By Michelle Crean

Football fever is set to take over the town this Monday as schools from across the county - including Killarney town - pitch against each other.

MEMORIAL CUP: Launching the 17th annual Garda Football Blitz for schools at Killarney Garda Station from l-r were: Sean O'Sullivan (Tadhg O'Suilleabháin Memorial Cup) Laughlan Scannell from Faha NS organiser Garda Eddie Walsh and Brendan McHugh from The Mon. Photo: Marie Carroll-O'Sullivan

18 schools - 17 from Kerry and one from Cork - a total of 270 pupils - will battle it out on the pitch for the Killarney Garda National School 7-a-side Football Blitz which is now in its 16th year.

They've waited quite some time for the annual blitz as the last one was held in 2019 before the pandemic stopped all events.

One of the organisers, Garda Eddie Walsh from Killarney Garda Station, said that it was "great to have it up and running again".

"Every school looks forward to playing in Fitzgerald Stadium," he told the Killarney Advertiser.

"This year we're paying tribute to our colleague Paudie Twohig who was involved in the blitz from the beginning. We're also inviting his family, his wife Diane who also works in Killarney Garda Station and daughters Tara and Olivia."

He added that the event is only possible through the kind sponsorship and cooperation from all those involved.

"I'd like to say thank you to Der Brosnan, Chair of Fitzgerald Stadium and his staff, all the Gardai in the Kerry District including retired members, our sponsor Tom Spillane Auctioneer, Daly's SuperValu, McCarthy's Londis Rathmore, and Tom Tobin Trophy World, the Kerry County GAA Board, Tim O'Sullivan Easy Clean Glenflesk and all the teachers and pupils from each school."

And new this year is the Tadhg O'Suilleabháin Memorial Cup which will go to the winners on the day to honour the late Lissivigeen National School principal who established the first national schools’ competition for young footballers in East Kerry in 1954.

"We are very grateful to the Killarney Gardaí who initiated and organise the Garda National Schools Blitz and who have welcomed this trophy to honour Tadhg’s work with schools' football," the O'Sullivan family said. "We are delighted to see the national schools’ competition thriving. We know that Tadhg would be immensely proud to be associated with this competition.”