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Kidney Respite Centre opens in Killarney

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RESPITE: John and Anne Keady arriving at new Irish Kidney Association respite/holiday home on the Muckross Road.

By Sean Moriarty

A new holiday house for kidney transplant patients and those on dialysis has just opened in Killarney.

The new facility on the Muckross Road will allow patients enjoy a holiday while undergoing treatment or recovering from a transplant operation.

It is managed by the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) with support from the local branch.

The Killarney facility is the second one in the county, an existing holiday house in Tralee has been in operation since 2006.

Patients can liaise with the IKA’s head office in Dublin and they will allocate a week’s holiday at the house while at the same time booking in their thrice-weekly treatments at University Hospital Kerry (UHK) in Tralee. The facility is also suitable for patients who can self-treat and one of the bedrooms in the house is converted into a home dialysis unit.

Last week Galway man John Keady became the first kidney patient to use the new facility.

Since his transplant in 2015, he has been unable to work which meant current finances would not allow for holidays.

“It was like a five-star hotel,” he told the Killarney Advertiser. “It is a fantastic facility and I was able to enjoy a proper holiday.”

So far the local branch of the IKA have raised over €180,000 for the facility, mainly through the annual Ring of Kerry Cycle, but fundraising remains on-going to pay for the upkeep of the house and to purchase additional equipment.

Proceeds from this Sunday’s Ring of Kerry Honda 50 run will go towards the new facility which will be officially opened in September.

“Fundraising is on-going to pay for maintenance,” Theresa Looney, Local Branch Secretary told the Killarney Advertiser. “We run it on behalf of the IKA and manage bookings, cleaning staff and thing like that. There are 500 people all over Ireland awaiting a transplant and this will allow them to have one week holiday respite in Killarney.”

The annual Honda 50 run was launched on Thursday evening – more details in our dedicated motoring section on page 54.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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