New summer festival announced for Killarney

A new summer festival will take place in Killarney from June 28 to July 30.
The Summer in Killarney Festival will feature street parades, outdoor cinema, live bands, and street theatre. The event is timed to run alongside the Killarney Races, the Killarney Regatta, and the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle.
Festival chair Diarmuid Leen said the event aims to celebrate the town’s hospitality and culture for both locals and visitors.
The festival schedule includes street parades and an outdoor cinema night with a SPIN South West DJ will take place on July 20, and a period drama titled ‘As Far As The Eye Can See’ will be performed in the grounds of Killarney House.
This year’s event features a theme celebrating 250 years of Irish-American cultural links, including a John McCormack musical evening with tenor Gavan Ring.
Most events are free, but organisers recommend booking ahead for the outdoor cinema.
The festival is organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, with support from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Heineken, Kerry County Council’s Community Support Fund 2026, and Fáilte Ireland. Booking details are available on Killarney.ie.

Carlise Caffrey was announced as a Technological University Dublin winner at the inaugural Future Timber Design Awards, a new initiative established by Forest Industries Ireland (FII).

The Future Timber Design Awards were developed by FII to encourage sustainable and innovative timber design and construction. The programme aims to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application, equipping students with the latest knowledge and skills in using homegrown timber for construction.
Carlise, from Ballyspillane, alongside fellow TU Dublin architecture students Anna Frawley and Henry Sexton from County Dublin, received an Honourable Mention for their joint project. The team focused on designing a small shelter using timber offcuts found in the university’s workshop. Titled ‘Afterlife’, the shelter repurposed timber offcuts and salvaged fabric to create a movable and foldable structure with multiple functions.
“The fold-up shelter was made from offcuts, so the whole project was about sustainability,” Carlise told the Killarney Advertiser. “The design means it can be scaled to any size, which is ideal if you are hosting people outdoors in the summer but want to pack it all away for the winter.”
The competition tasked participants with exploring the potential of homegrown timber as a primary structural and architectural material while responding to real-world design constraints.
Des O’Toole, Head of Marketing and Promotion at Coillte Forests, presented the award to Carlise and said that the competition will expand next year to accept entries from other universities.