News
Killarney vaccine centre to close temporarily

VACCINES: Registration team members Joe O'Donovan (front), Sonia Waldron and David Moynihan pictured at Killarney Vaccination Centre. Photo: Domnick Walsh
By Michelle Crean
The success of the vaccine rollout reaching its targets will see the Killarney Vaccination Centre close temporarily for three days.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), as well as Thursday or Friday, the centre located at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre, will be part of short planned closures in Cork and Kerry as they have reached their targets. There will also be no vaccinations at the Tralee vaccination centre at the Munster Technological University on Thursday.
The HSE today thanked the dedicated and hardworking staff saying they “deserve huge credit for the numbers vaccinated at community vaccination centres” and the temporary closure will give staff “a much needed break”.
“We are pleased to confirm that the centres across Cork and Kerry have met and continue to meet their targets,” the HSE said in a statement.
“This included the aim of substantially completing the first vaccinations for people in their 50s (who have registered online) by the middle of this week. In the coming days, vaccination staff will begin the work of vaccinating people across Cork and Kerry in their 40s and indeed some people in their 40s have already received vaccinations in both counties. This is a fantastic achievement, and is thanks to staff who have provided a constant and relentless pace of vaccinations at all centres, consistently going above and beyond. Staff have been acutely aware of the importance of the vaccination programme and they deserve huge credit for the numbers vaccinated at community vaccination centres across both counties.”
The HSE added that the closures will also allow them to begin scheduling the second doses of Astrazeneca currently due.
“Some of these vaccinations for healthcare workers will take place at centres, but others will take place in healthcare settings.”
Vaccinations centres in Cork and Kerry are run as a joint project between the South South West Hospital Group and Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, with support and input from all parts of the health service including IT and Estates.
“As we move forward to a new phase of the vaccination programme, we will continue to provide vaccinations to our communities in accordance with the vaccine available to us. Our centres are staffed, resourced and available and as vaccine is made available, we will offer it to the members of the public who have registered either online or by phone.”
News
Five questions to ask yourself before buying a stock
By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com When it comes to investing, nothing is certain. There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy. […]

By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com
When it comes to investing, nothing is certain.
There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy.
The truth is, investing is hard, and building a portfolio of top stocks that beat the market is something that even financial professionals have trouble doing consistently.
For most people, investing in index funds is the perfect hands-off approach, providing broad exposure to the stock market at a very low fee. Even my own personal portfolio is made up of roughly 70% ETFs despite the fact I invest in the market for a living.
But I believe some stock picking is a good strategy for many hands-on people.
Taking a small portion of your overall portfolio and diligently selecting a small number of companies to invest in gives you an opportunity to learn about the investing process and fully understand the businesses you are investing in, which helps to build conviction in your positions.
From a psychological standpoint “collector’s instinct” kicks in, enabling people to participate and invest more money over time.
Lastly, for Irish investors, there are tax benefits to consider. If you invest in individual stocks, you are taxed at the CGT rate of 33%, and the first €1,270 of your gains are exempt from CGT each year. When investing in index funds or ETFs, you are taxed at the exit tax rate of 41% with no annual exemption.
For those interested in picking individual stocks, here are five questions you should ask yourself before investing in any company.
Do I understand the business?
Too many people invest in businesses they don’t understand because it ‘sounds good’. If you have no idea how the company works, you won’t have the conviction needed to hold onto the stock when an inevitable downturn comes.
Can the balance sheet withstand severe, temporary adversity?
This seems obvious, but so many people invest in companies without understanding how much money a company holds and who they owe money to. Economic cycles are guaranteed. You must ensure that the company has enough cash-on-hand to avoid becoming obsolete when activity slows.
Will the company benefit from long-term trends?
Make sure the company will remain relevant into the future. If the stock is cheap now, it may be cheap for a reason.
Is the company enjoying profitable growth?
Not growth at all costs, but a combination of sustainable growth and value. All this information can be found online at sites like stratosphere.io.
What are the risk factors?
Is the company trying something new and untested? If yes, who are its competitors and how successful are they? If other players are more established, this company may have a tough time breaking into the market.
News
Ballyspillane staff open up mental health conversation
By Michelle Crean “Hello, How Are You?” that’s the question staff at Ballyspillane Community Centre will be asking next week as part of a new campaign. It’s all in partnership […]

By Michelle Crean
“Hello, How Are You?” that’s the question staff at Ballyspillane Community Centre will be asking next week as part of a new campaign.
It’s all in partnership with Mental Health Ireland (MHI) and the centre will host an information/coffee morning on Thursday next (March 30) at 12.30pm at their centre and all are welcome to attend.
The campaign initiated by MHI identifies the need for positive engagement and connections with the people around us.
It asks people to engage in open conversations about mental health and prompts us all to ask the question “How Are You?”
The word HELLO is a useful acronym to guide everyone through such conversations, H: Hello, E: Engage positively with the person, L: Listen actively, L: Learn about the person and O: seek options to assist the person if required.
“We all need a listening and compassionate ear sometimes to get us through some challenges in our lives and I think the pandemic has opened a new way of looking at the world, where we can all recognise the challenges that people experience more readily,” Derek O’Leary, Manager of Ballyspillane Community & Family Resource Centre, said.
“Our team here are in the business of supporting families and individuals across the Killarney area and beyond and see the challenges that people face first hand. We also see the positive impact that a caring person can have in such circumstances and this campaign that encourages positive engagement, regarding mental health is a great reminder to us all, the role we can play is assisting others who are struggling.”
Ballyspillane Community & Family Resource Centre provide a suite of support and intervention services including family supports, social prescribing/community connection services and physiotherapeutic services across the Killarney municipal area and beyond.
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