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Killarney town third cleanest in IBAL Litter League

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Killarney town is ‘cleaner than European norms’ and ranked the third cleanest town out of 40 towns and cities – according to recent results from Irish Business Against Litter League (IBAL).

An Taisce, who carry out the surveys on behalf of IBAL, commented in its Killarney report: “An outstanding performance by one of the country’s busiest tourist attractions. Some top ranking sites deserve a special mention e.g. the Recycle Facility was excellent, (rare for such facilities generally); the Main Street wasn’t just very good with regard to litter but overall presentation e.g. paving, seating, bollards etc.; the same applied to the Jarvey Park – this was a very attractively presented and maintained environment. Some of the bins in Killarney provided the opportunity for ‘dry recycling’ and this is a very welcome feature.”
The overall result for Killarney is tremendous testament to the hard working, dedicated, enthusiastic Municipal staff and the large number of litter-picking volunteers that keep our town to such a high standard of cleanliness, Johnny McGuire from Killarney Tidy Towns explained this week.
“Out of a total of 10 sites adjudicated, Killarney received seven Grade As but unfortunately received three Grade Bs. The main cause of these negative comments were coffee cups, plastic bottle, sweet wrappers and fast food wrappers; all food related items which are the root cause of Killarney losing out on achieving 10 straight As.”
He added that the judging for the IBAL results in 2019 will take place between now and June.
“We would ask everyone in the Killarney area to be more vigilant with the removal of litter and if anyone would like to adopt an area for litter control, please contact Killarney Chamber of Tourism & Commerce on 064 6637928. Once again, well done and congratulations to everyone in team Killarney for such a fantastic result.”
As runners-up, Killarney will receive a number of Norway maple trees to enhance the local environment, courtesy of the Irish Tree Centre in Cork.

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Carols by Candlelight

    St. Mary’s Cathedral, will be filled with music and glowing candles, as choirs from all over Killarney Parish gather for a community of voices together to celebrate Christmas […]

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St. Mary’s Cathedral, will be filled with music and glowing candles, as choirs from all over Killarney Parish gather for a community of voices together to celebrate Christmas 2023, December17, at 7.00pm. Admission is free.

Ten Choirs from Killarney parish will join together and sing some of the world’s most beloved Christmas carols.
The carol service is directed by accomplished Musician and Choral Director, Paula Gleeson. Originally from Cork, her family have been involved in all aspects of choral and church music for 50 years.

“This is the best experience as director, working with Fr. Kieran O’Brien, and St. Mary’s Cathedral Choir, I get to work with so many talented people in Killarney. The commitment of Teachers, Principals, and the hundreds of students from the Primary and Secondary Schools is inspiring. The generosity of our sponsors, who were so willing to contribute has helped to make this night a reality. We are all so truly grateful,” she said.

Choirs include:
St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish Choir, organist Anita Lakner
Holy Cross Mercy School Choir
St. Oliver’s Primary School Choir
St. Brigid’s Secondary School Choir
St. Brendan’s Secondary School Choir
Killarney Harmonisers
Killarney Community College School Choir
Lissivigeen National School Choir
Gaelscoil Faithleann School Choir
Presentation Monastery School Choir

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The same but different – A tribute to three great Irish musicians

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Driving home from work last Friday, tributes for Shane McGowan were pouring out across the radio stations and while listening in, I got a strong sense of déjà vu.

It was only a few months earlier that we got the sad news that the talented Aslan front man Christy Dingham had passed away, and a short few weeks after that – Sinéad O’Connor.  The loss of three iconic Irish musicians that left music fans across the country reeling.

When I think about each artist individually, their personalities couldn’t be more different. Yet, for days after the passing of the Pogues frontman, I found myself wondering why I was so drawn to all three.

And then, over the weekend I stumbled across a completely unrelated article which led with a headline:

“In a year dominated by artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and disingenuity, “authentic” has somehow emerged as Merriam-Webster’s word for 2023.”

And there was my answer. The one characteristic that embodied all three of these great Irish musicians.

It was my mother that first introduced me to Aslan’s music. She grew up during their peak and loved all sorts of rock music. I regularly watch their Vicar Street performances back on YouTube and still get mesmerised by Christy’s intense stage presence. Using elaborate hand gestures to evoke a greater meaning behind the words, he always looked like he was away in his own world. Off stage, and particularly later in his career, I admired him for his honesty when talking about his struggles with addiction and mental health. He was talking openly about these issues long before it was the norm.

Sinéad O’Connor was another original soul who, because of her talent, was catapulted into a music industry consumed by artificiality; she was almost too pure for it all. I always admired her unwavering commitment to her beliefs. Her authenticity was evident in every aspect of her artistry. The way she unapologetically embraced her shaved head and boy-ish style, she challenged conventional opinions around beauty. Her music reflected her personal struggles and she never shied away from addressing issues of social injustice, religion, and gender equality. Her stances often drew criticism and controversy, but she always remained true to herself.

Shane MacGowan will always be remembered for his unfiltered nature, and while the lyrics of many songs were dark and gritty, there was also an element of empathy and compassion in what he wrote. Like Christy, he too struggled with addiction and mental health issues throughout his career. While his demons sometimes spilled over into the public eye, his honesty and vulnerability just endeared him even more to us Irish.

So isn’t it apt in a year we lost three great musicians, the word of 2023 happens to be the one undeniable trait that they all shared. Thank you Christy, Sinead and Shane for showing us that authenticity is not just about being different to everyone else; but also about possessing the courage to challenge the established, to question the norms, and to keep going, even when the going gets tough.

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