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KDYS and Tusla plan to extend Family Support Services

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By Michelle Crean

 

The KDYS are this week reassuring Killorglin locals that its Neighbourhood Youth Project will continue in the town. The news comes after growing fears that Tusla is to withdraw its support for the project.

Tim O’Donoghue, CEO with the Kerry Diocesan Youth Service (KDYS) said that the service has been meeting with Tusla managers to ensure the existing KDYS family support services remains.

KDYS has enjoyed a long partnership, initially with the HSE Community Work Dept., since 2006 and from 2015 with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to provide specialised preventative family support services, Tim explained to the Killarney Advertiser.

"Through this partnership, KDYS have provided the Springboard project mainly serving the Tralee area and the Neighbourhood Youth Project, Killorglin providing a response to specific youth and family support needs in the Mid–Kerry area. Following a review of Family Support Services in Kerry by Tusla, some gaps in family support needs have become apparent. We are very aware there is an urgent need to support the families of Kerry in accessing meaningful contact with their children who may be in the care of Tusla and to support teenagers in the community to continue to live within their family while receiving crisis support and ongoing high level interventions to the teenagers and their families. There has also been an awareness that these services should been available to young people and their families throughout the county and not just Tralee and the Mid-Kerry area. Currently KDYS and Tusla managers have been meeting to plan how best to ensure the existing KDYS family support services can respond to these gaps."

He added that while the services of the two projects will be maintained, the type of family support work will be focussing on responding to these emerging needs.

"KDYS has proven expertise in responding to young people who are going through difficult times and a wealth of experience in providing one to one support and group-work. This refocussing of service delivery will ensure better outcomes for children and families in Kerry. Tusla Kerry are delighted to support the on-going KDYS family support work to improve the service and offer better outcomes for children and families in Kerry throughout the county."

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

RETIREMENT NIGHT: Pictured at the retirement party held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday, October 3, celebrating a combined 185 years of service with An Post, are Connie Brady, James Foley, Terry Potts, Pat Cronin, and D.J. Cahill.


Five well-known local postmen celebrated their retirement at a special function held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday night, October 3.


The event brought together current and former An Post colleagues to mark the combined total of 185 years of service delivered across Killarney and surrounding areas.
Delivery Services Manager Terry Potts retired after 43 years with An Post. He began his career in Dublin, where he worked for 10 years, before moving to Killarney in 1993 for a further 33 years.
Pat Cronin completed an impressive 51 years of service between Killarney and Farranfore, spending 44 of those years delivering post on the Farranfore route.
James Foley served 35 years with An Post, delivering on routes across Killorglin throughout his entire career.
D.J. Cahill marked 32 years of service based out of Killarney post office, delivering mail across Killarney town, Killorglin, Kilcummin, and Headford.
Connie Brady retired following 24 years with the postal service, spending 17 years in Killarney town before completing his service in Killorglin.
The celebration offered local postal staff an opportunity to gather and catch up ahead of the busy Christmas rush.

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New Streetscapes murals launched at College Square

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A colourful collaboration between the Kerry Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) and the Architecture Kerry Festival at Kerry County Council launched yesterday evening at College Square.

Titled Streetscapes, the open-air public art installation officially opened at 5pm on Thursday, accompanied by a performance from the Killarney Youth Drumming Band THUMP! under the guidance of Urs Wenk from Drum Dance Ireland.


The public art project features a series of wall murals depicting Killarney through the eyes of local children, exploring freedom, play, and potential future evolutions of the townscape.

The artworks reimagine Killarney’s iconic landmarks and streets, blending youthful imagination and curiosity.


Supported under the Creative Ireland Programme, the installation is mounted on the gable wall of Reen’s Life Pharmacy in College Square, where it will remain on public display until March 2027.


Speaking at the launch, Daniel O’Shea, Youth Development Officer at Kerry ETB, stated: “Streetscapes is a wonderful celebration of how children see things. Their creativity brings new perspectives to the townscape, and we are proud to support their ideas and their art through this public artwork.”


Deirdre Enright, Co-Ordinator of the Local Creative Youth Partnership at Kerry ETB, acknowledged the community support behind the initiative: “We are very grateful to Reen’s Life Pharmacy who have shared their built space with us. Huge credit is due to the artistic team from Me+The Moon whose dedication to creativity and to children’s art shine through in this work.”


The project forms part of the annual Architecture Kerry Festival and receives funding through Creative Ireland and the Department of Education and Youth via Kerry ETB and Kerry County Council.


Victoria McCarthy, Festival Organiser and Architectural Conservation Officer at Kerry County Council, welcomed the continued inter-agency project: “It’s always a great event for Architecture Kerry and we are so pleased with this collaboration between public sector organisations. It remains a key feature of the Architecture Kerry programme.”
See next week’s Killarney Advertiser for full photographic coverage of the event.

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