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Rising football star Luke Doolan talks life at Kerry FC

This week, our Transition Year student Luke Mangan caught up with one of Kerry FC’s young talents, Luke Doolan. The pair discussed Doolan’s journey in football so far, including his early days with Killarney Athletic to now playing for Kerry FC.

When you were growing up, who was your football or soccer idol, and why?

Messi, because he’s the greatest player to play the game.

Who was your childhood hero?

I’d say my father. He helped me a lot throughout my career.

If you weren’t a footballer, what would your dream career be?

I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to go to space, but somehow, I don’t think that’ll happen now.

What does it feel like to be part of a great team with good support every week?

It’s great. The support every week is brilliant. We work hard; the training is very good. We play well every week for a very good club.

What’s it like to have been with your local club, Killarney Athletic, to now being with the green of Kerry?

Killarney Athletic were very good to me. When I was starting off coaches like JP Mullins were fantastic. Then when I went into the seniors, it was great to have Brendan Moloney and Joe Hurley, who both have a lot of experience.

In a county known for GAA, how does it feel to be such an icon for Kerry soccer?

It feels good. Obviously, Kerry has a big association with the GAA and Kerry FC is new. Soccer is gaining more momentum in the county, which is great to see.

Do you ever see yourself playing in a football game like FIFA sometime?

Yeah, it would be cool to be honest because I play it at home. So yeah, it would be nice to see myself in the game sometime.

Tell me more about your time with Athletic.

I played with great players when I was young, those in my Athletics team and the youths' team. We had some great players there, some of the best in the county. It’s a great team with fantastic coaches involved. Then with my move to Kerry FC, obviously you have Colin [Healy], Conor [McCarthy], Chris [Collopy]. Brilliant coaches who really help me to push my game and get further in my career.

How did it feel to finally get your first minutes for Kerry?

Nerve-wracking but glad to finally get onto the pitch. It took me a while but I’m glad to get minutes. I’ve only been there for a few months now and I’m just grateful to be involved in the squad and to get some minutes in.

You mentioned Brendan Moloney. How did it feel being coached by him?

He’s class to be fair. He had some bad injuries which knocked him back in his career. Obviously, he is still a class player. He came back to Athletic, his home club, and he’s still there now. Great for the club and great for the team to keep going on with their history and what they do, so yeah, he’s a great coach.

Luke Doolan will be travelling with the Kingdom when they go to Dublin at the weekend ahead of their FAI cup semi-final clash with Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium on Sunday at 6pm.

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

RETIREMENT NIGHT: Pictured at the retirement party held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday, October 3, celebrating a combined 185 years of service with An Post, are Connie Brady, James Foley, Terry Potts, Pat Cronin, and D.J. Cahill.


Five well-known local postmen celebrated their retirement at a special function held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday night, October 3.


The event brought together current and former An Post colleagues to mark the combined total of 185 years of service delivered across Killarney and surrounding areas.
Delivery Services Manager Terry Potts retired after 43 years with An Post. He began his career in Dublin, where he worked for 10 years, before moving to Killarney in 1993 for a further 33 years.
Pat Cronin completed an impressive 51 years of service between Killarney and Farranfore, spending 44 of those years delivering post on the Farranfore route.
James Foley served 35 years with An Post, delivering on routes across Killorglin throughout his entire career.
D.J. Cahill marked 32 years of service based out of Killarney post office, delivering mail across Killarney town, Killorglin, Kilcummin, and Headford.
Connie Brady retired following 24 years with the postal service, spending 17 years in Killarney town before completing his service in Killorglin.
The celebration offered local postal staff an opportunity to gather and catch up ahead of the busy Christmas rush.

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New Streetscapes murals launched at College Square

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A colourful collaboration between the Kerry Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) and the Architecture Kerry Festival at Kerry County Council launched yesterday evening at College Square.

Titled Streetscapes, the open-air public art installation officially opened at 5pm on Thursday, accompanied by a performance from the Killarney Youth Drumming Band THUMP! under the guidance of Urs Wenk from Drum Dance Ireland.


The public art project features a series of wall murals depicting Killarney through the eyes of local children, exploring freedom, play, and potential future evolutions of the townscape.

The artworks reimagine Killarney’s iconic landmarks and streets, blending youthful imagination and curiosity.


Supported under the Creative Ireland Programme, the installation is mounted on the gable wall of Reen’s Life Pharmacy in College Square, where it will remain on public display until March 2027.


Speaking at the launch, Daniel O’Shea, Youth Development Officer at Kerry ETB, stated: “Streetscapes is a wonderful celebration of how children see things. Their creativity brings new perspectives to the townscape, and we are proud to support their ideas and their art through this public artwork.”


Deirdre Enright, Co-Ordinator of the Local Creative Youth Partnership at Kerry ETB, acknowledged the community support behind the initiative: “We are very grateful to Reen’s Life Pharmacy who have shared their built space with us. Huge credit is due to the artistic team from Me+The Moon whose dedication to creativity and to children’s art shine through in this work.”


The project forms part of the annual Architecture Kerry Festival and receives funding through Creative Ireland and the Department of Education and Youth via Kerry ETB and Kerry County Council.


Victoria McCarthy, Festival Organiser and Architectural Conservation Officer at Kerry County Council, welcomed the continued inter-agency project: “It’s always a great event for Architecture Kerry and we are so pleased with this collaboration between public sector organisations. It remains a key feature of the Architecture Kerry programme.”
See next week’s Killarney Advertiser for full photographic coverage of the event.

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