News
Funding down but demand for food up – say SVdD volunteers

MEETING DEMAND: Volunteers with St Vincent de Paul Killarney Conference say there's a huge demand for food hampers this year. Pictured were: Mike Riordan, Niall Keogh, Liz Ryan, Jackie Foley, Brendan Joy, Dymphna Horgan and Breda Dwyer. Photo: Michelle Crean
By Michelle Crean
With funding decimated and a huge increase in families seeking assistance as a result of COVID this year the St Vincent de Paul (SVdD) is urging the public to help.
As volunteers prepare hundreds of hampers for the vulnerable in Killarney and surrounds, the Killarney Conference is expecting a massive demand on their services.
Speaking this week to the Killarney Advertiser, President of the local conference Breda Dwyer said that 2020 "is the toughest year" the service has experienced to date.
Not alone have they lost out on church gate collections - including the annual Christmas one - their biggest of the year usually runs the second weekend of December - but more families are in dire straights due to the loss of jobs or reduction in hours.
In recent weeks SVdP has sent out 6,000 envelopes to homes across the town and are asking people to give a generous donation to help raise the funds to fill the food hampers which will be distributed to their clients in need.
The service - which has also felt the loss of revenue with their charity shop closed in both the first and second lockdown - will also help by providing food vouchers, coal or oil to those who cannot afford it.
"It's our toughest year," Breda told the Killarney Advertiser this week.
"Our main aim is to help people who are in poverty. Our church gate collection, that's our biggest fundraiser of the year but that won't be going ahead this year. That's an awful lot of fundraising we won't have this year. Our funds are down substantially and we're making a special appeal to people to please support SVdP as the needs of people have increased."
Volunteer Niall Keogh added that not only do they provide food and other provisions but can monitor those who need additional services like mental health.
However, due to COVID, calling in and just sitting and chatting to clients isn't possible this year.
"We can't call and sit down and have a chat. We can't access their mental health needs."
Anyone who needs support in any way should call 064 6634021 or 087 7718200. "They can leave a message and a volunteer will get back to them," he said.
And the service is also seeking more volunteers, anyone who'd like to give a hand can contact them on the numbers above.
News
Killarney and District Motor Club members honoured by Motorsport Ireland
By Cormac Casey Several members of Killarney and District Motor Club were honoured at the Motorsport Ireland awards lunch in Dublin on Wednesday. The highlight of the event is the […]

By Cormac Casey
Several members of Killarney and District Motor Club were honoured at the Motorsport Ireland awards lunch in Dublin on Wednesday.
The highlight of the event is the announcement of the sport’s top awards.
Kilkenny’s Jack Brennan (19) was named Young Rally Driver of the Year, while Wexford native Jack Byrne was named Young Racing Driver of the Year and the International Driver of the Year award went to recently crowned FIA Junior World Rally Champion, William Creighton.
Muckross-based co-driver Noel O’Sullivan was presented with his Irish Tarmac Rally Championship winning trophy.
This year saw the introduction of the Motorsport Ireland President’s Awards which celebrate the achievements of clubs and organisations.
Killarney and District Motor Club won in the innovation category for their work with their KDMC 2 initiative thanks to the efforts of the club’s vice chairman Mike O’Shea.
Rally Rescue teams were also recognised and the club’s Mike Cleary picked up an award for his role he played in what was a difficult year for rescue crew operators.
Tom O’Riordan, who looks after ambulance procurement on the club’s events, was presented with an FIA Volunteer Pin by Motorsport Ireland President Aiden Harper.
Killarney Advertiser Journalist Sean Moriarty was presented with an award for best use of of PR and media in 2023.
News
Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest ‘thank you’ event at Brehon
Participation in the 2023 Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest has grown by more than 100% since 2020 with 98% of those who gave feedback saying they would attend similar […]

Participation in the 2023 Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest has grown by more than 100% since 2020 with 98% of those who gave feedback saying they would attend similar events again in 2024.
Feedback from more than 100 people who attended this year’s Fest events from 7th to 14th October was positive with 91% stating they were satisfied.
The Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest is held annually over the course of a week to highlight World Mental Health Day on October 10.
It aims to raise awareness of the available supports and services in Kerry as well as empower people to engage with the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ through offering a dynamic and interactive programme of events.
99% percent of respondents, most of whom identified as female, said they would recommend the Fest to friends next year. Some key notes for improvement included a request for more events with wider variety throughout the county.
The Chair of the Interagency Steering Group, John Drummey from Kerry Mental Health Association, said: “We wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to event organisers, community groups, businesses, funders and partners that facilitated the Fest’s dynamic and interactive programme of events in 2023. We are encouraged to see such growth in numbers attending the Fest events with a 50% increase from 2022. We are already making plans for the Fest from 5 to 12t October 2024 and we are looking forward to building on this year’s successes. That said, there is always room for improvement and we would welcome suggestions for new events and activities.”
Many of the event organisers attended a ‘thank-you’ event at the Brehon Hotel, Killarney, courtesy of the Kerry Volunteer Centre to coincide with the annual International Volunteer Day, December 5.
The Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest was organised by an interagency steering group made up of local agencies that support wellbeing in our community.
The organising committee is a collaboration between Connecting for Life Kerry, Healthy Kerry, Kerry County Council, Kerry Recreation & Sports Partnership, the HSE, NEWKD, SKDP, Kerry Mental Health Association, Jigsaw Kerry, Munster Technological University/Kerry, KDYS, Kerry Volunteer Centre and Family Resource Centres throughout the county.