News
How to paint the exterior of your newly built home

By Tony Griffin, Manager Pat McDonnell Paints Tralee
We get a lot of queries at Pat McDonnell Paints this time of year, as the weather improves, from customers wanting to paint the exterior of their newly built house.
Painting the exterior of your home not only transforms it but will also help to protect it from weather damage.
This is a really exciting time for any new home owner but we recommend that you always leave freshly coated surfaces to dry out fully for about six months before sealing it with any kind of paint. Once the surface is dry, have checked the weather forecast and picked your colours, here are some simple steps to follow!
Step 1: Preparation
Cover the ground with dust sheets and tape where it’s needed, this will ensure your new paths are kept clean of paint spills! Next, dust and clean all the surfaces for painting so that they are free of dirt, grease and other contaminants that might impact the finish and lead to problems further down the line. The surface may need to be powerwashed first and cleaned fully with an anti-fungal wash like Farbex Exterior Fungicidal Wash, especially if there are any traces of algae or mould. Scrape down the walls so there are no uneven surfaces and fill any cracks or holes with an exterior filler like Prestonett Exterior Filler. Mask surfaces you wish to protect, like your window and door frames with a good quality masking tape like Deltec Masking Tape Extreme.
Top Tip:
It is important to check if the surface needs a sealer before painting. You can do this by running your hand along the wall and seeing if it leaves a chalky or powdery residue on your hand. If it does then your walls need to be sealed.
Step 2: Sealing
If your walls need to be sealed then priming is one of the best ways to ensure that your walls are well protected and that your exterior paint will adhere to them. We recommended sealing new walls with Ralston Wall Primer which has been diluted with water by a ratio of 1:1. This means if you have a five litre can of Ralston Wall Primer, you will dilute it with five litres of water. Always ensure you mix the paint thoroughly before painting and apply this to your wall as you would a normal paint. Leave to dry for approx. four hours and once dry you can paint as normal as per our application steps below. If your walls don’t need to be sealed you can skip this step!
Step 3: Applying the paint
It is important that you use a Masonry Paint when doing the exterior of your home, made in Ireland Dulux Weathershield Smooth Masonry Paint is perfect for our unique weather. We recommend diluting your first coat of masonry paint with water by 10%. This makes the application easier and aids absorption. Ensure you mix the paint thoroughly before painting and apply starting from the top and working your way down with the aid of your cutting in brush, masonry brush and a roller designed for the job; we recommend the Corona Tuff Pro 9” Sleeve. Leave the paint to dry for approx. twp to four hours depending on the manufacturer's instructions. Once dry you can paint with the remaining coats without thinning the paint. Apply a second coat of your masonry paint and again leave to dry for approx. two to four hours between coats. We recommend always applying at least two coats for that perfect finish and to ensure durability and a third coat may be needed depending on the surface.
Tip: Always remove masking tape after a few hours as the tape glue might dry and damage the fittings and windows.
Equipment:
Don’t forget the tools for the job, we often have customers loosing valuable dry weather time because they have forgotten a brush or roller. Below is a list of the equipment you need for this job.
4” Harper & Green Masonry Brush
2” Wooster Soft Tip Brush for cutting in
3 x Harper & Green 12×12 Drop Covering Sheets
1 x Corona Tuff Pro 9” Sleeve
1 x Wooster 9” Roller Frame
Deltec Masking Tape Extreme
1 x Harper & Green Blue Roller Bucket
1 x Harper & Green 2 Piece Yellow Extension Pole
Correct ladder or equipment to safely access the eves of the house and facia and soffit.
You can find more tips and how-to-guides on our site www.mcdonnellpaints.ie or call in store and speak with a member of our team.
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.