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Kerry Stars to host new Special Olympics basketball tournament

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TOURNAMENT: Kerry Stars Special Olympics and Killarney Lions Club will host a basketball tournament for teams from all over Munster in Killarney Sports Centre tomorrow (Saturday). Pictured at the launch of the event in The Dromhall Hotel Killarney on Monday night were front left: Martina McCarthy, Cliona Palmer, Kevin Looney and Jonathan Kerins. Second row from left: Denis Doolan (Special Olympics International), John Spillane (Kerry Stars Club Chairman), Sean O'Brien (Kerry Stars Basketball Coach), Ronan Doyle (Killarney Lions Club President), Liadh Tobin and Dermot Cronin (Killarney Lions Club). Back from left: Jillian Kerins, Oisin O'Mahony, Jane Curran, Luke Scollard and Anthony O'Connor. Picture: Eamonn Keogh

By Sean Moriarty

Kerry Stars Special Olympics and Killarney Lions Club have come together to create a new basketball tournament that will bring together clubs from all over Munster.

The event will take place in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre tomorrow (Saturday), from 10am to 4pm, and will feature seven Special Olympics basketball clubs competing for six perpetual shields for the very first time.

The Kerry Stars extended its sporting range to include basketball for the first time last year.

"When we heard that Kerry Stars were starting basketball as a new sport we wanted to help them in whatever way we could," Ronan Doyle, President Killarney Lions Club, said.
"They suggested the idea of hosting a tournament to build links with other Special Olympics basketball teams in Munster, and highlight the skills of the athletes, so we thought it was a great idea to get behind it."

St Paul’s Basketball club will provide timing and scoring equipment while local basketball referee Emer Buckley has encouraged her colleagues from national level to officiate at the event.

Staff from the Nike Store in the Killarney Outlet Centre will also be volunteering on the day along with members of Killarney Lions Club.

“When the Lions Club approached us last year looking to support an annual event we decided that basketball was our newest sport. We decided then that we would organise this tournament,” Kerry Stars Vice-Chairman Tom Tobin said.

Other Special Olympic clubs to participate include Special Olympics Waterford; Limerick City Special Olympics; Lisnagry Special Olympics (Limerick); Mallow United Special Olympics Club; Clonakilty Special Olympic Club and the COPE Foundation Cork.

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Sinn Féin to host public meeting on cost of living at Killarney Heights Hotel

Sinn Féin deputy leader Pearse Doherty will host a public meeting on the costs of living and housing crises at the Killarney Heights Hotel on Thursday, May 28 at 8pm. […]

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5 hours ago

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25 May 2026

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Sinn Féin deputy leader Pearse Doherty will host a public meeting on the costs of living and housing crises at the Killarney Heights Hotel on Thursday, May 28 at 8pm.

The Donegal TD will be joined by Kerry TD Pa Daly to discuss the economic pressures facing local households and the policy changes needed to provide financial relief. The main focus of the evening will center on the barriers preventing local people from buying their own homes, alongside broader costs of living challenges.
Speaking exclusively to the Killarney Advertiser ahead of his visit, Deputy Doherty said workers and families across Kerry are being squeezed from every direction by rising weekly shops, high energy bills, increasing insurance premiums, and substantial housing costs.
“Young people are losing hope that they will ever own a home in the county where they were raised,” Deputy Doherty said. “And while all of this is happening, the government is sitting on billions in budget surpluses while telling struggling families to wait. It is simply not good enough.”
The Sinn Féin finance spokesperson highlighted specific regional factors making the crisis acute in County Kerry, particularly regarding home heating costs.
“Almost 59% of homes in Kerry rely on home heating oil, which is nearly double the state average of 34%,” he said. “That means families across the county are far more exposed to soaring fuel costs than households in many other parts of the state. Yet the government withdrew supports that were helping households keep the lights on and heat their homes.”
Deputy Doherty noted that the housing situation in Kerry has moved beyond a social issue and is now impacting the local economy and communities. He pointed to figures showing average rents in the county have reached €1,493 per month, with exceptionally low market availability.
“At the time of writing, there were only 27 properties available online to rent across the entire county. Only 19 were below €2,000 a month and just five were available for less than €1,500. A county the size of Kerry, and only five rental properties affordable to someone on an ordinary income,” he said.
He also raised concerns for first-time buyers, noting that average house prices in Kerry have climbed to €296,000, representing an increase of €33,500 in a single year.
During the meeting, the Sinn Féin representatives will outline their party’s alternative proposals. These include a state-led program of affordable home building, a ban on excessive rent increases, enhanced protections for renters, and immediate energy credits and tax relief for workers.
“The resources exist to do this,” Deputy Doherty added. “The government’s own figures show billions in surplus funds available to the state. The issue is not a lack of money. The issue is political choice.”
The meeting is open to all members of the public, and a discussion session will follow the main presentations.

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National Park hosts weekend Bioblitz for National Biodiversity Week

Killarney National Park is taking centre stage for the final weekend of National Biodiversity Week, with the public being urged to get outdoor and explore the local environment. Today, Friday, […]

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25 May 2026

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Killarney National Park is taking centre stage for the final weekend of National Biodiversity Week, with the public being urged to get outdoor and explore the local environment.

Today, Friday, May 22, marks the UN International Day for Biological Diversity, and a series of free events will run across the park until the national celebration concludes this Sunday, May 24.
The highlight of the weekend is the Killarney National Park Bioblitz. This event brings families, nature lovers, and community volunteers together to find, identify, and record as many different plant and animal species as possible across the park’s diverse habitats over the next three days.
Christopher O’Sullivan, Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, encouraged locals and visitors alike to utiliSe the final days of the festival to experience the area’s unique wildlife, referencing Killarney’s native habitats as key areas the state is working to protect.
Niall Ó Donnchú, Director General of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), noted that the week is designed to remind people that native plants, woodlands, and rivers are vital systems that make life possible. OrganiSers are encouraging anyone in the locality to head out to Killarney National Park before Sunday evening to participate in the species count and support local conservation efforts.

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