Pickleball Club’s record medal haul at Munster Open

Killarney Pickleball Club celebrated its most successful outing to date at the Munster Open held last weekend at the MTU Tralee sports complex

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The club sent a record number of eight members to the tournament, which featured players from across Ireland and beyond.
The Killarney contingent secured medals across several divisions. Jeremy Foley took home gold in the men’s intermediate section, competing alongside Alan Cunningham from Tralee. In the mixed doubles lower section, Max and Stephanie Regosa claimed silver medals following a strong run in their bracket.
Mike Lyne had a standout weekend, securing two bronze medals. He placed third in the 60+ men’s doubles with partner Tommy McCarthy of Castlegregory and followed it up with another bronze in the mixed doubles on Sunday.
Lyne’s Sunday performance included a dramatic comeback in the final match, trailing 10-1 before rallying to win 15-13.
The club was also represented at the high-energy event by Shane O’Sullivan, Hanne Winther, Jyotindra Swaroop, and Kumar Shreyansh.
Hosted by the Kingdom Pickleball Club, the 2026 Munster Open utilised the top-class facilities at MTU to accommodate multiple skill levels and divisions, marking one of the largest competitive pickleball weekends in the country this year.

Hoteliers from across the country gathered at the Gleneagle Hotel this week for the Irish Hotels Federation’s (IHF) 88th Annual Conference.

The event comes at a time when the industry is grappling with mounting business costs and significant global economic concerns.

New research released by the IHF at the conference highlights the level of anxiety within the sector.

According to the data, 92% of hoteliers are worried about the global economy and political uncertainty in key markets.

Additionally, 76% expressed concern regarding the Irish economy over the coming year as consumer finances remain under pressure.

Despite these pressures, the industry is maintaining a cautiously optimistic outlook for 2026.

A slight majority of hoteliers (51%) reported a positive outlook for trading conditions over the next 12 months, while 36% described their outlook as neutral.

Only 13% of those surveyed reported a negative outlook for the year ahead.

The conference follows a strong performance for the sector in 2025. National hotel occupancy averaged 76% for the year, a 1% increase on 2024 levels.

However, IHF members noted that regional disparities continue to be a challenge, with occupancy levels varying from 70% in border regions to 83% in Dublin.