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KDMC crew hoping for Scottish success

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By Padraig Reddington,

This weekend’s Jim Clark Rally in the Scottish Borders marks the mid-point of Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin’s combined 2024 British Rally Championship and Irish Tarmac Rally Championship campaign.

While the Killarney and District Motor Club crew lead the Tarmac series in their Ford Fiesta Rally 2, they have had a troubled start to the British Championship, and lie eighth in the standings, 32 points off the lead, following the opening two rounds.
A strong result in Scotland would provide a timely boost to their British challenge and could prove crucial to the ultimate determination of the title battle, one that Cronin has won on four previous occasions.
“We haven’t had the greatest of starts to the BRC, between punctures and mechanical issues, the North West Stages Rally and the Severn Valley didn’t go well, so we could do with a clean run this weekend,” said Cronin.
“The points situation doesn’t appear great, but it’s not as bad as it looks, There’s two rounds gone, with four more to go, and the best five results of the season count towards the total. Each leg of Rali Ceredigion at the end of the summer represents a separate scoring opportunity, and the final round, the Cambrian Rally, is worth points-and-a-half, so there’s five scoring opportunities left, and the last two events are effectively worth three and half rallies.
“Hopefully we’ll be in the shake-up at the end of the year, but whoever the contenders will be, I expect that the championship won’t be decided until the final stage of the final rally.”
Chris Ingram, winner of the North West Stages, currently leads the standings on 42 points.
He is followed by William Creighton, who finished second on the North West and Severn Valley rallies, on 38, while Severn Valley victor Osian Pryce occupies third place on the leaderboard, with 27 points.
The Jim Clark Rally, named after the two-time Formula One World Champion, Indianapolis 500 winner, and Duns’ most famous son, gets underway on Friday evening, with the Langton Mill spectator stage, which features a watersplash within its short layout.

The next test, Abbey St. Bathans, is the longest of the rally, at 16 kilometres, and this is followed by Blackadder, which is just over 11km in length.
After Service in Duns, this loop will be repeated as darkness falls, and the crews will return to the headquarters town from around 10pm onwards.

Saturday’s action consists of four stages repeated, with Langton Mill again opening the loop. The rest of quartet, Edrom, Ayton and Fogo, are all in the region of seven miles long.
The winners’ champagne celebrations will take place in Duns Square at approximately 2.20pm.
“I like the Jim Clark Rally, I usually seem to go well there, so hopefully things will go well again this time around,” said Cronin, who won the event in 2012 and 2022, and finished second last year to World Rally Championship driver, Adrien Fourmaux.

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Free composting workshop in Fossa on Saturday

The Fossa Climate Action Group is inviting the public to a free composting workshop this Saturday at Fossa Community Hall. Taking place from 11am to 1pm, the workshop will be […]

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The Fossa Climate Action Group is inviting the public to a free composting workshop this Saturday at Fossa Community Hall.

Taking place from 11am to 1pm, the workshop will be led by Donal O’ Leary of Waste Down, who will share his 25 years of expertise on turning household and garden waste into valuable compost for gardens. The session is aimed at anyone with an interest in gardening, improving soil health, and reducing food waste.
Diarmaid Griffin, PRO of Fossa Climate Action Group, said: “It is a great to start off our series of workshops with Donal O’ Leary of Waste Down. He has a vast knowledge on the fundamentals of soil health and explains it in simple and understandable language. Everyone can compost whether you have a big garden or none at all. Each method will be explained in detail.”
The Fossa Climate Action Group thanked the Department of the Environment and Community Foundation Ireland for their support in making this informative workshop available to the community free of charge.

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Radio Kerry to feature National Park’s dawn chorus

The spectacular dawn chorus in Killarney National Park will be the focus of the Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry this Saturday morning. Presenter Frank Lewis will highlight the natural spectacle. […]

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The spectacular dawn chorus in Killarney National Park will be the focus of the Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry this Saturday morning.

Presenter Frank Lewis will highlight the natural spectacle.
“The chorus of birds singing together, from about 45 minutes before to 45 minutes after sunrise, our most spectacular phenomenon in nature, is at its best during these weeks.” He said.
The programme, recorded in Knockreer at dawn on April 13, will also capture the early morning floral displays.
The programme will also include insights from 88-year-old former Park Superintendent Dan Kelliher, who describes “the amazing experience of seeing a full moon sitting on top of Torc mountain – and hearing bagpipes being played in Muckross Abbey around midnight.”
Conservation ranger Padruig O’Sullivan will discuss the Park’s ongoing development.
Walks guide Richie Clancy will share a historical anecdote: “In 1969 this tall stranger asked if I could take him to where he could get a photograph of Dairy Cottage where General de Gaulle was staying. I told him we would be a long way away but he said that was no problem that he had a long lens. Over the years there had been 33 attempts to assassinate de Gaulle. I learned afterwards that the stranger was Padraig Kennelly who started Kerry’s Eye.”
The programme will also touch on the blossoming wild garlic woods, the view from Deenagh Lodge, improvements at Knockreer Gardens, the story of Coda the monk, the bluebells, King’s Bridge, the changing path at Gamewood Bridge, and stories from Teahouse Point.
Tune in to Radio Kerry this Saturday to hear Frank Lewis in conversation with Dan Kelliher, Padruig O’Sullivan, Richie Clancy, and Ed Carty, who began their recording walk at 5.30 am in Knockreer.

Field ornithologist Ed Carty has revealed that the Great Spotted Woodpecker is breeding in Killarney National Park.

Carty will be a guest on Radio Kerry’s Saturday Supplement. The programme, recorded on April 13, (see main story) will focus the dawn chorus,
During the recording of the programme, Carty said: “During the past few weeks the Great Spotted Woodpecker has been heard here in the Gamewood in Knockreer. We expect to find it breeding here in the coming weeks – for the first time in hundreds of years or maybe much longer.”
Since the recording, it has been confirmed that the Great Spotted Woodpecker is now breeding in this area of Killarney National Park.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers appear to have gone extinct in Ireland following deforestation in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The first recorded sighting of a Great Spotted Woodpecker for Killarney National Park was in 2013, where it was observed in the Tomies Wood area. This new development is significant as it is one of the first recorded breeding activity within the Park.

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