Killarney is in the grip of ‘Oscar fever’ this week as the town rallies behind local star Jessie Buckley ahead of the 98th Academy Awards on March 15.

The Killarney native is considered the runaway frontrunner to take home the prize for Best Actress for her performance as Agnes Shakespeare in the film Hamnet.
The town’s pride was officially voiced at Wednesday’s Killarney Municipal District meeting.
Mayor Martin Grady led the tributes, praising Buckley’s extraordinary run this awards season. He highlighted her recent string of victories, which includes the BAFTA for Best Leading Actres, making her the first Irish woman to ever win the category and her IFTA win for the same role in Dublin last month. Mayor Grady also noted her historic win at the Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards) in Los Angeles last Sunday, where she again took top honours for her portrayal of Agnes.
“Hopefully she will bring home the big one,” he said.
Cllr Brendan Cronin and Cllr John O’Donoghue echoed the Mayor’s support.

Photo by: Andres Poveda Photography

Killarney rail journeys hit all-time high

Rail travel on the Tralee to Cork/Dublin line, which serves Killarney station, reached a record-breaking high in 2025.

New figures from Iarnród Éireann show that demand on the route surged to 962,000 journeys last year, an 8.3% increase over the previous 12 months.
This total surpassed the 2024 record of 888,000 journeys for the Kerry service. Nationally, the rail network also saw its busiest year ever, recording 55 million total journeys across Intercity, Commuter, and DART services.
Iarnród Éireann Chief Executive Mary Considine welcomed the figures, stating they demonstrate a clear appetite for high-quality public transport. She noted that as volumes continue to grow in 2026, the company is focused on expanding services and investing in new trains and station upgrades.
The record numbers come as the rail provider looks toward a more sustainable future, with plans to use the rail network as the backbone for transport and housing development under the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.