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Spa rolls back the years with 1966 O’Donoghue Cup reunion

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SPA GAA CLUB will be kicking a football back through the decades this Thursday, when the surviving members of the team which won the club’s first O’Donoghue Cup title reunite.

A half-century after the historic occasion, they will be guests of honour at a celebration in Spa’s clubhouse along with representatives of their teammates who have sadly passed away during the intervening years.

“The win has always been regarded as a historic occasion for the club,” said spokesman John Kelly. “While there was a GAA club in Lissivigeen dating back to the 1920s which remained active in East Kerry competitions until it became defunct in 1947, in 1948 it was decided to establish the current Spa club.”

While the club was still in its infancy, this team won both the junior and senior East Kerry competitions in 1948 and 1949.

Due to emigration retirements and other factors Spa became temporarily defunct for a four-year period but after a Spa/Glenflesk amalgamation won the East Kerry minor league.

In 1963 a decision was taken to revive the Spa club in 1966 and as happened in 1948 the team won the East Kerry senior league for the O’Donoghue Cup in the first year of its revival on August 28, 1966.

“At the September meeting of the EKB in 1966 a decision was taken to initiate an knockout championship style competition and again Spa proved victorious in this competition,” said John. “For the record this format has prevailed for the O'Donoghue Cup during the interim 50 years during which Spa won the cup on a further nine occasions."

A member of the 1966 team, Fr Michael O’Donoghue, will celebrate Mass for all deceased members of the Spa GAA Club, including those who were on the 1966 panel, at 7pm. “A social evening will follow during which memories and anecdotes will be shared,” added John.
 


 
The Spa 1966 O’Donoghue Cup winning team.

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10-minute plays will linger in the memory

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The West End House School of Arts is delighted to take part in this year’s St Patrick’s Day Festival with a special evening of entertaining readings on Friday, March 13 at 7.30pm.

It promises to be a vibrant showcase of five original 10-minute plays written by emerging local playwrights, each of whom has recently completed a playwriting course with Fiona Doyle (pictured).


Diverse in style and subject matter, these beautifully crafted pieces promise an evening of laughter, tears, and powerful storytelling and each reading will be performed by West End House actors from Kerry.


Together, they highlight the remarkable talent of these up-and-coming writers and actors, who are the future of theatre in our community.

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Get your scrap together

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Following the success of the first ever Killarney Lions Club scrap metal collection in 2025, the Club will again run the event this year in partnership with KWD Recycling on March 28, at Killarney Racecourse.

Similar to 2025, money raised through recycling the metal will go towards improving facilities for families attending the children’s cancer unit in Cork University Hospital, as part of an overall fundraising drive being coordinated by Lions Clubs all over Munster.

The Club is asking people to bring non-ferrous scrap metals such as aluminium, copper, brass, zinc and stainless steel (no white goods such as fridges/cookers washing machines). Volunteers will be on hand from 9am until 4pm to take donations of scrap and work with KWD Recycling to remove it for processing.

“Although Lions Clubs in Munster have already raised some funds for CUH, more is still needed, so we’re delighted that KWD Recycling is working with us again to support this very worthwhile cause”, said Jason Higgins, President of Killarney Lions Club. “We’re asking anyone who has scrap metal at home, at work or on the farm now or in the next few weeks to please bring it to the Racecourse on the day because everything we collect will make a difference.”

Tadhg Healy, Sales Manager at KWD Recycling added that “We will recycle any high quality scrap metal that we collect – it can be quite valuable and of course it’s better for the environment if it’s recycled instead of being dumped. On top of that, the main thing with this collection is to help families of children with cancer, so hopefully we’ll get a good response from everyone and raise as much money as possible through this event”.

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