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Healy-Raes join Killarney Advertiser McShain Campaign

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The Healy-Raes have thrown their considerable political weight behind Killarney Advertiser’s ongoing McShain Campaign with Maura, Danny and Michael all coming together at Killarney House this week to show their collective support.

Speaking to the Killarney Advertiser yesterday, Maura agreed that John and Mary McShain should be honoured for their contributions to the town. She also confirmed that she intends to raise the issue at the next Killarney Municipal District meeting in September.

“I’ll be asking Kerry County Council to liaise with the relevant agencies with the intention of honouring the McShains in a meaningful way given their most generous contribution to Killarney and, indeed, Kerry,” she said. “I will be seeking the support of other members.”

Our campaign to recognise the philanthropic American couple, who came to own a large part of Killarney National Park before giving it back to the State for virtually nothing, has gained considerable momentum since the idea was first floated by Kilalrney Advertiser's resident historian Damien Switzer earlier this summer. The reaction locally has been overwhelmingly positive with many Killarney people left scratching their heads as to why the former owners of Killarney House haven’t been honoured in the years since their death. John died in 1989 and Mary died nine years later in 1998.

When asked if they would prefer to see busts/statues erected or Killarney House & Gardens renamed ‘McShain Memorial Park’, 81% of our readers voted in favour of the latter. This may prove difficult, however, with General Manager of Killarney House & Gardens Pat Dawson saying that such a move is “unlikely to be a runner”.

For her part, Cllr Healy-Rae said she was “surprised” that people wanted to change the name but added that she would be supportive of renaming the park if it was the best option.

“There are many ways they could be honoured,” she said. “A monument, a bust, possibly renaming Killarney House & Gardens… I think it’s important to suggest all options and then hopefully come to the most realistic, appropriate and satisfactory one.”

She added that she is optimistic of making this a reality. “I don’t think anyone could be opposed to this justifiably. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, meanwhile, stated he would be in favour of erecting monuments to the McShains inside the Golden Gates. “This would be a proper and rightful testament to their memory and thank them for the massive contribution that they gave to Killarney town,” he said.

Many other prominent officials have also expressed their support for our campaign, including Mayor John Sheahan, Cllr Michael Gleeson, and President of Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, Paul O’Neill.

The Minister for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin TD, also reached out to me this week to confirm that he will speak to officials in the Department of Tourism about the matter.

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s


World renowned Paralympian and world record holder Jason Smyth paid a visit to St Brendan’s College on Wednesday afternoon as part of a high profile visit to Killarney.


The six time Paralympic gold medallist spoke to second year students from St Brendan’s College, alongside students from neighbouring schools St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School and Killarney Community College.
The interactive talk and interview took place ahead of World Sight Day, with the legendary sprinter sharing his personal journey with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that left him legally blind at eight years old.
The Derry native, who holds the world record as the fastest Paralympian on earth over 100 metres, offered inspiring insights into overcoming physical adversity and achieving success at the highest level of world sport.
The school visit formed the opening leg of his Killarney schedule before he took centre stage later on Wednesday evening at The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa.
Smyth headlined An Evening with Paralympian Jason Smyth, an event organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce as part of its winter schedule, sponsored by AIB.

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Deerpark Retail Park placed on market for fifteen million euro

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Deerpark Retail Park in Killarney has officially been placed on the market with a guide price in excess of 15.4 million euro, excluding VAT.

International real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as the sole sales agent to handle the high-profile commercial property sale on behalf of its current owner, Investcorp.

Investcorp, a global investment management firm headquartered in Bahrain, had previously acquired the prominent shopping complex.


The sale represents one of the largest commercial property offerings to launch in County Kerry this year.

Located roughly 1.3 kilometres west of Killarney town centre, the scheme enjoys strong regional connectivity and sits adjacent to independently owned operations including a Tesco Extra store, a Tesco petrol filling station, JYSK, and Aldi.


Constructed in 2006, the development extends across approximately 10,482 square metres, or 112,835 square feet.

The scheme comprises a mix of modern retail warehouse units and a complementary neighbourhood centre, offering 13 individual units in total with Part Open and Part Bulky Use planning permission.

The units range in size from 94.6 square metres up to 1,994.9 square metres. Visitors have access to approximately 248 customer parking spaces across the commercial grounds.

The park is currently 100 per cent occupied by a strong line-up of established national and international brands.

Key retail tenants include Marks & Spencer, Boots, DID Electrical, Maxi Zoo, and Mountain Warehouse.

The neighbourhood centre element accommodates service and convenience operators such as Costa Coffee, Card Factory, and Salon B.

The first-floor accommodation is fully let to Peak Performance Academy, which provides additional rental diversification.

Additionally, the scheme benefits from an agreement with Tesla to operate eight electric vehicle charging bays within the customer car park.


Commercial figures show that the property generates a total current rental income of 1,326,458 euro per annum, with a weighted average unexpired lease term of 4.45 years to break options and 6.46 years to lease expiry.

Cushman & Wakefield noted that the quoted guide price of 15.4 million euro reflects a net initial yield of 7.83 per cent, assuming standard purchaser costs of 9.96 per cent.

The selling agents highlighted that the fully occupied asset offers investors an attractive income profile alongside scope for additional income generation through parking commercialisation.

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