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It’s business time in the Kerry Senior Football Championship

Published

2 years ago

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by Adam Moynihan

The Kerry Senior Football Championship is expected to burst into life this weekend as eight teams enter the knockout phase of the county’s most prestigious sporting competition.

Three of the four quarter-final ties take place in Killarney with the other game fixed for Tralee.

Let’s start with the champions.

East Kerry v St Kieran’s

Saturday 4.30pm

Austin Stack Park

Live on Clubber

The holders, East Kerry, made light work of Group 1 and comfortable enough wins over South Kerry, West Kerry and Templenoe saw them clinch the top seed with plenty to spare.

That achievement is admirable enough but the fact that they managed it without several of the stars who fired them to glory in 2022 makes it even more remarkable. Most notably, the Clifford brothers were rested for the first two group games and they only played a few brief minutes at the end of the Templenoe match a fortnight ago.

With the safety net no longer in place – this is now knockout football - the Fossa duo will surely return to the starting lineup against St Kieran’s.

Draws against Rathmore and Kenmare and an easy victory over Feale Rangers saw Kieran’s advance from their pool as group runners up. Brosna man Paul Walsh (2-5) was in his element as his side dismantled Rangers.

The East Kerry machine will be much harder to take down.

VERDICT: East Kerry by five.

Rathmore v Spa

Saturday 2.30pm

Fitzgerald Stadium

Live on Clubber

All-Ireland Intermediate champions Rathmore have been something of a surprise package in this year’s championship. Their impressive win away to Kenmare Shamrocks two weeks ago earned them a deserved spot on the group winners’ side of the draw, and they will be full of confidence ahead of Saturday’s match against Spa.

Tricky corner forward John Moynihan pulled off two outrageous goals in the group phase, and the powerful Ryan brothers (Cathal, Mark and Shane) have also caught the eye.

For their part, Spa have staked their claim as the top team in Killarney so far this year by making it past the group stage and they will have been happy to have avoided East Kerry and Dingle in the draw. Victories over Kerins O’Rahillys and Shannon Rangers saw them through to the last eight.

If key players Dara Moynihan, Evan Cronin and Dan O'Donoghue are at their best, they will put it up to an in-form Rathmore side. This one could go down to the wire.

VERDICT: Rathmore by one.

Dingle v Templenoe

Sunday 1.30pm

Fitzgerald Stadium

Live on Clubber

Since losing to Dr Crokes in the Club Championship group stage on August 12, Dingle have embarked on a whirlwind, seven-game winning streak that has without question established them as the main candidates to dethrone the favourites, East Kerry.

Much has been made of their attacking prowess – in particular Conor and Paul Geaney, who have been superb – but their success has been built on a miserly defence that has kept five clean sheets in their last six outings.

Templenoe are blessed with intercounty talent like Tadhg Morley and Killian Spillane, but Adrian Spillane has been out since limping off against West Kerry four weeks ago.

They are undoubtedly a solid outfit with good character but all the signs point towards a Dingle win.

VERDICT: Dingle by four.

Mid Kerry v Na Gaeil

Sunday at 3.30pm

Fitzgerald Stadium

Live on Clubber

Despite their recent five-point defeat to Dingle, which consigned them to the runners-up spot in Group 4, newcomers Na Gaeil can be proud of their efforts to date.

Beating Dr Crokes was a massive result and an opening day victory over their divisional neighbours, St Brendan’s, also went down well in Killeen.

Mid Kerry will be a very different prospect, though. They have real County Championship knockout experience having reached two of the last three finals, and they should realistically have enough about them to progress to the last four.

Jack O'Connor will be watching this one with great interest. Stefan Okunbor was Man of the Match against Crokes and if he can stay fit and maintain that kind of form, he will certainly be an option for Kerry in the New Year. O'Connor's two starting midfielders, Jack Barry and Diarmuid O'Connor, will also line out for Na Gaeil.

Cillian Burke of Mid Kerry is a promising young player who could potentially earn a call-up if he carries on playing the way he has been for club and district.

VERDICT: Mid Kerry by four.

Follow @AdamMoynihan on Twitter for all the latest updates.

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Con O’Leary: Killarney loses a vibrant and popular personality

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the […]

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1 week ago

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15 April 2025

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the early hours of Sunday.

Con was a vibrant and popular personality in Killarney where he operated The Laurels on Main Street, a thriving bar and restaurant, which he inherited following the passing of his father, Thado.
The business organisation said from a social perspective, The Laurels became the beating heart of the town and it was a landmark at the Market Cross in the same way as Clery’s clock was in the capital city.
Chamber said Con’s passing really marks the end of an era as he was one of a golden age of inspirational local business people who developed and built Killarney, through hard work, bravery and great commercial flair, and helped create the wonderful tourist attraction and holiday destination it is today.
“Con was very proud of Killarney and he played a very active part in progressing the town at many levels.
“He was a man that was never short of great ideas and his contribution to the business life of the town and as a director of Killarney Race Company was immense,” Chamber said.
“He was ahead of his time in many respects with the introduction by what became known as “the singing lounge” many years ago and The Laurels always led by example through its successes in the annual Killarney Looking Good competition”.
The business representative organisation noted that the O’Leary family has always been very supporting of the town and Con’s daughter, Kate, was a very dynamic Chamber President and is still a very valued member of the executive.
Chamber expressed deep sympathy to Con’s wife, Anne, children Kate, Niall, Tara and Lorna, sons-in-law, grandchildren, sisters, relatives and friends as well as the dedicated staff in The Laurels, past and present, who Con always had great time for and a great rapport with.

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All Roads Lead To Kerry For National Road Safety Conference

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29. The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event […]

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1 week ago

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15 April 2025

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Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29.

The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic-related incidents, and sharing knowledge and best practices for safer road use. It encompasses various strategies and efforts across multiple domains, including road design, engineering, enforcement, forensic collision investigation, technology, education, collision trends, occupational driving, cycling and scooting, e-mobility, active & sustainable travel and on-road events.

In addition to this, AI, Virtual Reality and Driver Simulation will play a significant role at the conference, in improving safety by predicting and preventing accidents, optimizing traffic, and aiding the development of autonomous vehicles.

This ‘Safer Roads’ conference is a non-public event where road safety professionals, speakers and service providers from across Ireland, other EU countries and the UK will attend, including transportation experts, government and local authority officials, roads policing and vehicle inspection agencies, road safety advocates, educators and promoters, collision responders, cycling bodies and community safety networks.

Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh said:
“Road safety has evolved over the years to a much broader scope, in terms of e-mobility, sustainability, technology and engineering for instance. It’s not just about the road or the vehicle anymore, but also about how technology, human behaviour, enforcement, and education intersect to reduce risks and prevent collisions. The ‘Safer Roads’ conference will involve and include every branch of the road safety tree, right across the board, and in doing so, we aim to increase road safety awareness, improve road user behaviour and decrease the collisions and carnage we see on our roads every day,”

The two-day conference also provides an opportunity for exhibitors to attend, and interested state bodies, businesses and service providers are invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services and engage with delegates and officials at the conference.

Further information about the conference and how to register or exhibit can be found here. https://www.kerrycoco.ie/safer-roads-road-safety-conference/

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