News
Community garden adds colour to Ballycasheen
GREEN FINGERS: The KASI garden in Ballycasheen recently celebrated 10 years. Pictured were: Marilyn Catapat Counihan (Manager of KASI), Mayor of Killarney Cllr Michael Gleeson and Andrzey Nowicki. Photo: Michelle Crean
By Michelle Crean
A wonderful and colourful garden is a real hidden gem just outside Killarney town with an ethos to help change lives.
For the past 10 years, KASI, the Killarney Immigrant Support Centre, have been running the garden, resulting in a superb facility which has given so much to the community.
Behind it is Manager of KASI, Marilyn Catapat-Counihan, who has witnessed so many lives transformed through the project.
Marilyn, who is originally from the Philippines and married to a Rathmore man, founded the project in 2009 and since then has injected both her love of gardening and food to make it a truly successful and special project.
KASI was set up to support asylum seekers, refugees, migrant workers, and their families to integrate into the local community.
A decade ago Ireland was a different place when Asylum Seekers arriving into the country were not allowed to work, she explained.
However, it was her foresight to help them integrate into the community with a project such as the KASI garden that got the project up and running.
Since then, the garden has taken on its own lease of life and has become a hugely important part of the local community.
The idea began in 2009 after she was invited to talk about strategic planning in the Diocese when issues around the environment came up. Marilyn then thought up the idea of a community garden on waste ground beside St Oliver’s School in Ballycasheen and secured a long-term lease from St Brendan’s Trust.
“The idea was to create volunteer opportunities for Asylum Seekers,” Marilyn told the Killarney Advertiser. “However, for the last two years it’s slowing down as they’re allowed to work now.”
And everything in the garden is done by hand with a team of very helpful volunteers, she explained.
The large garden, which has a polytunnel and composting area, has seasonal produce which is reasonable priced for the public supplying cabbage, marrows, potatoes, turnips, carrots, cucumber, corn on the cob, tomatoes, grapes, onions, peppers, aubergines and courgettes.
A market, manned by volunteers, is open every Monday to the public with the produce on sale from 9.30am to 1pm.
A lovely addition in 2017 was the log cabin, where the volunteers and visitors can congregate, have tea and a chat, and enjoy evening events.
“It’s a year round project,” she said. “We do a lot of social activities there, hold board meetings and do cookery demonstrations too.”
ANAM Centre launches packed summer cultural programme for locals and visitors
Kerry County Council’s Arts Service, in association with the Killarney Arts Working Group, has officially launched the 2026 ANAM Summer Arts Programme (ASAP).
The dedicated arts and cultural space on East Avenue Road is set to host a vibrant mix of live music, theatre, film, and youth competitions designed to appeal to both local residents and tourists throughout the peak holiday season.
The summer lineup aims to provide artists with critical platforms to showcase their work while giving audiences accessible opportunities to experience live art. Councillor Martin O’Grady noted that the programme includes a multitude of performances, offering an important platform for all ages to enjoy the arts. Mary Murphy of the Killarney Arts Working Group added that utilizing the ANAM space successfully draws new audiences to the Killarney arts scene.
Featured events include “Bog Jazz,” an innovative project by musicians Eoin ‘Stan’ O’Sullivan and Shane Murphy that reworks traditional Sliabh Luachra fiddle music using electric guitar and drums. Additionally, Sliabh Luachra Musician in Residence Aidan Connolly will lead a two-night concert series in late July alongside Bryan O’Leary, Colm Guilfoyle, and Charlie O’Brien, exploring the unique history, songs, and folklore of the region.
The programme also features “The Anam Sessions,” a series of five free bi-weekly evening concerts directed by Tim O’Shea. These sessions will showcase emerging local talent across Irish folk, singer-songwriter, and Afro-Irish genres. For younger musicians, the popular “Battle of the Bands” competition returns in August. Organised in partnership with Music Generation Kerry, it will feature separate junior and senior categories to highlight local youth talent.
The summer performance series is fully sponsored by the Kerry Arts Service. For further queries, the public can contact arts@kerrycoco.ie or call 066 7183541.
ANAM Summer Arts Event Calendar
Traditional and Folk Music (The Anam Sessions with Tim O’Shea) Dates: ; Wednesday, July 15; Wednesday, July 29; Wednesday, August 12; Wednesday, August 26 Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Sliabh Luachra Traditional Music Concert Series (Aidan Connolly and Guests) Dates: Wednesday, July 29; Thursday, July 30 Time: 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Battle of the Bands (Senior Competition) Dates: Friday, August 7; Friday, August 14; Friday, August 21; Friday, August 28 Time: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Battle of the Bands (Junior Competition) Dates: Sunday, August 9; Sunday, August 16; Sunday, August 23; Sunday, August 30 Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Bog Jazz Performance (Eoin O’Sullivan & Shane Murphy) Date: Thursday, August 20 Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
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