News
Killarney Celtic launch National League campaign
Football fever is set to grip Killarney as Killarney Celtic prepares to take its place on the national stage in the newly established FAI National League.
The club represented local sport at the official 2026 season launch at the National Indoor Arena on the Sport Ireland Campus in Abbotstown.
Manager Tim Jones and team captain Matt Keane attended the event alongside delegates from the other 14 founding member clubs, marking the formal expansion of the Irish football pyramid into a third tier.
Speaking at the launch, Interim FAI National Competitions Lead Garret Higgins highlighted the significance of the new structure for clubs across Ireland.
“The expansion of the football pyramid is huge for the game here in Ireland,” said Higgins. “It offers a new highly-competitive competition that will give a new standard for footballers to compete in. There’s a lot of excitement and a lot of intrigue about the upcoming season, but having Carlow, Kilkenny, Kildare, and Mayo represented in addition to more clubs in Kerry, Galway, Donegal, Waterford, Cork, and Dublin only serves to emphasise the passion for football throughout the country.”
Higgins added that while the inaugural campaign will be a learning experience, it presents a major growth opportunity for the founding clubs.
“This will be a season of learning, but with that comes a great opportunity for these clubs to grow and establish themselves even more. These are the first 15 clubs to step into the National League, but we’ve every hope to expand that in the coming years.”
The inaugural 2026 season features a temporary format, with the 15 founding clubs divided into three groups of five.
Teams will play home and away fixtures across ten rounds, with the three group winners and the best-placed runner-up advancing to the semi-finals in November. Promotion to the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland First Division will formally come into effect from the 2027 season onwards.
Opening Home Matches
Killarney Celtic has been placed in Group 3 alongside UCC Soccer, CK United, Newbridge Town, and Waterford side Villa FC.
While the new league kicks off overall on Saturday, August 29, Killarney Celtic will sit out the opening weekend as the idle team in Group 3.
Their campaign officially gets underway in Round 2 with a high-profile Munster derby at Celtic Park on Saturday, September 5, when they host UCC Soccer at 2pm.
The side remains on home soil for Round 3 on Saturday, September 12, welcoming CK United to Killarney for another 2pm kickoff. Killarney Celtic then hit the road for their first away assignment in Round 4, travelling to face Newbridge Town at Station Road on Saturday, September 19, at 5pm.
Killarney Celtic will have another open weekend during Round 5 on September 26 while UCC Soccer face CK United and Villa FC take on Newbridge Town, giving the local squad a brief breather before the mid-season run-in.
Return Leg Schedule
The second half of the group phase begins on Saturday, October 3, with a Round 6 trip to SETU Carlow Sports Campus to take on CK United at 2pm.
Killarney Celtic return to Celtic Park on Saturday, October 10, for a Round 7 encounter with Newbridge Town at 2pm, before travelling to the Cork capital on Saturday, October 17, to play UCC Soccer at the Mardyke Sports Grounds in Round 8.
The group stage draws to a close with a double header against Waterford outfit Villa FC. Killarney Celtic host Villa at Celtic Park on Saturday, October 24, at 2pm for Round 9, before concluding their Group 3 schedule on the road at workLAB Connors Park on Saturday, November 14, at 5pm.
Off the pitch, preparations for the new season continue.
The club is hosting its annual Killarney Celtic Golf Classic on Saturday, September 5, at Beaufort Golf Club, with tee times available from 7am to 4pm. Bookings can be made through Tim Jones on 087 977 1302, with tee box sponsorship available via Mary Lyne on 086 648 5809.
KWD Recycling shortlisted for national environmental awards
Killarney-based KWD Recycling has been announced as a finalist in the 2026 Repak Resource Awards, securing a spot on the national shortlist for environmental achievement.
The local waste management company has been nominated in the Best Recovery Operator Innovation category, sponsored by DNV, for its state-of-the-art residual waste recovery system.
The Killarney facility utilizes optical sorting, screening, and mechanical processing to extract recyclable plastics and organic material from municipal waste. In its first year of operation, the technology recovered more than 10 per cent of plastic packaging from residual waste for recycling and diverted almost 50 per cent of organic material toward composting.
KWD Recycling will compete alongside Dublin operators Panda and Thorntons Recycling for the category title.
Repak CEO Zoe Kavanagh commended the Kerry firm for demonstrating environmental leadership and bringing local ambition to the national awards.
Category winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin on Friday, October 23, where each winner will also compete for the Overall Repak Resource Award.
Local businesses have a strong track record at the national event, with Killarney town venue The Killarney Park and The Ross previously taking home the overall title in 2023.
Drivers warned as deer rutting season begins
Motorists in Killarney are being urged to exercise extreme caution as the annual deer rutting season gets underway, causing animals to stray far beyond their usual habitats inside Killarney National Park.
The autumn mating season sees deer becoming highly active and unpredictable, leading to increased sightings and collisions on local roads outside traditional park boundaries.
Two separate incidents highlighted the growing hazard on local routes this week. A reader contacted the Killarney Advertiser to warn drivers after spotting a deer roaming near Tiernaboul towards the school on Sunday afternoon around 7.30pm.
Later that same night, in the early hours of Monday morning, a local driver collided with a deer near Kerry Airport around 1am while returning home from an event.
Despite attempting evasive action, the motorist struck the animal, which died at the scene and temporarily blocked the road before local Gardaí were alerted to clear the obstruction.
The driver sustained substantial vehicle damage, requiring repairs to the bumper, headlamp, and internal components, leaving her facing significant garage costs and time off the road.
Gardaí and road safety advocates advise motorists travelLing during early morning and late evening and remain vigilant along tree-lined routes.
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