Connect with us

News

Arbutus Hotel’s 100th anniversary honoured at IHF Conference

Published

on

The centenary of the historic Arbutus Hotel took centre stage this week at the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) Annual Conference.

Held at the Gleneagle Arena, the gathering of over 300 hoteliers from across the country provided a platform to celebrate the 100-year legacy of the Buckley family and their landmark establishment.

The story of the Arbutus began with Tim Buckley, who spent 14 years in New York working as a night porter and hackney cab driver to save the funds needed to buy the property he had admired as a young man.

After returning from America, Tim and his wife Julia Daly purchased what was then Russell's Hotel in 1925, officially renaming and launching it as the Arbutus Hotel in 1926.

Julia Daly played a significant role in the hotel’s early success, having attended the Ramsgrange Cookery School in Wexford to ensure the food and hospitality standards were world-class from the outset.

Today, the hotel remains under the care of the Buckley family, with three generations having steered it through a century of Killarney’s tourism history, passing from Tim to his son Pat in the 1960s, and now run by Tim’s grandson, Seán Buckley.

Garrett Power, Chairman of the Kerry IHF, presented a bouquet of flowers to Roisin Buckley, Seán’s daughter and first cousin of international star Jessie Buckley, to mark the occasion. The presentation honoured both the hotel’s centenary and the family’s wider contribution to the town.

Advertisement

News

Céilí Mór will send ‘em home sweatin’

It will be a case of all around the house but mind the dresser at a traditional Céilí Mór which will be one of the real entertainment highlights of this […]

Published

on

It will be a case of all around the house but mind the dresser at a traditional Céilí Mór which will be one of the real entertainment highlights of this year’s St Patrick’s Festival in Killarney.

It will take place on the eve of the big feast day in the Killarney Great Southern and there will be a wonderful party atmosphere guaranteed on the night.
Providing the tunes will be the very highly regarded Uí Bhriaín Céilí Band and they promise to send everybody home sweating after what will be a memorable night for locals and visitors.
The March 16 céilí will commence at 9.00pm and continue right through until midnight and the admission for a wonderful night of pure Irish trad is just €10.00.
Bookings can be made on the festival website or patrons can pay at the door on the night.

Continue Reading

News

St Brendan’s student Aodhagan O’Sullivan crowned CPR champion

Published

on

By

Aodhagan O’Sullivan, a student at St Brendan’s College, Killarney, has been named the 2026 School CPR Challenge Champion.

The prestigious award was presented on Thursday, 26 February, during a large-scale event at the Gleneagle Hotel, where approximately 300 students from post-primary schools across the county gathered to compete for the title of “who can compress the best.”


Now in its fourth year, the event is organised by the Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) Community First Responders.

The KCRU is a volunteer-led group that provides vital emergency response services to Killarney, Beaufort, Killorglin, Firies, Rathmore, and Kenmare.

The challenge focused on “Quality CPR” (QCPR), combining a high-stakes competition with practical life-saving training and the chance for students to engage directly with local emergency and community services.


The competition utilised advanced QCPR technology to measure the depth and rate of compressions, ensuring that students aren’t just learning the motions, but are performing life-saving techniques to a clinical standard.

Beyond the competitive element, the day served as an educational hub, highlighting the “chain of survival” and the importance of immediate bystander intervention in the event of a cardiac arrest.


The 2026 challenge was made possible through the support of the Vodafone Foundation, The Gleneagle Hotel, and First Aid Systems Ltd, alongside a variety of local sponsors. Organisers praised the enthusiasm of the 300 participants, noting that such events are essential for building a “heart-safe” community and equipping the next generation with the skills to save a life.

Attachments

Continue Reading

Last News

Sport