News
Killarney coach at the heart of Paralympic Games
By Sean Moriarty
An Irish sprint runner looking to secure his sixth gold medal at the Paralympic Games - is being guided by a Killarney man.
Jason Smyth, who is is legally blind, is competing in his fourth Paralympics in Japan in the 100m and 200m sprints.
However, it is Killarney Valley Athletic Club coach Tomás Griffin - there to support Killarney’s Jordan Lee - who was called in to support Smyth as travel restrictions limited the number of coaches Team Ireland could bring to the event.
Speaking from Team Ireland’s training camp in Tokyo on Wednesday morning, Griffin explained his role to the Killarney Advertiser.
“My speciality is sprinting," he said. "I have been in touch with Jason’s coaches from the outset. Today we are practicing his starting block procedure. He is legally blind and there are many other athletes training here so part of my job is to secure a clear lane for him. I am wearing my Killarney Valley Athletic Club top, its bright colours help him to see me and where he needs to be. There are blade-runners on the track too and I have to make sure he is aware of their presence – you do not want to collide with them.”
He will be feeling the pressure on Sunday as both Smyth and Lee are in action on the Track and Field at the same time.
He is also helping Dubliner Orla Comerford who is competing in the T12 100 metre and 200 metre sprint races. She took home two bronze medals, one for each category, from the 2018 European Championships in Berlin. She competes with Stargardt disease, a hereditary condition that affects her eyesight.
Killarney breaks national May temperature record
Killarney became one of the hottest spots in the country this week as Ireland’s nationalmaximum air temperature record for the month of May was officially broken.
According to data issued by Met Éireann on Tuesday, the weather station at Muckross House recorded a blistering 29.1°C on Tuesday afternoon.
The extraordinary reading comfortably surpassed the previous county May record of 28.4°C, which had stood for nearly three decades after being set in Liscahane Ardfert, on May 31 1997.
The historic warmth came as Northwest Europe was trapped under an intense high-pressure system, frequently referred to as a heat dome.
The unseasonable weather pattern began pushing temperatures toward record levels on Monday when provisional records were initially breached across several nationwide monitoring stations.
Among Met Éireann’s 25 primary synoptic stations, Shannon Airport in County Clare also surpassed the 1997 milestone by reaching 28.6°C.
The Climate and Automatic Monitoring Program (CAMP) network captured the peak of the heatwave, with three independent stations eclipsing the old record on Tuesday and Wednesday, led by the historic high at Muckross House.
Pauline Healy-Reen and her sister Frances at the Gap of Dunloe on Tuesday,
Cars & Coffee for Jack & Jill Foundation
Ballymac Vintage Club will host a Cars & Coffee morning on Bank Holiday Monday, June 1, at Glenduff Manor (V92 YH32).
The event runs from 10:30am to midday, with all proceeds raised on the day going directly to the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.
An optional short local road run will take place immediately after the meetup, with participants returning to Glenduff Manor afterward. All vintage, classic, and modern interest vehicles are welcome to attend.
Ballymac Vintage Club members launching the upcoming Cars & Coffee morning at Glenduff Manor. Left to right: Tom Glover, Kian O’Connor, George Glover, Joan Glover, Brian Glover, Paul Ahern, Mary Lynch, Ivan Groves, Michael Horan, Trish Horan, and Philip Blennerhassett.
Killarney breaks national May temperature record
Killarney breaks national May temperature record Killarney became one of the hottest spots in the country this week as Ireland’s nationalmaximum air temperature...
Cars & Coffee for Jack & Jill Foundation on Monday
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