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Clare get burned by stylish Kerry

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It felt a bit like a Munster final in Killarney on Sunday as Kerry turned on the style in a sun-drenched Fitzgerald Stadium. The weather was unreal. Fellas were baking up in the terrace. One of my friends resorted to lining up alongside some random children who were waiting for their father to squirt them with sunscreen. He got burned anyway but (wait for it - this is a good one) not as badly burned as Clare’s six defenders.

The visitors got the first couple of scores but Kerry were rampant thereafter, moving the ball so quickly and so efficiently that the Claremen were effectively chasing shadows for the duration. 32 points is savage kicking irrespective of who the opposition are.

Stephen O’Brien must literally be told to just run his man every single time he gets the ball and Clare couldn’t cope with him the last day. There are probably more natural players in the camp but you have to give him his due. He has been consistently effective throughout his Kerry career.

I have to admit that I was a small bit surprised at how quickly Micheál Burns moved up the pecking order and became a starter but he looks very comfortable inside there. He’s a serious athlete to be fair to him. Someone was telling me that he covered 14km in an A versus B match recently. To put that into context, 8-9km is considered normal. It’s very early in the summer to be getting carried away but he has done well so far.

The star trio of Geaney, James and Clifford weren’t quite as electrifying as we all hoped but they still scored 13 points between them. It was great to see James bouncing around the place for Kerry again and he’ll only improve as the year goes on. Clifford did okay and again, he’ll only get better as he continues to adapt to the senior game.

Shane Murphy wasn’t tested too often but his kick-outs were mostly excellent, and he’ll be pleased to have kept a clean sheet in his first championship outing as Kerry captain.

It seemed like most of the supporters went home happy, although one or two (myself included) were a bit underwhelmed by the substitutions made. Mikey Geaney, BJ Keane, Darran O’Sullivan and Kieran Donaghy all got a run, but Kilcummin’s Kevin McCarthy didn’t. The game was won by half time. What’s the point of bringing on Donaghy or Darran, players who have played a million championship games, and leaving a young, exciting prospect on the bench? It was strange enough I thought.

As good as Kerry were, you’d have to say that Clare, who finished third in Division 2 this year, were disappointing. Some of their basic skills were very poor and in general they looked to be miles off the standard required to challenge at this level.

I noticed in the programme that their only ever championship victory over Kerry (1992) was excluded from a list of past meetings between the sides. It’s bad enough that Kerry have won 79 Munster titles to Clare’s two. If we start taking wins off them retrospectively, they’re rightly screwed.

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School Dayz St Brendan’s students donate to Kerry Hospice

Students from St Brendan’s College have given €600 to Kerry Hospice. The money was raised from their book, ‘Futures from the Past’ which was published in April 2024. Teacher Mary […]

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Students from St Brendan’s College have given €600 to Kerry Hospice.

The money was raised from their book, ‘Futures from the Past’ which was published in April 2024.
Teacher Mary Denise Lyons and students Divo Lucic Kovacevii, Michéal McElligott, and Jaroslav Stetsenko handed over the funds to Cathal Walshe of Kerry Hospice.
‘Futures from the Past’ is a book written by current and retired writers, as well as students from St Brendan’s College.
This donation is the second from the book, with €800 donated last year and €600 this year.
The book was created to allow students to use their imaginations to explore the past and think about the future. It involved students from Poetry Ireland’s Writers-In-Schools Programme and adult learners from Kerry Education & Training Board’s Community Education Creative Writing group.
The book was launched at St Brendan’s College in April last year and was made possible with support from Poetry Ireland and the Arts Office of Kerry County Council.
‘Futures from the Past’ is available for sale at St Brendan’s College for €9.

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Community College TY students become qualified baristas

School Dayz Transition Year students at Killarney Community College spent last Tuesday learning the skills to become baristas. They completed a full-day training course and are now qualified to make […]

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School Dayz

Transition Year students at Killarney Community College spent last Tuesday learning the skills to become baristas.

They completed a full-day training course and are now qualified to make coffee, which could make them very employable in local cafes and restaurants this summer.
Their teachers, who are described as the school’s “resident coffee experts,” were impressed with the students’ hard work and enjoyed the lattes, cappuccinos, and Americanos the students made throughout the day.
In addition to their barista training, the TY students also took a trip to Mallow. There, they learned about the rules of the road, practiced the driver theory test, and many got behind the wheel of a car for the first time. They also learned about the dangers of speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

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