News
Killarney snapper calls time on 47-year career
By Sean Moriarty
After nearly 50 years on the beat, legendary local press photographer Michelle Copper Galvin has finally decided to hang up her camera.
This week marks her final few days as a news photographer and her attendance at last Sunday’s Kerry v Laois Ladies Football match at Fitzgerald Stadium ended an unbroken stint that stretches all the way back to 1977.
She started her career with the Cork Examiner in 1974 and after four years with that publication she returned to Killarney where she has worked as the local media snapper ever since.
Best known for her role with The Kerryman, Michelle has also supplied many of the photographs that have appeared in the Killarney Advertiser over the last 40 years.
Michelle’s beat covered all of East, South and Mid Kerry, but she was best known for her work on the streets of her home town.
“The biggest change for me was the switch to digital,” Michelle told the Killarney Advertiser this week. “It became a simpler process from the camera to the computer and straight on to a page – ending negatives and processing film.”
Her favourite tasks were anything to do with sport and politics and memories include witnessing Munster Rugby defeating the All Blacks in that famous 1978 match in Thomond Park.
She is also a huge Kerry GAA fan but given the choice she would prefer a day out in Thomond Park over Fitzgerald Stadium.
“I have had a great career, I have met some wonderful people and very privileged to go to places that I went,” she said. “I have been blessed to work with some great editors who helped and guided me.”
Michelle is looking forward to spending more time with husband Dermot, who she says is her "number one supporter”, daughters Caoimhe, Grainne and son Diarmuid, their partners and her three grandchildren.
Dermot is currently based in London and Michelle played a crucial role in promoting the activities of the Kerry Association London as a result of her direct connections with the city.
“I will have more time to go to London now,” she added. “My children and grandchildren are all based on the island [of Ireland] so I am looking forward to seeing more of them too.”
She will have more time to attend Munster Rugby matches at home and abroad with no prior commitments that need covering on a local front.
She loves France and will spend more time in her favourite foreign country especially if trips coincide with Munster’s European Rugby Champions Cup games.
Michelle is not giving up on photography totally however, and says she will continue to take photos "of things I love and what interests me”.
Friends and colleagues in the Kerry media honoured her contribution to the industry with a special dinner in Tralee’s Ashe Hotel on last night (Thursday).
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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