News
Double delight for Gneeveguilla as they reach All-Ireland

By Michelle Crean
It’s been many years since Gneeveguilla contested an All-Ireland but they will once again on the double next month.

SOLO: Ger Ryan (Chairman of Munster Council) and Margaret Whelan (Chairperson of Coiste Scór na Mumhan) with Mark O'Leary who won a Munster title for his solo singing in Cappamore Limerick on Sunday.

ON THE DOUBLE: Gneeveguilla Scór members won Munster titles on the double in set dancing and solo singing in Cappamore Limerick on Sunday. Pictured were set dancers Joan Brosnan Kellie O'Sullivan Rachel McGillicuddy Aisling McGillicuddy Kieran Browne Conor Crowley Cathal Collins and Paudie Murphy with solo singer Mark O'Leary.

SOLO: Ger Ryan (Chairman of Munster Council) and Margaret Whelan (Chairperson of Coiste Scór na Mumhan) with Mark O'Leary who won a Munster title for his solo singing in Cappamore Limerick on Sunday.

ON THE DOUBLE: Gneeveguilla Scór members won Munster titles on the double in set dancing and solo singing in Cappamore Limerick on Sunday. Pictured were set dancers Joan Brosnan Kellie O'Sullivan Rachel McGillicuddy Aisling McGillicuddy Kieran Browne Conor Crowley Cathal Collins and Paudie Murphy with solo singer Mark O'Leary.
On Sunday night there was great excitement in Cappamore Community Centre in Limerick, when Gneeveguilla were announced Munster Scor na nÓg Champions in the solo singing and set dancing categories. Now they're getting ready to travel to Castlebar next month for the All-Ireland for Scór Sinsir.
Kerry clubs haven't competed in Munster Scór Sinsear since 2019 due to COVID.
“It’s a huge achievement for any club to win one discipline in Senior Scór but the double is tremendous," Anne Holland, East Kerry Scór Officer, told the Killarney Advertiser.
"We in East Kerry are very proud of our set dancers and singer, Mark O'Leary. Having advanced as superb county champions last week in Currow, we knew that they would be in with a great chance at Munster. It’s not easy trying to get a dance troupe together especially with college and work etc."
All-Ireland Fleadh dancing coach Marie Sheehan has put in trojan work with the dancers and they will be dancing the Caledonian set. Some of these dancers have All-Ireland Fleadh medals under their belts with Sliabh Luachra; Joan Brosnan, Kellie O'Sullivan, Rachel McGillicuddy, Aisling McGillicuddy, Kieran Browne, Conor Crowley, Cathal Collins and Paudie Murphy.
Mark O'Leary is also no stranger to the stage, participating for his beloved club, in Scór na bPaistí and Scór na nÓg, winning many accolades.
"He will sing 'The Hills Around Listowel' and lift the roof with his rendering voice. Joan Brosnan, Scór Officer, is a busy lady as one of the victorious dancers and organising the All-Ireland travel arrangements to Castlebar next month," she said.
"The club is very proud of the participants and the excitement is building. No doubt the club colours will be decorated all over the village and surrounding areas. Wishing them every good wish in the Theatre Royal on November 12 and hopefully going that one step closer to All-Ireland glory."
News
New bio-energy therapy clinic open on Beech Road
Have you ever wondered what happens when you deal with an emotionally charged situation or experience high levels of stress daily? Your mind sends alarm signals to your body which […]

Have you ever wondered what happens when you deal with an emotionally charged situation or experience high levels of stress daily?
Your mind sends alarm signals to your body which must adapt to this emergency mode.
Muscles tense up, heart beats faster, vessels get compressed, blood pressure rises, body retains water etc. Most of us subject our bodies to this emergency mode without being aware of it.
Irina Sharapova MH has just opened a new Herbal Medicine and Bio-Energy Therapy clinic at Horan’s Health Store on Beech Road by appointment each Friday.
Both Herbal Medicine and Bio-Energy Therapy, support the body’s natural ability to heal.
During a herbal consultation the therapist suggests necessary corrections to the client’s diet and lifestyle aiming at reducing the elements that contribute to inflammation, stiffness and pain, and increasing the elements that aid healing.
Then they prepare herbal remedies specific to the client. Client’s medications are also examined to ensure that there are no conflicts with the herbal treatment.
Herbs support healing by relaxing the body and improving sleep; they are used to treat various ailments from digestive and reproductive issues to insomnia and migraines.
Bio-Energy therapy is a complementary non-contact treatment that helps to release tension from the body caused by injuries, traumas or stress.
During a Bio-Energy session the therapist scans the client’s body for signals that indicate that the energy is not flowing smoothly – these are the areas that have reacted to the Client’s emotions of fear, worry, hurt, anger, sadness etc.
The therapist “clears out” these areas until the energy flow feels smooth. Bio-Energy is helpful in the treatment of physical and emotional pain and other ailments.
It is suitable for people who do not like massages and other treatments that are performed directly on the body.
Disclaimer: Alternative therapies are not substitutes for medical advice.
For further information or to schedule an appointment please contact Irina at 086 9878941 or via email at herbsandtherapy@gmail.com. Website: https://www.herbsandtherapies.ie
News
Spotted an otter lately?
Users of Killarney National Park are being asked to keep an eye out for otters – one of the country’s rarest mammals. The National Parks and Wildlife Service IS launching […]
Users of Killarney National Park are being asked to keep an eye out for otters – one of the country’s rarest mammals.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service IS launching a new National Otter Survey and has teamed up with researchers in Queen’s University Belfast and the National Biodiversity Data Centre to collect and collate otter records from right across the country.
The new survey will map otters and compare results to the last survey, carried out in 2010-11.
NPWS teams will be looking for characteristic signs of otters at over 900 sites throughout the country, including rivers, lakes and the coast.
Members of the public are asked to keep their eyes peeled for otters and to get involved in this national survey by adding their sightings to the survey results.
Otters are mostly active at night and most typically seen at dawn or dusk. They may be spotted from bridges swimming in rivers or along the rocky seashore.
Otters are brown, about 80 cm (30 inches) long and can be seen gliding along the water surface before diving to show their distinctive long pointed tail which is almost as long again as their body.
Dr Ferdia Marnell, Mammal Specialist with the NPWS, said:
“The otter is one of Ireland’s most elusive animals so getting as many people involved in the survey as possible will be important if we are to get good coverage. Otters are rarely seen, so instead, over the coming months, NPWS staff will be searching for otter tracks and signs.”
Dr Ferdia Marnell, Mammal Specialist with the NPWS, said:
“Otters have large, webbed feet and leave distinctive footprints, but these can be hard to find. Fortunately, otters mark their territory using droppings known as spraints. Otters deposit spraints conspicuously on boulders along riverbanks, logs on lake shores or the rocky high tide line. Spraints can be up to 10 cm or 3 inches long, black through to white but commonly brown, tarry to powdery in consistency and straight or curved making them tricky to identify. Luckily, they commonly contain fish bones and crayfish shells which are the otters favoured diet making them easy to tell apart from the droppings of birds and other mammals.”
The otter and its habitat are protected under the EU Habitats Directive which requires that Ireland reports on the status of the species every six years. The next report is due in 2025.
The otter suffered significant declines across much of continental Europe during the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s but remained widespread in Ireland. The most recent Irish survey (2010-2011) found signs of otter from all counties of Ireland and from sea-shore to mountain streams.
The otter hunts in water, but spends much of its time on land, and as a result is vulnerable to river corridor management such as culverting, dredging and the clearance of bankside vegetation, as well as pollution, pesticides, oil spillages, coastal developments and road traffic.