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WINNERS: Winners of Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Emmet Flanagan and Ciara O'Donoghue. Picture: Marie Carroll-O'Sullivan

By Sean Moriarty

There was an electric atmosphere in Killarney’s INEC on Friday night last as 1,500 gathered for the highly anticipated Strictly Come Dancing event.

12 couples, trained by Tralee choreographer Cassie Leen, took to the floor for the biggest annual fundraiser for the Killarney and South Kerry branch of the Irish Cancer Society.

And it was the footwork and graceful movements by local Garda Emmet Flanagan and his dancing partner Ciara O’Donoghue from Listry, who gave a beautiful contemporary style performance to ‘Lost Boy, Peter Pan’ – which saw them crowned the Overall Winners.

A second People’s Choice award was won by Kenmare’s Mike Delaney and Mags O’Mahony who danced to the jive to ‘Runaway Baby’ by Bruno Mars.

Emmet, is the third member of Killarney Gardai to win the glamorous event. Neither he nor his partner had any substantial dancing experience and both said they were shocked when they were named by the judges as the winners.

“I said from day one that this was going to be fun,” Emmett told The Killarney Advertiser this week.

“I would not say I am a competitive man, but for a few moments before the judges called out the names of the winners I was very nervous and I suppose then the competitive element crept in.”

Emmet was supported on the night by many of his family and friends, including several who travelled from his native Ennis, and colleagues from Killarney Garda Station.

“I had no dancing experience,” Ciara, who works in Fexco, said.

“Maybe when I was a child of six or seven I might have done a small bit but really I had no experience. Everyone made a huge effort in the run up and it was amazing we won.”

The next big fundraiser for the branch is the annual Daffodil Day on Friday, March 22.

Kathrina Breen of the Killarney South Kerry Branch praised the people of Killarney for supporting all fundraising activities in the town.

“We are a small committee but Strictly is the biggest event on our calendar and we cannot thank the people and businesses of Killarney enough,” she said.

“Daffodil Day is next for us and if anyone would like to donate daffodils for sale, they can be dropped in to the Credit Union offices on Beech Road.”