News
Hotel staff help with Tidy Towns effort

By Michelle Crean
Hotel staff from the town centre are part of a clean up campaign ahead of this year's Tidy Towns results.
Staff from the Great Southern Killarney are out and about every two weeks making a special effort to keep their local area clean.
They're concentrating on the areas from the East Avenue access past the Railway station, all the way to the conference car park.
Staff take part in rotation with up to 10 members at a time from various departments taking part in this initiative.
“The Great Southern has been a landmark in hospitality here in Killarney since 1854," Michael Jacobi, Managing Director of the Hayfield Family Collection, said.
"We are proud of our history and for still playing such an integral part of so many peoples’ life in Killarney and beyond. We are aware of our responsibility to give back to the community and one way to do so is to support the efforts of the Tidy Towns team and to present Killarney as a clean and world-class tourist destination.”
Co-Presidents of Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, Johnny McGuire and Padraig Treacy, welcomed the move.
"We really welcome this initiative that has been highlighted by Michael Jacobi, The Great Southern, one of our oldest hotels of Killarney town, with a proud tradition of welcoming community and visitors alike," Johnny said.
They added that the Tidy Towns ethos is at the heart of the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce for many years and the great work being shown by the Great Southern team "is tremendous".
"We would love to see this being supported by the many other businesses across all sectors in the town," Padraig added.
"Under the new management structure of Kerry County Council there is a fresh impetus to bring Killarney as a town back up to a higher ranking in IBAL and Tidy Towns, and this can only be achieved if we have full support from you all."
News
Killarney to feature on TG4’s Country Music show
By Sean Moriarty A song about Killarney – once made famous by local Country Music hero Dermot Moriarty – will feature on TG4 tomorrow night (Tuesday). The second series of […]

By Sean Moriarty
A song about Killarney – once made famous by local Country Music hero Dermot Moriarty – will feature on TG4 tomorrow night (Tuesday).
The second series of the Irish channel’s County Music show ‘Viva Ceol Tire’, which highlights emerging Country Music talent in Ireland, airs every Tuesday night at 9.30pm.
The next programme will feature Donegal singer David James’ version of ‘Oh Killarney’.
The programme was filmed entirely on location in Killarney including Torc Waterfall, Ladies View Moll’s Gap and Kate Kearney’s Cottage.
“The song was written by Dennis Allen. However, it was a hit for Dermot Moriarty in the 1980s. The first time I heard it I loved it and I was thrilled with the reaction my version has got,” James, who is from the small village of Killean in Donegal, told the Killarney Advertiser.
“It’s pretty rural but I love it. I’ll be in Country Music 10 years this May. My first gig was in the local GAA hall for my aunt’s 50th birthday. I was 14 and I’ve been at it ever since.”
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News
Five questions to ask yourself before buying a stock
By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com When it comes to investing, nothing is certain. There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy. […]

By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com
When it comes to investing, nothing is certain.
There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy.
The truth is, investing is hard, and building a portfolio of top stocks that beat the market is something that even financial professionals have trouble doing consistently.
For most people, investing in index funds is the perfect hands-off approach, providing broad exposure to the stock market at a very low fee. Even my own personal portfolio is made up of roughly 70% ETFs despite the fact I invest in the market for a living.
But I believe some stock picking is a good strategy for many hands-on people.
Taking a small portion of your overall portfolio and diligently selecting a small number of companies to invest in gives you an opportunity to learn about the investing process and fully understand the businesses you are investing in, which helps to build conviction in your positions.
From a psychological standpoint “collector’s instinct” kicks in, enabling people to participate and invest more money over time.
Lastly, for Irish investors, there are tax benefits to consider. If you invest in individual stocks, you are taxed at the CGT rate of 33%, and the first €1,270 of your gains are exempt from CGT each year. When investing in index funds or ETFs, you are taxed at the exit tax rate of 41% with no annual exemption.
For those interested in picking individual stocks, here are five questions you should ask yourself before investing in any company.
Do I understand the business?
Too many people invest in businesses they don’t understand because it ‘sounds good’. If you have no idea how the company works, you won’t have the conviction needed to hold onto the stock when an inevitable downturn comes.
Can the balance sheet withstand severe, temporary adversity?
This seems obvious, but so many people invest in companies without understanding how much money a company holds and who they owe money to. Economic cycles are guaranteed. You must ensure that the company has enough cash-on-hand to avoid becoming obsolete when activity slows.
Will the company benefit from long-term trends?
Make sure the company will remain relevant into the future. If the stock is cheap now, it may be cheap for a reason.
Is the company enjoying profitable growth?
Not growth at all costs, but a combination of sustainable growth and value. All this information can be found online at sites like stratosphere.io.
What are the risk factors?
Is the company trying something new and untested? If yes, who are its competitors and how successful are they? If other players are more established, this company may have a tough time breaking into the market.
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