The Kerry Education and Training Board (Kerry ETB) has been awarded €2.3 million in funding to purchase the former Pretty Polly site on Upper Park Road, Killarney.

The funding, announced this morning by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, will allow Kerry ETB to develop the site as a new Tourism Sector Training College. The proposed facility will be linked to the Munster Technological University (MTU) and will focus on training for the hospitality and tourism industries.
Kerry TD Michael Cahill described the announcement as “a major vote of confidence in Killarney and the wider Kerry tourism industry.”
“This is immense news for the town,” said Deputy Cahill. “It will mark Killarney out officially as the tourism capital of Ireland by providing a Hospitality Sector Training College right in the heart of the county.”
Deputy Cahill said he had been advocating for such a development since entering the Dáil, adding that the investment “will be a gamechanger for the hospitality sector in Killarney and Kerry.”
He also recalled the former CERT training centre that operated at the Torc Great Southern Hotel in the 1970s, noting that this new project would revive that legacy for a new generation of tourism professionals.
The Pretty Polly site, vacant for many years, will now be transformed into a key educational and economic hub for the region once the project proceeds.

A coffee morning will take place in the Aghadoe Heights Hotel next week in memory of the late Kevin O’Shea.

It will take place on October 18 from 11am to 1pm.

All proceeds will go to Kerry Hospice Foundation, Kerry Cancer Support Group and Recovery Haven.

For those who are unable to make it on the day, you can make a donation online by scanning the QR code on the picture.

Kevin’s family extended their heartfelt thanks to local businesses and hotels that have generously sponsored spot prizes, all to be won on the day.

They also said that any donation, big or small, is appreciated and all support is most welcome.