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Access your local library from home

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Kerry Library Service is reminding everyone that you don’t need to set foot in your local branch library to access a wide range of free library services. During the current public health restrictions, numerous Kerry Library services can be accessed from your living room.

While all library buildings are currently closed, Kerry Library members can still access a wide range of these online resources. You can join the library online and get eBooks, audiobooks, online magazines and newspapers for free straight away, or even take language and other courses. All are available free of charge through the website www.kerrylibrary.ie. A range of materials can be accessed online or downloaded 24/7 to a PC, tablet, iPad, or smartphone.

E-Books and e-audio, including books for adults and children, with both fiction and nonfiction titles, are available for download via the BorrowBox App or from a link on the library website. Extra titles have been added to BorrowBox this week to deal with the increase in demand.

“Hundreds of online daily and weekly, local, national and international newspapers are available through the PressReader service,” explained County Librarian, Tommy O’Connor. “If you don’t have time to read books and prefer to browse both current and back issues of magazines online, there is a wide range available through our website.

“For more activities suitable for children, you can check out the library recommended online resources for children. The Universal Class product offers over 500 certified e-learning courses, self-paced with expert instruction and certification. You can try everything from learning yoga, digital photography or accounting online,” he said.

If you are not a member, that isn’t a problem! You can now sign up online and use a temporary barcode to access the online resources without having to contact your local library. Just log on to the www.librariesireland.ie website. If you need help accessing any of the services, an online resources help page is available on the library website, and if you need your library card renewed or a PIN reset please email onlinequeries@kerrylibrary.ie.

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Concerns over future of St Mary of the Angels

Two Kerry TDs have voiced concerns over the future of St Mary of the Angels and St Francis Special School in Beaufort, highlighting the urgent need for respite services for […]

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Two Kerry TDs have voiced concerns over the future of St Mary of the Angels and St Francis Special School in Beaufort, highlighting the urgent need for respite services for children and adults with profound disabilities and special needs.

The campus, set on lands generously donated by the Doyle family, offers 30 acres of grounds, existing buildings, and services, making it a valuable asset for the provision of respite care in Kerry. TD Michael Cahill emphasized that the Doyle family’s wishes should be respected, and that the grounds should be made accessible immediately.
“The special needs community in Kerry has a major respite crisis and families don’t have time to wait. Families need help — they are not asking for full-time residential care but respite care, a break, a helping hand,” Deputy Cahill said.
He added that a bespoke approach is needed to meet the individual needs of children attending St Francis Special School. “Many of the children in the county with profound needs need a safe haven where they can roam the grounds freely, and St Mary of the Angels offers this.”
Deputy Cahill has accompanied several Ministers to the Beaufort campus to highlight its value to Disability Health Service providers. A working group has been formed including St John of Gods, the HSE, representatives of residents at St Mary of the Angels, and St Francis Special School, to explore options for maintaining and expanding respite services.
“Parents are worn out and at the end of their tether. This needs to be dealt with expeditiously, in an environment of cooperation between the relevant Government Departments of Health, Disability, and Education. We need to get this across the line urgently and put it permanently in place,” he said.
Deputy Cahill pointed to the current shortfall of respite services in Kerry. “As of now, Cunamh Iveragh respite in Cahersiveen is only open Friday to Sunday, running at half capacity — two adults per night instead of four. The issue is staffing, and the HSE will not release funding to open full-time. The Beaufort campus is available and should be utilised as parents are crying out for overnight respite. Cooperation and compassion could see this done quickly.”
TD Danny Healy Rae echoed these concerns during a Dáil speech this week. “We are still short of respite beds on the southern side of the constituency. Families caring for people with disabilities just want a break, but there is nowhere available locally. Places are being offered only in Tipperary or Meath for those needing new residential care. It makes no sense. St Mary of the Angels in Beaufort has 40 or 50 acres of grounds that could be expanded, with facilities already in place such as swimming pools. It could be developed as a model for the rest of the country.”
Both TDs are urging the Government and the HSE to take immediate action to utilise the Beaufort campus for respite care, in line with the intentions of the Doyle family and the needs of Kerry families.

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Cardiac Response Unit’s ‘Restart a Heart’ training event

Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) is set to run a range of events as part of the global initiative Restart A Heart, which aims to increase awareness and actual rates […]

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Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) is set to run a range of events as part of the global initiative Restart A Heart, which aims to increase awareness and actual rates of bystander CPR worldwide.

The main event, titled RAH 2025, invites the public to learn life-saving skills and the basic steps in the chain of survival. This will take place on Saturday, October 18, at the Killarney Outlet Centre.
Members of the public are encouraged to join KCRU at the centre between 10:00 am and 5pm.
Key feature of the day will be the CPR Competition, offering “fantastic prizes to be won.”
For further information, visit www.killarneycru.ie/rah25

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