the outdoors," Catherine told the Killarney Advertiser.

"She climbed Torc when she was four and that would have been her first peak. She's been doing it since she was knee high to a grasshopper. We're lucky to have the MacGillicuddy Reeks so close."

Around the age of seven Orlaith began to get a little bit more ambitious after watching her parents regularly take groups on the Carrauntoohil climb. She then began asking if she could accompany them.

However it wasn't until the age of nine, and after years of climbing, that her parents felt that she had enough experience to accomplish it safely with them as they are trained professionals who could help guide her.

On her 10th birthday she also climbed Coomloughra Horseshoe which is one of Ireland's classic ridge walks on the MacGillycuddy Reeks.

The youngster has also climbed the four highest peaks in Ireland - two in one day!

She's climbed Carrauntoohil which is 1,038.6 metres high and Mweelraa at 814 metres.

However, one of other biggest challenges was heading to Belfast with her dad where the next day she not only climbed Slieve Donard which is 850 metres high - but travelled to Wicklow the same day and climbed Lugnaquilla which is 925 metres and then made the journey home to Beaufort.

"That's her sport, she's not into team sports," said Catherine.

"She has done all the peaks on Carrauntoohil in all different weathers. The main thing we're so proud of is the experience she's gained. She does talks on geology when out on corporate climbs and she has done her Mountain Skills 1 and 2 which are starting courses to become a mountain leader."

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BREAKING: Kerry ETB Awarded €2.3m to purchase Pretty Polly Site

The Kerry Education and Training Board (Kerry ETB) has been awarded €2.3 million in funding to purchase the former Pretty Polly site on Upper Park Road, Killarney. The funding, announced […]

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The Kerry Education and Training Board (Kerry ETB) has been awarded €2.3 million in funding to purchase the former Pretty Polly site on Upper Park Road, Killarney.

The funding, announced this morning by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, will allow Kerry ETB to develop the site as a new Tourism Sector Training College. The proposed facility will focus on training for the hospitality and tourism industries.
Kerry TD Michael Cahill described the announcement as “a major vote of confidence in Killarney and the wider Kerry tourism industry.”
“This is immense news for the town,” said Deputy Cahill. “It will mark Killarney out officially as the tourism capital of Ireland by providing a Hospitality Sector Training College right in the heart of the county.”
Deputy Cahill said he had been advocating for such a development since entering the Dáil, adding that the investment “will be a gamechanger for the hospitality sector in Killarney and Kerry.”
He also recalled the former CERT training centre that operated at the Torc Great Southern Hotel in the 1970s, noting that this new project would revive that legacy for a new generation of tourism professionals.
The Pretty Polly site, vacant for many years, will now be transformed into a key educational and economic hub for the region once the project proceeds.

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Coffee morning being held in memory of late Kevin O’Shea

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A coffee morning will take place in the Aghadoe Heights Hotel next week in memory of the late Kevin O’Shea.


It will take place on October 18 from 11am to 1pm.


All proceeds will go to Kerry Hospice Foundation, Kerry Cancer Support Group and Recovery Haven.


For those who are unable to make it on the day, you can make a donation online by scanning the QR code on the picture.


Kevin’s family extended their heartfelt thanks to local businesses and hotels that have generously sponsored spot prizes, all to be won on the day.


They also said that any donation, big or small, is appreciated and all support is most welcome.

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