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Killarney youth play set for nationwide tour

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Prom Queen: The Movement (in Concert) is a show  inspired by youth-led musical group based in Killarney, is coming to four different theatres across Ireland.

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It was written and co-directed by Killarney student, Sinéad Greene (15) and produced and co-directed by Rachel Griffin (18).

“Our movement aims to raise awareness around the various societal challenges faced by teenagers in a modern age society. We want to use our voices to create impact and start a movement into a better and brighter future for us young people. The themes of the show include issues such as bullying, domestic abuse and LGBTQ+ representation,” said Sinead Greene.

“The show hopes to shine light on these topics and spark conversations about the many different stories portrayed in this production. There is a witty approach to the daunting questions of modern society, with a catchy soundtrack which has many great and recognisable hits.”

The cast and crew include pupils from Killarney, as well as pupils from neighbouring areas such as Rathmore, Tralee and even Cork and Kildare.

This inspiring group of young people performed the show on the INEC stage in November, with a school show the following day.
These sell-out performances established the show as a massive hit, with huge ticket sales and rave reviews.

With the funds raised from the show, the Prom Queen team donated €500 to Jigsaw Kerry, a local mental health charity for young people.
“We are delighted to bring back this show with many of its original cast, as well as a host of newcomers, and we are thrilled to share its story with a wider audience, hoping to raise even more awareness of the serious subject matters highlighted in this show,” added Sinead.
“Full of many twists and turns, Prom Queen is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.”

Synopsis

“‘Birdhill High’, like any Highschool, has its generic yet recognisable cliques: ‘The Popular Girls’, ‘The Handsome Jocks’, ‘The Emos’ and, of course, ‘The Nerds’. Our loveable nerd in this ‘high school tale’ is shy teen Oliver (Olly), accompanied by his sarcastic yet loyal best friend Krystal (Krys). The plot follows the two as they navigate their way through high school. Oliver’s fatal flaw is being a hopeless romantic, which has led him to fall in love with the school’s popular girl, Leah. Krys, however, disapproves of this ‘popular princess’. One day, Olly stupidly challenges the school’s star athlete and popular boy Glen to see who can take Leah to the Prom. That’s where our story begins, only skimming the surface of what lies beneath. We meet many interesting characters along the way, including Glen’s Jock Squad: Rodrick (Glen’s Loudmouth Buddy), Henry (the Principal’s son) and Cameron (Olly’s unidentical twin), as well as Leah’s Popular Clique: Debbie (The Queen of Drama) and Mollie (The Dumb Beauty).

Prom Queen deals with many sensitive topics such as depression, domestic violence, suicide, internalised homophobia and bullying. The main message of Prom Queen is that everyone has their own story. We are more than just ‘popular’, ‘jocks’ and ‘losers’, and this story has an effective and touching way of bringing this to the fore.

Tour Dates:
July 21st – The Everyman, Co. Cork
July 23rd – glór, Co. Clare
July 26th – K.C.Y.M.S. Killorglin 
July 29th – Dunamaise Arts Centre, Co. Laois

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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Town centre-based software firm marks two years in business

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A Killarney-based software company is celebrating two years in business since expanding into the European market.

QT9 Software Ltd, which is located on Bohereencaol was established in 2024 as part of the company’s move to better serve customers across Europe.

The business is part of a US-based company founded 20 years ago in Chicago by Brant Engelhart.

Its Irish office is headed by Killarney resident Angela O’Sullivan, who serves as Operations Director.

QT9 Software currently employs four full-time staff members in Killarney and plans to increase that number by an additional two this year.

The company provides quality management software to businesses worldwide, with the Irish office helping to support European customers within their own time zones.

As part of its continued European expansion, the software company also opened a new data center in Amsterdam in 2025 to meet data storage and compliance requirements.

QT9 Software works with businesses that must meet quality standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 13485, as well as industry-specific regulations across sectors, such as automotive, aerospace, food and life sciences.

Speaking about the milestone, Angela O’Sullivan said: “We’re very proud to have grown QT9 Software here in Killarney over the past two years. It has been a really positive journey so far, and we’re looking forward to continuing to build our team and support more customers across Europe.”

The company is also currently recruiting for an IT Systems Administrator, with details available in the appointments section on page 46.

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