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Felicity’s Summer in Killarney
Felicity’s Summer in Killarney — Chapter 6
A weekly series from Killarney Advertiser's Jess Jukes
Felicity followed Jack into the crowd in front of the large outdoor stage. She bobbed and weaved through the throng, hardly taking her eyes off of the back of his ginger head as she tried to catch up to him. She caught up with Jack where he was talking to Seamus from the Laurels.
“But do you know where they got the jerky?”
“I s’pose I could tell ya, but my beer’s ran dry, and my throat is mighty sore ..” Jack shook his head with a huff and headed towards the bar. “Felicity, make sure he doesn’t disappear!” he shouted over his shoulder as he went.
Felicity turned to Seamus. She had seen him a few times since they first met. She had learnt that his favourite place to be was outside a pub with a cold pint in hand and the sun on his face.
“What’s Jack after?” She asked.
“Well now, he caught sight of a fella with jerky, and now he’s pesterin’ me because he thinks I know who’s sellin’ it.”
Felicity raised an eyebrow. “And do you?” He chuckled. “Well, that’d be tellin’.”
Just then Jack reappeared with a fresh beer. “I’m a sucker for dehydrated snacks.” He said, defending himself although Felicity said nothing. She thought it was odd, but to each their own.
The Vendor
As soon as Jack placed the pint in Seamus’ hand, the man crooked a finger in the direction of a young man in a black trench coat. His coat was extremely out of place amongst the tank tops and short sleeve-wearing festival-goers. Jack didn’t even pause before he approached the man, holding out a hand to shake.
“Hiya, my name’s Jack. Are you the guy that’s selling jerky?”
The man looked at Jack’s outstretched hand with a frown before looking him up and down. “That depends. Who’s asking?”
“.. my name’s .. Jack .. Look man, everywhere here sells really sweet treats, but I like my savoury snacks. Are you selling jerky, or is there someone else I should talk to?”
The man opened up his jacket akin to a cartoon sleazy watch salesman to reveal inner pockets stuffed with jerky. He snatched a packet out and handed it to Jack. Felicity thought he was being rather eccentric for what was just some fairground food.
Just as Jack was about to hand over his money, a security guard approached them. “Can I see your vendor permit sir?”
The man looked like he was going to run, but another security guard appeared out of nowhere. The man stuttered something about how his brother was meant to bring their permit, but security were having none of it.
Felicity watched them take the illicit jerky vendor off of the premises, and turned to see Jack was already gone. She scanned the crowds and saw his head bounding back over to Auntie Sheila. Maybe it wasn’t that Killarney was trouble, but just her friends that often got caught up in mischief. She followed after him with a smile.
A few pints and a burger later, Felicity managed to get Auntie Sheila on the fairground rides.
The ride operator was lovely. He could tell Auntie Sheila was frightened out of her skin, so he didn’t swing too high. Felicity was trying to talk to Auntie Sheila to distract her, but Jack ended up taking over, babbling away mindlessly about anything and everything as they swung to and fro, losing their stomachs at the top of every arc.
In comparison, cajoling Auntie Sheila onto the Ferris wheel was a piece of cake. Jack waited at the bottom whilst Felicity and her aunt climbed onto the wheel. They enjoyed the stillness of Killarney from above, lit by street lights.
The Concert
As ten o’clock approached, the trio made their way into the Gleneagle Arena. They had chosen to go to Bikefest on this night in particular to see Qween, a tribute band that made fairly regular appearances in the Bikefest line up. It was a large part of the reason Auntie Sheila wanted to go, although she loved a concert or gig no matter who was performing.
They walked in just as the opening band were starting. They got drinks and found a comfortable place to stand near a wall.
They were happily nodding along to the openers when Felicity caught sight of some sort of ruckus amongst the gaggle of people gathered near the sound booth. She watched as a few burly security guards gave chase through the masses of people. When the caught the instigator, she was surprised to see it was the jerky vendor.
Felicity tugged Auntie Sheila along with her towards the exit. As they emerged from the dark arena, they saw the edge of a Garda van waiting outside the doors of the venue. The security guards were handing the vendor off to them.
The vendor turned and glared at Felicity as the van doors closed. If eyes could burn, she would have been ash on the wind.
“I wonder what he’s at,” Auntie Sheila pondered. “I don’t know,” Felicity replied as she dragged her aunt towards the bathrooms.
They spent the rest of their night enjoying the music. It was an incredible experience, between the thumping music and the crowds all swaying to familiar songs. There was laughter, tears and pure undiluted joy interspersed throughout the crowd.
They got home at an ungodly hour. Despite the wonderful evening, Felicity’s mind kept on returning to the jerky vendor. Something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. With quiet resolution to figure it out tomorrow, she went to bed.
WEEK 14
Felicity’s Summer in Killarney
Previously: Here on Dundag it was far easier to relax than anywhere else. They had a picnic blanket, some cold drinks and what felt like all the time in the world.
“I can’t believe I leave on Monday” Felicity said tiredly.
“Neither can I. This summer has flown. Tell me you have plans to come back sometime soon though? I don’t think Sheila and I can be as good of a mischief-making duo as me and you.”
Felicity had already spoken with her parents about her return to Killarney. “I’d like to come back for Halloween. Who knows, with my apprenticeship you may be seeing a lot more of me.”
Felicity glanced at Jack, who was looking far out over the lake. “That wouldn’t be so bad.” He paused. “There’s loads of things to do in Kerry around Halloween. There are countless events and festivals in the surrounding towns and parishes.”
“That would be nice. I love Halloween, it would be great to see how ye do it down here.” A few years ago she and her friends had run a school scare event in Dublin, for TYs and above only. It had been some of the best fun they’d had in school together.
“It’s going to be really strange not having you just around the corner anymore. I’ve gotten so used to showing up at Sheila’s and you being there.”
Knowing that her friends were going to miss her so much made Felicity’s chest twist. She knew that Auntie Sheila wasn’t looking forward to her leaving either. “At least I’ll be back soon. You’ll be seeing me off of the train before you can blink.”
“Yeah, I can’t wait.”
A few hours passed before Felicity and Jack returned to Hedgerow Place. Jack dropped her off at the door, promising to meet her at the bus station tomorrow to see her off. Felicity trudged towards the door morosely.
Auntie Sheila met her on the other side with a sad smile. “Hopefully you’ll be back soon poppet. I suppose for now you should probably pack.”
Felicity nodded and made her way upstairs. She entered the spare room , her room now, really. Auntie Sheila had offered her it permanently if she were to get her apprenticeship. That would be a dream come true, to live in Killarney and have something as exciting as an apprenticeship to work on.
Felicity packed slowly. She let herself daydream about what her life could look like, and how easy it would be to sink into it. Thoughts of coming back here, to a room that was fully hers circled around her head. Felicity looked around her room as she slowly progressed towards fitting her whole summer into just the two small suitcases and backpack that she had come to Killarney with.
It felt like her experiences were too big, too meaningful to pack away with her. Too much had happened this summer to pack it all away. The only solace, Felicity thought, was that she had to go so that she could come back again.
The Bus
Now she was standing once more at Killarney Bus Station, waiting to get the Expressway back to Cork before the next leg to Dublin. Auntie Sheila and Jack both stood nearby waiting to see her off.
Felicity had spent the last few days packing, reminiscing on her time in Killarney as if it were years ago, and had not started a mere three months previously. The adventures she’d had and the friends she made were all so different from what she knew in Dublin. It almost felt like going back to the city was going back to a different world, a different life.
“You have to stay in touch,” Jack said with a frown. “And I will hold you to your promise to come back at Halloween. We have to go to some of the Halloween events. I know it’s a trek down but it will be faster by train.”
Felicity didn’t know why her parents had booked her a bus down and back and not the train, but she was almost thankful for the extra travel time on the way back. It would take all of it and more to acclimatise back into her old life.
When the bus arrived, Jack helped her stow her luggage in the undercarriage. It was with a heavy heart and tearful eyes that she hugged them both goodbye. Felicity promised both to them and to herself that she would be back for Halloween, even if she didn’t get her apprenticeship, she would make the time around her college schedule to visit. God, she should have applied for college in Killarney. If only she had known what it was like when she was filling out her CAO.
Felicity trudged up the steps onto the bus. She hadn’t missed how cramped the seats were. The train would undoubtedly be the better option for her return.
She turned and waved at Jack and Auntie Sheila as the bus pulled out of its berth. She could see Auntie Sheila smiling up at her. Something her aunt had told her the night before swirled around in her head. “It doesn’t matter that you’re leaving now,” she had said, “because you’ve been to Killarney once, and now there will always be a home for you here.”
Summer in Killarney had been transformative, to say the least. The bus went around the Daly’s roundabout and travelled down the hill towards Cork. Felicity looked longingly at the turn to Woodlawn Road as they trundled by. Killarney, and Auntie Sheila’s little house on Hedgerow Place, had snuck its way into her heart. Felicity was going to miss it. She couldn’t wait to come back again.
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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