News
Dance championships worth €12m to local economy

Over 2,500 dancers are set to take part in a major dance event this weekend bringing with it a nice economic boost to the town.
The 2023 An Chomhdháil World Irish Dance Championships kicks off at the Killarney Convention Centre on Saturday (April 1).
Competitors from America, Scotland, England, Europe and all over Ireland will compete for a world title in the championships which run until April 8.
Over 39 competitions will take place over the eight days of the championships and winners will be announced every day after each competition.
The competitions are held in the INEC auditorium and The Gleneagle Ballroom for those aged nine to over 21-years-old.
The competitors will be accompanied by an entourage of organisers, teachers, adjudicators, musicians, families, friends, supporters and spectators. It's Killarney’s seventh occasion to host the championships.
The economic benefits will be felt right across Killarney’s hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, shops and many other businesses. Studies carried out between 2016 and 2019 calculated the championships were worth €12 million to the local economy.
An Chomhdháil, the organisation who run the World Irish Dance Championships, have an extensive branch network worldwide and is one of the most progressive Irish dance organisations. In 2007 it was the first to bring in the no make-up rule for girls up to and including under 12 years of age. Both male and female World Champions will be crowned across a range of age categories from under 10 through to adult.
“We are honoured to welcome the 2023 An Chomhdháil World Irish Dance Championships,” said Patrick O’ Donoghue, CEO of The Gleneagle Group. “We wish all the competitors the very best of luck and we hope everyone enjoys their stay in Killarney.”
News
Fassbender ready for second Le Mans appearance
Local Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender is in the final preparation stages for his second appearance at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The iconic endurance race is celebrating its […]

Local Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender is in the final preparation stages for his second appearance at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The iconic endurance race is celebrating its 100th edition next weekend.
The Fossa star has already arrived in the famous French twon where he is involved in a week-long series of engagements including drivers’ parades, autograph sessions and more serious appointments like car safety checks, practice and qualifying.
Like last year, when he finished 16th in the LMGTE Am class, Fassbender has been entered in to the event by the German Proton Competition team with Estonian Martin Rump and the Austrian Richard Lietz.
Fassbender dreams of following the trajectory of fellow Hollywood actors Patrick Dempsey who was second in LMGTE Am class in 2016 and Paul Newman who finished second overall in 1979.
News
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 […]

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.