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.

Killarney for Palestine welcomed over 120 people to The Brehon on Sunday evening for the Kerry premiere of the Oscar-nominated film, The Voice of Hind Rajab.

The event served as a fundraiser and an important experience for the local community, highlighting the story of the five-year-old child killed in Gaza.
The evening raised over €2,000 in donations. These funds will be sent via mutual aid directly to five families in Gaza and to The Hind Rajab Foundation.
The film’s director, Kaouther Ben Hania, recently made headlines at the Berlin International Film Festival by declining the “Most Valuable Film” award at the “Cinema for Peace” gathering. Addressing the audience, she explained her decision to leave the trophy behind as a reminder of the lack of accountability for the deaths of Hind Rajab, her family, and the paramedics sent to save her.
“Peace requires justice and accountability, not glossy slogans,” Ben Hania stated, adding she would only accept such awards when peace is rooted in moral and legal obligations.
Killarney for Palestine holds regular updates on their social media pages and invites the public to join their monthly vigil at the Killarney Courthouse, held at 12 p.m. on the last Sunday of every month.

Over €2K raised at Killarney premiere of Hind Rajab film

Killarney for Palestine welcomed over 120 people to The Brehon on Sunday evening for the Kerry premiere of the Oscar-nominated film, The Voice of Hind Rajab.

The event served as a fundraiser and an important experience for the local community, highlighting the story of the five-year-old child killed in Gaza.
The evening raised over €2,000 in donations. These funds will be sent via mutual aid directly to five families in Gaza and to The Hind Rajab Foundation.
The film’s director, Kaouther Ben Hania, recently made headlines at the Berlin International Film Festival by declining the “Most Valuable Film” award at the “Cinema for Peace” gathering. Addressing the audience, she explained her decision to leave the trophy behind as a reminder of the lack of accountability for the deaths of Hind Rajab, her family, and the paramedics sent to save her.
“Peace requires justice and accountability, not glossy slogans,” Ben Hania stated, adding she would only accept such awards when peace is rooted in moral and legal obligations.
Killarney for Palestine holds regular updates on their social media pages and invites the public to join their monthly vigil at the Killarney Courthouse, held at 12 p.m. on the last Sunday of every month.