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Financial crisis could seriously impact Kerry Deaf services

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A financial crisis which has hit the Irish Deaf Society this week - could mean a huge loss of Deaf services in Kerry - from this March.

With funds running low and following an emergency meeting on Saturday in Dublin, the Irish Deaf Society (IDS) has taken the decision to prepare to close its doors - as it has failed to secure financial support from the Government or another state body.

The news comes just one year after the Government officially recognised Irish Sign Language as an official language in Ireland. It’s also the first time in 38 years, since IDS set up, that core funding for the service has been an issue.

The decision to close down will also affect IDS services, including IDS Advocacy, the Irish Sign Language Academy and the Deaf Adult Literary Services.

It came a huge shock to members of Kerry’s Deaf community especially as just this week  Dublin City University unveiled a new undergraduate programme which will enable Deaf and hard of hearing people who use Irish Sign Language (ISL) to enter primary teaching.

This week, Killarney woman Christine O’Donoghue, who is Deaf and teaches literacy to members of the Deaf community in Kerry, says she is shocked with the sudden news.

Both Christine and Bernadette O’Connor from Kerry Deaf Women's Group (KDG), along with Kerry Deaf Resource Centre in Tralee who provide an invaluable service to the Deaf and hard of hearing in Kerry, are calling on the public to support their campaign to save the service.

They plan to get a petition together and lobby TDs to put pressure on the Government to secure financial support and keep the service going.

“I’m absolutely shocked,” Christine told the Killarney Advertiser through an interpreter, on Thursday.

“It's both a disappointment and a shock. If there’s no support, where do Deaf people go and what do they do? To think this has happened after ISL was recognised is so unexpected. Without the core funding we’re going back to square one - the days of no opportunities."

Willie White, Manager of the Kerry Deaf Resource Centre said the closure of the IDS would impact all in the Deaf community nationally.

“On a local level, it would mean the end of our Deaf Adult Literacy Service (DALS) classes as the tutor is funded by the IDS,” he said.

“The newly passed ISL Act wouldn't have been a reality without the leadership of the IDS and we need their input nationally, and indeed locally, if we are to implement access across all Government Depts and Public Bodies in the years to come.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Parnell commemorated in Beaufort on 125th Anniversary of Land League meeting

A special ceremony was held in Beaufort to mark the 125th anniversary of Charles Stewart Parnell’s historic visit to the village in 1880, when the Irish nationalist leader addressed thousands […]

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A special ceremony was held in Beaufort to mark the 125th anniversary of Charles Stewart Parnell’s historic visit to the village in 1880, when the Irish nationalist leader addressed thousands at a pivotal land reform meeting.

The commemoration, which took place beside the Beaufort Bar, honoured the legacy of the former MP and founder of the Irish National Land League.
The original meeting was held in a field belonging to Patrick O’Sullivan and attracted a crowd of approximately 3,000, defying the orders of local landlord ‘The O’Mahony’ of Dunloe Castle, who had threatened eviction to any tenant who supported the gathering.
Padruig O’Sullivan, proprietor of the Beaufort Bar and a direct descendant of Patrick O’Sullivan, addressed attendees at the unveiling of a new monument to mark the occasion.
The stone was designed by renowned uilleann piper and artist Tomás O’Sullivan, who also composed a special piece of music titled Parnell’s Blackbird to honour the occasion.
The original 1880 meeting was reported in publications such as the ‘Dundalk Democrat’, which gave a vivid account of the powerful speeches delivered that day.

Extract from the Dundalk Democrat – May 1880

The meeting, held on Sunday, May 16, 1880 in Patrick O’Sullivan’s field south of the Beaufort Hotel, was arranged in defiance of local landlord ‘The O’Mahony,’ who warned tenants they would be evicted for taking part. Nevertheless, the turnout was overwhelming.
Parnell arrived by special train and travelled by carriage from Killarney with fellow MP ‘The O’Donoghue’. The two were met by a band and a large welcoming crowd. Police and a Government reporter were present, but the atmosphere remained peaceful and spirited.
Speakers rallied against the unjust land laws of the time. ‘The O’Donoghue’ praised Parnell as the “shining star” of Irish nationalism and stated that “Kerry desired that her meeting should partake of a national character.”
When Parnell spoke, he described it as “the largest land meeting he had attended since County Mayo” and declared the movement to reclaim Irish land as one of the greatest undertakings in Irish history. He condemned the laws that allowed landlords to evict tenants and seize food as rent payment, noting that 600,000 farmers were subject to the whims of just 10,000 landlords.
He called for legislative reform, including the suspension of evictions and Government-backed tenant purchase schemes, warning that if Parliament failed to act, “the people will do for themselves what the Legislature refuses to do for them.”
He concluded by proposing the first resolution.
“That in the opinion of this meeting, the eviction of occupiers of land for non-payment of rent arbitrarily fixed by the landlord is unjust, subversive of the true interests of the country and calls for the emphatic condemnation of all lovers of justice.”

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St Pauls sign American Maisie Burnham

Killarney’s Utility Trust St Pauls women’s basketball team has announced the signing of American player Maisie Burnham for the upcoming 2025/2026 season. The club, who performed strongly in the latter […]

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Killarney’s Utility Trust St Pauls women’s basketball team has announced the signing of American player Maisie Burnham for the upcoming 2025/2026 season.

The club, who performed strongly in the latter part of the recent season and reached the league final, is looking to build on that success.
Maisie Burnham, a 24-year-old, six-foot-tall guard from Spangle City, Washington, comes to Killarney with a strong playing record. During her time at Liberty High School, where she also played volleyball, she was a high-scoring player.
She then went to Eastern Washington University, where in the 2020/2021 season, she led the team in scoring with over 14 points per game, a record for a freshman player at the university.
Burnham later moved to the University of Portland, where her scoring average continued to improve, reaching a peak of 16.3 points per game in the 2024/2025 season.
Utility Trust St Pauls say they are looking forward to welcoming Maisie to Killarney well in advance of the new season.

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