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Derreen Sports Complex aiming for October opening

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The new sports complex at Derreen is on track to open in time for the 2026/2027 basketball season, which traditionally begins in early October.

Members of St Paul’s Basketball Club visited the site last Saturday to view the ongoing progress and get an inside glimpse of what the finished facility will look like.

The project is driven by the Kerry Stars Special Olympics Club, St Paul’s Basketball Club and Killarney Judo Club.

The new complex is being built adjacent to the Killarney Celtic grounds and Killarney Legion GAA Club and will create a central sports hub in town.

Cllr Niall ‘Botty O’Callaghan, a member of the St Paul’s club and a long-time supporter of the project, told the Killarney Advertiser:

“The building is really coming to fruition for the whole community. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media have been outstanding in helping us with us with the paperwork and a big thanks goes to Minister Patrick O’Donovan. We are working really hard to have the hall up and running before next season. I can’t wait for St Paul’s, the Judo Club and the Kerry Stars to get up and running in our new hall.”

The development represents a major addition to the sporting infrastructure in the area, providing a permanent home for several local clubs that have previously relied on various school halls and external venues.

Once completed, the hall will serve as a high-spec hub for basketball, judo, and Special Olympics activities

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Minister Niall Collins visits KCYS Youth Diversion Project

Kerry Community Youth Service (KCYS) was pleased to welcome Minister Niall Collins to its Youth Diversion Project in Kilarney last week. The visit gave the Minister an opportunity to meet […]

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Kerry Community Youth Service (KCYS) was pleased to welcome Minister Niall Collins to its Youth Diversion Project in Kilarney last week.

The visit gave the Minister an opportunity to meet staff and hear directly about the work of the Kerry Youth Diversion Project, including early intervention, family support, court accompaniment and wider youth justice practice across the county.
KCYS supports young people across a broad continuum of services in Kerry, from preventative and developmental youth work through to highly targeted interventions for young people and families facing significant challenge and complexity. The Youth Diversion Project forms an important part of that wider continuum of support.
Speaking following the visit, Seamus Whitty, CEO of KCYS, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Minister Collins to Kerry and to have the opportunity to give him a sense of the breadth and depth of the work being carried by the Youth Diversion Project here.
The Youth Diversion Project in Kerry is a strong and well-developed intervention, grounded in practice, informed by evidence, and marked by innovation in how it supports young people and families. It is part of a broader continuum of supports provided by KCYS, and it depends on strong collaboration across teams, services and community partners to make a real difference in people’s lives.
It is also important to acknowledge the Department’s continued commitment to youth justice. The policy direction in this area has been a progressive one, and that has created space for work of this kind to develop and respond to need in a meaningful way.”
The visit highlighted the scale and complexity of the work being carried by the KCYS team, and the importance of sustained investment in youth work responses for young people and families.

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Cllr O’Callaghan highlights deep-rooted bond between town and rally

Representing the Killarney Municipal District at Sunday’s Assess Ireland Rally of the Lakes launch, Cllr Niall ‘Botty’ O’Callaghan praised the enduring partnership between the Rally of the Lakes and the […]

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Representing the Killarney Municipal District at Sunday’s Assess Ireland Rally of the Lakes launch, Cllr Niall ‘Botty’ O’Callaghan praised the enduring partnership between the Rally of the Lakes and the local community.

For the O’Callaghan family, the event is deeply personal; they own and operate the Failte Hotel on College Street, a landmark business that has grown alongside the rally for decades.
Cllr O’Callaghan noted that the history of the Failte Hotel is inextricably linked with the rally’s heritage, serving as a hub for competitors and fans since the early days of the event.
He said that the rally has become a vital part of the fabric of Killarney life, providing a massive economic and social boost to the town. “The rally has been part of the hotel’s history as much as the hotel has been part of the rally’s history,” he told the gathered crowd, expressing his pride in seeing the tradition continue.
He welcomed the organisers and sponsors to Gleneagle, wishing the event continued success as it remains a cornerstone of the Killarney sporting calendar.

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