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Keane hoping old faces can help lead new charge

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National League Div 1
Kerry v Tyrone
Today at 2pm
Fitzgerald Stadium

Recalled East Kerry trio Shane Ryan, Jack Sherwood and Jonathan Lyne all start for Kerry today as Peter Keane takes charge of the county’s senior football team for the very first time in a competitive game.

Ryan, who operates at full-forward at club level for Rathmore, will line out between the sticks as experienced Killarney Legion keeper Brian Kelly must make do with a place on the bench. The burly target man is known for his accurate point-kicking out the field but in recent years he has also lined out in goal for the Kerry minors and U21s to great effect.

According to reports, Ryan had expressed a desire to play outfield when previously called in by former manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice but evidently Keane sees him as a viable candidate for the number 1 jersey going forward.

Firies native Jack Sherwood is a familiar face to Kerry supporters having featured in both league and championship for The Kingdom between 2013 and 2015. The versatile all-rounder, who also can play at half back, midfield or half forward, will anchor Keane’s defence from the full back position. Sherwood caught the eye with a string of impressive performances in the 2018 Kerry SFC as he helped East Kerry to reach the semi-final stage.

Full back is not his natural position but with Mark Griffin and Jason Foley out injured, Keane’s options at number 3 are limited.

In the forward division, Legion man Jonathan Lyne makes his return to the fold after falling out of favour with Eamonn Fitzmaurice in 2018. Lyne featured regularly under Fitzmaurice  up to that point and memorably kicked two crucial extra-time scores when Kerry beat Mayo in the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final replay. He is a player the current bainisteoir knows well; Lyne was a key member of the Legion team that reached the 2015 Kerry SFC final with Keane at the helm.

Templenoe midfielder Adrian Spillane will line out at midfield alongside Jack Barry and there is also a place in the starting line-up for hard-working forward Michael Geaney. The Dingle native has been named at 13 alongside his cousin, though he is likely to drift out the field and leave Paul and James O’Donoghue inside as a two-man full forward line.

Meanwhile, Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has brought a strong-looking squad to Killarney. Nine of the team who started the 2018 All-Ireland final will line-out in the Fitzgerald Stadium today, while Galbally’s Liam Rafferty and Brian Kennedy of Derrylaugha will make their senior intercounty debuts.

Kerry team

1. Shane Ryan

2. Peter Crowley

3. Jack Sherwood

4. Brian Ó Beaglaioch

5. Tadhg Morley

6. Paul Murphy (C)

7. Tom O'Sullivan

8. Jack Barry

9. Adrian Spillane

10. Jonathan Lyne

11. Seán O'Shea

12. Stephen O'Brien

13. Michael Geaney

14. Paul Geaney

15. James O'Donoghue

Subs

16. Brian Kelly

17. Diarmuid O'Connor

18. Gavin Crowley

19. Dara Moynihan

20. Graham O'Sullivan

21. Tommy Walsh

22. Gavin O'Brien

23. Killian Spillane

24. Tom Leo O'Sullivan

25. Tomas O Se

26. Robert Wharton

Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.

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Parnell commemorated in Beaufort on 125th Anniversary of Land League meeting

A special ceremony was held in Beaufort to mark the 125th anniversary of Charles Stewart Parnell’s historic visit to the village in 1880, when the Irish nationalist leader addressed thousands […]

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A special ceremony was held in Beaufort to mark the 125th anniversary of Charles Stewart Parnell’s historic visit to the village in 1880, when the Irish nationalist leader addressed thousands at a pivotal land reform meeting.

The commemoration, which took place beside the Beaufort Bar, honoured the legacy of the former MP and founder of the Irish National Land League.
The original meeting was held in a field belonging to Patrick O’Sullivan and attracted a crowd of approximately 3,000, defying the orders of local landlord ‘The O’Mahony’ of Dunloe Castle, who had threatened eviction to any tenant who supported the gathering.
Padruig O’Sullivan, proprietor of the Beaufort Bar and a direct descendant of Patrick O’Sullivan, addressed attendees at the unveiling of a new monument to mark the occasion.
The stone was designed by renowned uilleann piper and artist Tomás O’Sullivan, who also composed a special piece of music titled Parnell’s Blackbird to honour the occasion.
The original 1880 meeting was reported in publications such as the ‘Dundalk Democrat’, which gave a vivid account of the powerful speeches delivered that day.

Extract from the Dundalk Democrat – May 1880

The meeting, held on Sunday, May 16, 1880 in Patrick O’Sullivan’s field south of the Beaufort Hotel, was arranged in defiance of local landlord ‘The O’Mahony,’ who warned tenants they would be evicted for taking part. Nevertheless, the turnout was overwhelming.
Parnell arrived by special train and travelled by carriage from Killarney with fellow MP ‘The O’Donoghue’. The two were met by a band and a large welcoming crowd. Police and a Government reporter were present, but the atmosphere remained peaceful and spirited.
Speakers rallied against the unjust land laws of the time. ‘The O’Donoghue’ praised Parnell as the “shining star” of Irish nationalism and stated that “Kerry desired that her meeting should partake of a national character.”
When Parnell spoke, he described it as “the largest land meeting he had attended since County Mayo” and declared the movement to reclaim Irish land as one of the greatest undertakings in Irish history. He condemned the laws that allowed landlords to evict tenants and seize food as rent payment, noting that 600,000 farmers were subject to the whims of just 10,000 landlords.
He called for legislative reform, including the suspension of evictions and Government-backed tenant purchase schemes, warning that if Parliament failed to act, “the people will do for themselves what the Legislature refuses to do for them.”
He concluded by proposing the first resolution.
“That in the opinion of this meeting, the eviction of occupiers of land for non-payment of rent arbitrarily fixed by the landlord is unjust, subversive of the true interests of the country and calls for the emphatic condemnation of all lovers of justice.”

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St Pauls sign American Maisie Burnham

Killarney’s Utility Trust St Pauls women’s basketball team has announced the signing of American player Maisie Burnham for the upcoming 2025/2026 season. The club, who performed strongly in the latter […]

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Killarney’s Utility Trust St Pauls women’s basketball team has announced the signing of American player Maisie Burnham for the upcoming 2025/2026 season.

The club, who performed strongly in the latter part of the recent season and reached the league final, is looking to build on that success.
Maisie Burnham, a 24-year-old, six-foot-tall guard from Spangle City, Washington, comes to Killarney with a strong playing record. During her time at Liberty High School, where she also played volleyball, she was a high-scoring player.
She then went to Eastern Washington University, where in the 2020/2021 season, she led the team in scoring with over 14 points per game, a record for a freshman player at the university.
Burnham later moved to the University of Portland, where her scoring average continued to improve, reaching a peak of 16.3 points per game in the 2024/2025 season.
Utility Trust St Pauls say they are looking forward to welcoming Maisie to Killarney well in advance of the new season.

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