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Busy week for Little Heroes

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By Sean Moriarty

Killarney’s group of Little Blue Heroes and their families met each other for the first time last weekend.

Little Blue Heroes is a not-for-profit charity operated entirely by Garda members and staff. It aims to help families who have children undergoing long-term medical treatment for serious illness.

Last Saturday evening the Bumble 1000 Supercar road run rolled into town raising funds for the Little Blue Heroes charity.

A grand total of €15,542.74 was raised over the two-day spectacular which began in County Kildare on Saturday and finished in Dingle on Sunday.

Five of Kerry’s Little Blue Heroes were invited to the event. Three of them, Alexis O’Mahony, Frankie O’Sullivan and Kate Lehane are from Killarney, and they were joined by Ardfert’s Sean Kearney and Alana Foley from Killorglin.

Some of them only received their uniforms a few days before the Bumblebee 1000 and it was the first time that their wider family members met other local families involved in the project.

“These five children had to isolate all through COVID, they could not even go to school,” Garda Gillian McEoin the local rep for Little Blue Heroes, explained to the Killarney Advertiser.

“While this was a countywide event, the main focus was on Killarney as the drivers overnighted at the Gleneagle. It went very well and we made a lot of memories.”

Highlights included meeting some of the drivers and characters involved in the Bumblebee 1000 and getting up close and personal to some of Ireland’s rarest cars.

It marked the start of a busy week for all five local children. Their next high-profile event is the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Tralee where they will lead the procession through the town.

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Ireland’s oldest citizen has Killarney connections

Ireland’s oldest woman met with President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this week. Máirín Hughes, who turned 109 on May 22 has strong Killarney connections. The previous record […]

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Ireland’s oldest woman met with President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this week.

Máirín Hughes, who turned 109 on May 22 has strong Killarney connections.

The previous record was held by 107-year-old Nancy Stewart who died on September 10 2021.

Although born in Belfast, Máirín went to school in the Mercy Convent. Her father was a customs and excise officer and the family moved around a lot eventually coming to Killarney after spells in County Down and Dublin.

Her mother came from the Rathmore area and her father was from Newmarket in County Cork.

She attended the Mercy Convent and has, in previous interviews, recalled growing up on the shores of Lough Lein.

“Neighbours who had three children were given the job of taking me to school,” she said. “They were annoyed because the children were going to school for two or three years but I was put in to the same class as them – my mother had taught me.”

In 2021 she featured in the book ‘Independence Memories: A People’s Portrait of the Early Days of the Irish Nation’, sharing stories of being kept in school in Killarney during an attack on the RIC barracks down the road.

In 1924 she started a degree in science and a diploma in education at University College Cork, before working in the pathology lab in University College Cork’s Department of Medicine for 16 years.

last year she recalled her story on the podcast: ‘Living History – Irish Life and Lore’.

During the broadcast she talked about her parents’ membership of the Gaelic League in 1910; the Spanish Flu in Ireland in 1918; The Black and Tans in Killarney in 1921; the early days of the new Free State; Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in 1932, visiting the Basket Islands in 1929; and working in the UCC medical laboratory from 1932 until 1948.

This week President Michael D. Higgins hosted an afternoon tea event to celebrate the important role that a variety of people have and can play in different communities and Máirín was among the guests of honour.

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Philip is running over 100kms for Cancer charity

Local runner and charity fundraiser Philip Kissane is set for the biggest challenge of his career as he lines up for the Cork City Marathon on Sunday. Phillip has already […]

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Local runner and charity fundraiser Philip Kissane is set for the biggest challenge of his career as he lines up for the Cork City Marathon on Sunday.

Phillip has already completed four half marathons at various locations around Killarney – all in aid of Kerry Cancer Support Group – or the Cancer Bus as it popularly called.

This is the second time that Phillip has run four half marathon and an official race for the charity.

Back in 2021 he finished with 5km Run Killarney event but his finishing race this time around is over eight times the distance at 42kms.

“We are delighted with Philip’s continued fundraising support but also with his awareness raising for the charity,” Breda Dyland, Service Manager Kerry Cancer Support Trust.

“We are getting busier all the time and still get no statutory funding so are dependent on fundraisers like Philip’s to keep us on the road. We have just put our new wheelchair accessible bus on the Cork route so Philip’s funding will be going towards the operation of this vehicle.”

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