News
Farm robotics a highlight of Sunday’s tractor show

By Sean Moriarty
The manager of one of the first beef farms in Europe to go fully robotic will share some of her secrets at an event this weekend.
Tomies-resident Aine Sweeney is the manager of South Glen Farm near Banteer in Cork.
She is one of the guest speakers at the Killarney Valley Classic and Vintage Club’s tractor show at Killarney Racecourse on Sunday.
South Glen is owned by Frank and Theresa Murphy from Killarney.
Theresa’s late father Gerry ran the farm as a dairy concern but the Murphy family wanted to streamline the operation so they could concentrate on other business interests.
In 2014 they introduced a Lely Vector automated feeding system to the now dry-stock farm. It was the first feeding robot to be introduced to a beef unit in Europe although Lely technology was already popular in dairy farms.
The robot allows manager Aine to spend more time on the operation and administrative side of the farm instead of the previous two times a day feeding regime.
“The robot does three things. It measures the amount of feed available, it delivers feed to areas once it knows feed is running low and pushes food back close to a wall to where the cattle will eat it,” she explained.
The robot operates 24/7 and Aine can manage it all from an App on her phone.
Other guest speakers at Sunday’s event include Michael Hoey who owns the biggest collection of vintage farm machinery in Ireland.
Tralee-based farmer Tommy Moynihan will explain how to overcome a farm accident and Aeneas Horan, of event sponsor Buckley Agri, will be on hand to describe the latest in New Holland tractors and ambulances.
All proceeds will be donated to CRITICAL - The Emergency Medical Response Charity, and gates open to the public at 11am.
News
Killarney and District Motor Club members honoured by Motorsport Ireland
By Cormac Casey Several members of Killarney and District Motor Club were honoured at the Motorsport Ireland awards lunch in Dublin on Wednesday. The highlight of the event is the […]

By Cormac Casey
Several members of Killarney and District Motor Club were honoured at the Motorsport Ireland awards lunch in Dublin on Wednesday.
The highlight of the event is the announcement of the sport’s top awards.
Kilkenny’s Jack Brennan (19) was named Young Rally Driver of the Year, while Wexford native Jack Byrne was named Young Racing Driver of the Year and the International Driver of the Year award went to recently crowned FIA Junior World Rally Champion, William Creighton.
Muckross-based co-driver Noel O’Sullivan was presented with his Irish Tarmac Rally Championship winning trophy.
This year saw the introduction of the Motorsport Ireland President’s Awards which celebrate the achievements of clubs and organisations.
Killarney and District Motor Club won in the innovation category for their work with their KDMC 2 initiative thanks to the efforts of the club’s vice chairman Mike O’Shea.
Rally Rescue teams were also recognised and the club’s Mike Cleary picked up an award for his role he played in what was a difficult year for rescue crew operators.
Tom O’Riordan, who looks after ambulance procurement on the club’s events, was presented with an FIA Volunteer Pin by Motorsport Ireland President Aiden Harper.
Killarney Advertiser Journalist Sean Moriarty was presented with an award for best use of of PR and media in 2023.
News
Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest ‘thank you’ event at Brehon
Participation in the 2023 Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest has grown by more than 100% since 2020 with 98% of those who gave feedback saying they would attend similar […]

Participation in the 2023 Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest has grown by more than 100% since 2020 with 98% of those who gave feedback saying they would attend similar events again in 2024.
Feedback from more than 100 people who attended this year’s Fest events from 7th to 14th October was positive with 91% stating they were satisfied.
The Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest is held annually over the course of a week to highlight World Mental Health Day on October 10.
It aims to raise awareness of the available supports and services in Kerry as well as empower people to engage with the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ through offering a dynamic and interactive programme of events.
99% percent of respondents, most of whom identified as female, said they would recommend the Fest to friends next year. Some key notes for improvement included a request for more events with wider variety throughout the county.
The Chair of the Interagency Steering Group, John Drummey from Kerry Mental Health Association, said: “We wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to event organisers, community groups, businesses, funders and partners that facilitated the Fest’s dynamic and interactive programme of events in 2023. We are encouraged to see such growth in numbers attending the Fest events with a 50% increase from 2022. We are already making plans for the Fest from 5 to 12t October 2024 and we are looking forward to building on this year’s successes. That said, there is always room for improvement and we would welcome suggestions for new events and activities.”
Many of the event organisers attended a ‘thank-you’ event at the Brehon Hotel, Killarney, courtesy of the Kerry Volunteer Centre to coincide with the annual International Volunteer Day, December 5.
The Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest was organised by an interagency steering group made up of local agencies that support wellbeing in our community.
The organising committee is a collaboration between Connecting for Life Kerry, Healthy Kerry, Kerry County Council, Kerry Recreation & Sports Partnership, the HSE, NEWKD, SKDP, Kerry Mental Health Association, Jigsaw Kerry, Munster Technological University/Kerry, KDYS, Kerry Volunteer Centre and Family Resource Centres throughout the county.