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ISSU “shocked and disappointed” as ASTI withdraw from bilateral talks

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The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) has said that it’s shocked and disappointed by yesterday evening’s announcement (Thursday) that the ASTI have withdrawn from talks on the 2021 Leaving Cert.

ISSU have said that “this is a time when students need cooperation between all stakeholders. Students have been through a horrendous year and now may face an uphill battle in the months ahead - we need to show them compassion, we need to provide clarity, and the ISSU position remains that students deserve a choice”.

Choice, Clarity, Compassion

ASTI’s statement has caused stress, anxiety and worry to skyrocket amongst students. It is adding fear into an already high pressure situation, and the delivery of clarity for students has been further pushed out due to this breakdown in talks, ISSU said.

“Over the past number of weeks, ISSU has repeatedly asked to meet with the ASTI, among other stakeholders, to meet bilaterally. As of this statement, the ASTI has still not accepted this invitation. We will continue to seek a meeting with the ASTI following this announcement and wish to continue to engage with the process in order to deliver for students, teachers and all in the school community. ISSU continues to bring pragmatic solutions to the table that seek to address the concerns of the ASTI - as a stakeholder they have an equal responsibility to work together with the other stakeholders to find a solution.”

As the representative voice for students, ISSU said that they wish to stress “that it is students that will be most affected by the decisions being made by the Department and its Advisory Group members”.

“We need to do right by them, and show empathy. ISSU is committed to representing the student voice in these extraordinary times and will deliver for the class of 2021.”

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Joey Sheehan wins historic sixth Dr Crokes Captain’s Prize

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Accomplished golfer Joey Sheehan scooped the Dr Crokes GAA Club Golf Society Captain’s Prize for the sixth time following the outing at The Killeen Course at Killarney Golf Club on Friday.

Society Captain Niall Botty O’Callaghan and his mother Eileen O’Callaghan hosted the prizegiving function in The Failte Hotel, where Joey was presented with a painting of the fourth hole at Killeen by local artist and Dr Crokes member Paul Downey.


Joey Sheehan won his first Dr Crokes Captain’s prize back in 1997, which was the start of an historic four-in-a-row.

He collected his fifth Captain’s prize in 2006 before adding his sixth with the 2026 title last Friday.

Over the years, he has also won two Dr Crokes Presidents prizes, numerous other society outings, and the Eddie Barry Memorial Cup three times as player of the year.


The prize giving function in The Failte featured speeches from society officer Brendan Keogh, Captain Niall Botty O’Callaghan, and overall winner Joey Sheehan.

During the speeches, a number of recently deceased local people and others from recent years associated with the Dr Crokes Golf Society were remembered.

Among those fondly remembered were Brian O’Regan, John O’Mahony, Ewan MacIndoe, Gerry Collins, Paudie O’Callaghan, Malachy Walsh, and Seani McCarthy.


The Dr Crokes Captains Prize was once again sponsored by Mike Buckley of Kerry Coaches. Following overall winner Joey Sheehan, the full list of prize winners included John Lynch in second, Finian Moran in third, and Liam Hartnett in fourth. Sean Brosnan took fifth place, followed by Maurice O’Donoghue in sixth, John O’Leary in seventh, Paudie Sheahan in eighth, Colm Galvin in ninth, and Eamonn Fitzgerald in tenth.

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Discussion on Irish-American literary voices

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The second series of talks for the new ‘Summer in Killarney’ festival took place at Killarney House in Killarney National Park, focusing on the lives and work of literary figures F. Scott Fitzgerald and Mary Lavin.

The event, titled ‘The Great Irish-American Voices of F. Scott Fitzgerald & Mary Lavin’, featured presentations by authors Gráinne Hurley, writer of Gratefully and Affectionately: Mary Lavin and The New Yorker, and Killarney native Patrick O’Sullivan Greene, author of Gatsby: Death of an Irishman.

Following their presentations, both authors joined Irish Times journalist Ronan McGreevy for a panel conversation exploring the impact of both writers on American literature.

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