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Killarney man runs Canadian marathon in memory of late father

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MARATHON MAN: TJ Flynn ran a marathon in Canada today (Saturday) in memory of his late father Tommy.

By Sean Moriarty

A Killarney man today (Saturday) ran 14 laps of the Canadian village he now calls home in memory of his late father.

TJ Flynn, who is originally from Ballaugh, ran the equivalent of a marathon around Waterloo, a small town not far from the famous Niagara Falls, to raise money for Irish Cancer Society night nurses.

His late father, Tommy, died from cancer last year and the Flynn family remain indebted to the night nurses who helped them during their difficult time.

TJ originally planned to run this year’s Galway marathon which was scheduled for October 3, but with the event cancelled and TJ unable to get home due to COVID-19 restrictions he decided he and a few friends would tackle their own event in Canada.

They lapped the village of Waterloo 14 times in an effort to make up the correct marathon mileage and TJ set a sub-three-hour target for the run.

“When dad passed away at home last year, the help and support that nurses and carers gave us during the last days of his life defied words. We will forever be indebted. We truly will," TJ told the Killarney Advertiser.
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“Shortly after we buried dad, my brother and cousins said we would run a marathon for the Irish Cancer Society night nurses. Because of COVID, I haven't been able to get home this year, and marathons have been cancelled all over the world. So, I'm running this over here in Canada. Before dad passed away, we weren't fully aware of the critical role that the Irish Cancer Society fulfils. We are now, and we know that many families rely on their services, that there are families relying on them at this very moment in all parishes of our great county and country."

TJ is no stranger to extreme events having previously contested an Iron Man event in Canada in 2017.
He is also well-known locally and is the author of two novels: ‘Princess of Pig Skins’ and ‘Screaming at the Sky’.

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

RETIREMENT NIGHT: Pictured at the retirement party held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday, October 3, celebrating a combined 185 years of service with An Post, are Connie Brady, James Foley, Terry Potts, Pat Cronin, and D.J. Cahill.


Five well-known local postmen celebrated their retirement at a special function held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday night, October 3.


The event brought together current and former An Post colleagues to mark the combined total of 185 years of service delivered across Killarney and surrounding areas.
Delivery Services Manager Terry Potts retired after 43 years with An Post. He began his career in Dublin, where he worked for 10 years, before moving to Killarney in 1993 for a further 33 years.
Pat Cronin completed an impressive 51 years of service between Killarney and Farranfore, spending 44 of those years delivering post on the Farranfore route.
James Foley served 35 years with An Post, delivering on routes across Killorglin throughout his entire career.
D.J. Cahill marked 32 years of service based out of Killarney post office, delivering mail across Killarney town, Killorglin, Kilcummin, and Headford.
Connie Brady retired following 24 years with the postal service, spending 17 years in Killarney town before completing his service in Killorglin.
The celebration offered local postal staff an opportunity to gather and catch up ahead of the busy Christmas rush.

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New Streetscapes murals launched at College Square

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A colourful collaboration between the Kerry Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) and the Architecture Kerry Festival at Kerry County Council launched yesterday evening at College Square.

Titled Streetscapes, the open-air public art installation officially opened at 5pm on Thursday, accompanied by a performance from the Killarney Youth Drumming Band THUMP! under the guidance of Urs Wenk from Drum Dance Ireland.


The public art project features a series of wall murals depicting Killarney through the eyes of local children, exploring freedom, play, and potential future evolutions of the townscape.

The artworks reimagine Killarney’s iconic landmarks and streets, blending youthful imagination and curiosity.


Supported under the Creative Ireland Programme, the installation is mounted on the gable wall of Reen’s Life Pharmacy in College Square, where it will remain on public display until March 2027.


Speaking at the launch, Daniel O’Shea, Youth Development Officer at Kerry ETB, stated: “Streetscapes is a wonderful celebration of how children see things. Their creativity brings new perspectives to the townscape, and we are proud to support their ideas and their art through this public artwork.”


Deirdre Enright, Co-Ordinator of the Local Creative Youth Partnership at Kerry ETB, acknowledged the community support behind the initiative: “We are very grateful to Reen’s Life Pharmacy who have shared their built space with us. Huge credit is due to the artistic team from Me+The Moon whose dedication to creativity and to children’s art shine through in this work.”


The project forms part of the annual Architecture Kerry Festival and receives funding through Creative Ireland and the Department of Education and Youth via Kerry ETB and Kerry County Council.


Victoria McCarthy, Festival Organiser and Architectural Conservation Officer at Kerry County Council, welcomed the continued inter-agency project: “It’s always a great event for Architecture Kerry and we are so pleased with this collaboration between public sector organisations. It remains a key feature of the Architecture Kerry programme.”
See next week’s Killarney Advertiser for full photographic coverage of the event.

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