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Killarney hasn’t lost its golden Tidy Towns touch

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Killarney’s gold medal winning performance in this year’s Tidy Towns competition has been described as a wonderful boost and even more encouraging was the fact that the town was just three points behind overall winner, Ennis, Co Clare.

That’s the view of Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce President, Niall Kelleher, who described the town’s 352 points tally in the keenly contested Category F as hugely impressive.

He said to finish just three marks behind Ennis was a marvellous achievement for Team Killarney, particularly considering the town’s disappointing showing in the recent IBAL awards.

“This result is a fairer reflection of the outstanding ongoing work led by the dedicated management and outdoor staff of Kerry County Council. Without their input, our town would not maintain such a high ranking,” Mr Kelleher said.

“The input from residents, Tidy Towns volunteers and the commercial interests was well reflected and highly commended in the adjudication,” he added.

The Tidy Towns judge said: “Killarney is a busy place and your group is very active in developing and promoting projects that enhance the townscape. Well done on progressing with these, especially during the past two years of the COVID pandemic”.

The adjudicator added: “It has been a difficult two years so it’s great to be back out and on the ground experiencing, in person, the excellent work that has been taking place for Tidy Towns”.

Business premises that especially caught the eye of the adjudicator and mentioned in the report were The Laurels, the Royal Hotel, the Ross Hotel and the Town Hall.

Killarney House and Gardens also came in for great praise from the judge who found it was maintained to an exceptionally high standard, as was Muckross House and Gardens.

“Killarney’s gold medal brought the county’s tally to four this year and we were delighted too that Kenmare, Listowel and Tralee all received gold medals,” the Chamber president said.

“No other county in Ireland has managed to achieve so much success at county level and it reflects the commitment by Council management and staff and the 35 different Tidy Towns committees within the county,” he added.

Killarney won the prestigious overall award in 2011 and, following this year’s performance, confidence is growing that a second overall win is not far away.

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Musical Society announces ‘Sister Act’ as 2027 production

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Killarney Musical Society has announced that its 2027 musical production will be the comedy Sister Act.

The show will run at the Gleneagle Arena from Tuesday, March 2nd to Thursday, March 4th, 2027.

Based on the film, the musical tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a nightclub singer placed in protective custody in a convent after witnessing a crime. While there, she helps transform the parish choir.


Society Chairperson Derek O’Leary expressed excitement about the selection. “It is a show that combines humour, heart, spectacular music and an inspiring story, making it a perfect fit for Killarney Musical Society and our audiences,”

O’Leary said. He also confirmed that award-winning director Oliver Hurley and musical director Jimmy Brockie will return for the production.


The society, which draws performers, musicians, and backstage volunteers from across Kerry and neighbouring counties, will release details regarding auditions and production updates in the coming months.

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Killarney retains top ten position in national litter rankings

Killarney has maintained its position in the top ten of the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, securing 9th place out of 40 towns and cities surveyed nationwide. The […]

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Killarney has maintained its position in the top ten of the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, securing 9th place out of 40 towns and cities surveyed nationwide. The town was officially deemed to be ‘Cleaner than European Norms’.

The accompanying report by An Taisce praised Killarney for delivering a solid performance, noting that there were no heavily littered sites found within the town boundaries.
Several local areas received top marks for maintenance and presentation. Main Street was highlighted as exceptionally well-presented, while Park Road, Muckross Road, and the Knockreer Playground and environs were also singled out for praise. The report noted that the playground area was in very good order across all elements.
However, the inspectors did highlight some areas for improvement. The JYSK site showed slight progress compared to the previous survey but remained classified as moderately littered. The report warned that care must be taken to prevent the location from deteriorating further.
On a national level, IBAL representative Conor Horgan noted that entering the peak tourist season, the country has fewer littered areas than at any time in the past 25 years.
Despite the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), the survey highlighted a national rise in specific waste items. Plastic bottles were found in 19% of all surveyed sites across the country, and drinks cans were present in 22%. The prevalence of coffee cups also reached its highest level since 2023, alongside an increase in cigarette butt litter.

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