News
Father-daughter duo excel at World Jigsaw Championship
You may remember back in September; the Killarney Advertiser published a story about a father-daughter duo who were heading to Spain to compete in the World Jigsaw Championship. Well, Killarney’s Emma Quirke and her father, Darren Quirke, have since returned home from the competition held in in Valladolid, Spain, after delivering impressive performances on the international stage. The duo, representing Ireland, competed in both the individual and pairs categories.
Emma Quirke, a 24-year-old teacher, stunned commentators as she soared through the preliminary rounds of the individual competition, comfortably securing her place in the semifinals. In her semifinal heat, Emma completed a 500-piece puzzle in just 36 minutes and 36 seconds, finishing in a remarkable 4th place.
Advancing to the highly competitive final, Emma faced a new, unpublished jigsaw challenge. Although the final proved tougher, Emma still performed admirably, finishing 33rd overall with a time of 49 minutes and 26 seconds. For a first-time competitor, her result far exceeded expectations, especially given that she was relatively unknown in the international jigsaw scene prior to the competition.
In the pairs category, Emma teamed up with her father, Darren Quirke, to take on the challenge of a 1,000-piece puzzle specifically designed for the final. The puzzle, showcasing Valladolid, tested the skills of the competitors, and the Quirke duo proved up to the challenge. They completed the puzzle in 1 hour and 23 minutes, securing 73rd place out of 180 pairs - a commendable result in their debut international competition.
Upon her return, Emma and some of her Irish competitors established the Irish Jigsaw Association on Facebook, aiming to promote jigsaw puzzling throughout Ireland through fun events, puzzle swaps, and competitions. Emma has also introduced a jigsaw club at the school where she works, encouraging her students to step away from screens and engage with the rewarding pastime of puzzling. The club has already been a hit with students, who are eagerly embracing their new found hobby.
You can follow Emmas Instagram account, @thequirkeypuzzler
Frustration mounts over morning gridlock at Coolcorcoran
Mounting traffic gridlock at the Coolcorcoran junction onto the N22 Killarney Bypass is causing daily delays for commuters, with local motorists calling on Killarney Municipal District and elected representatives to take immediate action.
Early morning traffic coming from the Tralee side has become severely backed up past BG Motors during the peak 8.15am commute.
Motorists attempting to enter the bypass from the Coolcorcoran side face long queues and increasing frustration as they struggle to join the main road.
Local drivers point to a specific design issue at the exit, where a raised kerb and a section of unused footpath prevent left-turning vehicles from merging smoothly into the traffic flow.
Road users are requesting a simple layout modification to resolve the bottleneck: converting the exit to left-turn only, removing the kerb obstruction, and directing driver traffic to loop via a U-turn at the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre roundabout. Similar left-turn measures were previously implemented at the nearby Lewis Road junction to improve safety and traffic flow.
The request comes as broader plans for the N22 bypass upgrade and new link road infrastructure remain under progression by Kerry County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
Motorists wishing to share their views on local road issues can email info@killarneyadvertiser.ie.
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