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Five-in-a-row beckons for Keane’s minors

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The elusive five in a row of All-Ireland minor football titles beckons for Peter Keane and his charges after a pulsating semi-final at Croke Park on Sunday last, where Kerry just edged out Monaghan 1-16 to 2-11.

Kerry have won the minor titles for the past four years and the U-18 age group has been changed to U-17 this year. Kerry are odds on to lift the crown. Their opponents in the decider will be Galway, who defeated Meath  3-13 to 2-9 in the other semi.

Kerry led by 9 points at one stage but even with such a lead Peter Keane admitted that he expected a fight back from Monaghan. “We were in a similar situation against Cork down in Tralee when they came at us,” he said. They edged out Cork by a single point on that occasion.

“Funnily enough, even at 9 points, I didn't feel comfortable,” he continued. “You might say to me, ‘but God how could you not be comfortable?’ There was a skid on the ball and there was a bit of rain there.”

Kerry were leading by seven points at the three-quarter stage and going well when the game was turned on its head. Kerry were reduced to 14 men when Conor Flannery picked up a yellow card and a black card resulting in a red card. Monaghan made full use of the extra man and scored 2-5 in the subsequent period. Dan Murphy had a great chance of a goal but he pulled his shot wide.

Fair dues to Kerry they battled back to score after Swinburne pointed to put Monaghan ahead. Jack Kennelly and Paul Walsh came to the rescue with match-winning points in injury time.

Kerry brought on Ruairí ó Beaglaioch in the 63rd minute and he won a great ball which Walsh converted. Ruairí was black carded shortly after that.

Kerry's outstanding forward was Dylan Geaney, brother of Conor who played such a pivotal role in the 2015 final. Dylan scored five points, three of these from play.

Monaghan boss Séamus McEneaney was very disappointed, especially when they went ahead in injury time, but he was magnanimous in defeat. “We coughed up  one or two balls at crucial times in that last four or five-minute period and Kerry will always punish you,” he said.

Peter Keane is building up a successful managerial portfolio which will stand him in good stead when the Kerry senior manager job will be filled.

Killarney scratch cup

John Murphy from Cork was a runaway winner in the Killarney Scratch Cup. It was his first such title and he did it in style. The +4 handicapper shared the lead with a 68 on Mahony’s Point. He really turned on the style on the Killeen Course where he shot a remarkable 66 giving him a 15-stroke win. His handicap now goes out to plus 5.

Kerry Ladies

No joy for the Kerry senior ladies footballers. They were well beaten by Dublin 3-19 to 1-7 in the TG4 All-Ireland quarter-final in Roscommon.

Kerry SHC semi-finals

Two nail-biting finishes in the Kerry senior hurling championship semi-finals in Tralee. Kerry star Shane Conway shot 1-14 for Lixnaw in their 1-17 win over Causeway while Ballyduff lost their crown to Kilmoyley in a tense 20 points to 19 tie.

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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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