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Family and friends to walk in Damien’s memory

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The people of Keel and the wider community are set to remember the late Damien Foley with a memorial walk on Sunday, July 10.

Beginning at Keel GAA grounds at 10am, Damien's family, friends and neighbours will complete the Keel Loop Walk to mark what would have been the occasion of his 40th birthday. Damien passed away from Cystic Fibrosis in July 1999 just a few days before his 17th birthday. Damien was a much loved member of the community of Keel and was an avid sports fan, with the Kerry team and Aston Villa being his particular favourites.

Damien attended Castledrum National School and Presentation Secondary School, Milltown, and is fondly remembered by his former school mates as a popular, funny and caring friend. Damien was also a much valued member of Keel underage football teams, with whom he wore the white jersey with immense pride.

Damien’s family and friends are asking people to come out and walk all, or even part of, the route with them on Sunday the 10. The walk will begin at 10am sharp, leaving Keel GAA and heading west along the R561 to Whitegate Crossroads, before turning south to Lachtacalla Quay, following the bank of the River Maine to Boolteens, then to the hill via Lassabee and back to Keel GAA via Gortanedin. In all, the route measures approximately 13km and is easy to moderate in difficulty. People are advised to wear trail shoes or walking boots and dogs are not permitted. Refreshments will be served before and after the walk at Keel GAA and it is expected that the event will have concluded well in time for people to go and watch Kerry take on Dublin on television later that afternoon.

"All proceeds raised by the memorial walk for Damien will be shared between the Cystic Fibrosis Ward at University Hospital Limerick, Irish Community Air Ambulance and Keel GAA Club," Damien Foley from the Memorial Walk Committee said.

Contributions are purely voluntary and can be made on the day, in collection buckets in local businesses or online through the following GoFundMe link: The Damien Foley 40th Birthday Memorial Walk.

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Con O’Leary: Killarney loses a vibrant and popular personality

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the early hours of Sunday.

Con was a vibrant and popular personality in Killarney where he operated The Laurels on Main Street, a thriving bar and restaurant, which he inherited following the passing of his father, Thado.
The business organisation said from a social perspective, The Laurels became the beating heart of the town and it was a landmark at the Market Cross in the same way as Clery’s clock was in the capital city.
Chamber said Con’s passing really marks the end of an era as he was one of a golden age of inspirational local business people who developed and built Killarney, through hard work, bravery and great commercial flair, and helped create the wonderful tourist attraction and holiday destination it is today.
“Con was very proud of Killarney and he played a very active part in progressing the town at many levels.
“He was a man that was never short of great ideas and his contribution to the business life of the town and as a director of Killarney Race Company was immense,” Chamber said.
“He was ahead of his time in many respects with the introduction by what became known as “the singing lounge” many years ago and The Laurels always led by example through its successes in the annual Killarney Looking Good competition”.
The business representative organisation noted that the O’Leary family has always been very supporting of the town and Con’s daughter, Kate, was a very dynamic Chamber President and is still a very valued member of the executive.
Chamber expressed deep sympathy to Con’s wife, Anne, children Kate, Niall, Tara and Lorna, sons-in-law, grandchildren, sisters, relatives and friends as well as the dedicated staff in The Laurels, past and present, who Con always had great time for and a great rapport with.

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All Roads Lead To Kerry For National Road Safety Conference

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29. The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event […]

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Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29.

The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic-related incidents, and sharing knowledge and best practices for safer road use. It encompasses various strategies and efforts across multiple domains, including road design, engineering, enforcement, forensic collision investigation, technology, education, collision trends, occupational driving, cycling and scooting, e-mobility, active & sustainable travel and on-road events.

In addition to this, AI, Virtual Reality and Driver Simulation will play a significant role at the conference, in improving safety by predicting and preventing accidents, optimizing traffic, and aiding the development of autonomous vehicles.

This ‘Safer Roads’ conference is a non-public event where road safety professionals, speakers and service providers from across Ireland, other EU countries and the UK will attend, including transportation experts, government and local authority officials, roads policing and vehicle inspection agencies, road safety advocates, educators and promoters, collision responders, cycling bodies and community safety networks.

Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh said:
“Road safety has evolved over the years to a much broader scope, in terms of e-mobility, sustainability, technology and engineering for instance. It’s not just about the road or the vehicle anymore, but also about how technology, human behaviour, enforcement, and education intersect to reduce risks and prevent collisions. The ‘Safer Roads’ conference will involve and include every branch of the road safety tree, right across the board, and in doing so, we aim to increase road safety awareness, improve road user behaviour and decrease the collisions and carnage we see on our roads every day,”

The two-day conference also provides an opportunity for exhibitors to attend, and interested state bodies, businesses and service providers are invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services and engage with delegates and officials at the conference.

Further information about the conference and how to register or exhibit can be found here. https://www.kerrycoco.ie/safer-roads-road-safety-conference/

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