News
Launch of Kerry Biosphere Reserve Booklet

The Kerry Biosphere Officer, Brendan Kirwan, was delighted to launch the Kerry Biosphere Reserve booklet in Killarney Library, this week.
Brendan was joined by Matthew Farrell (Municipal District Officer, Killarney Municipal District), Damien Ginty (Senior Planner, Kerry County Council), Mary Sheehan (DCO, Killarney National Park), Patricia Deane (Project Manager, ACRES Kerry and West Cork), and Ger McEnery (Development Officer, Reeks Mountain Access Forum).
The Kerry Biosphere Reserve booklet is a 32-page document which provides useful information on the origins of the Kerry UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The booklet provides the reader with an in-depth knowledge of the designation, the extent of its range and the significance of the reserve in national and international context.
The booklet is beautifully illustrated with a range of photos and images from the Killarney National Park and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountain range, and illustrations from renowned local artist Katie O’Donoghue.
The rare and wonderful habitats and species of the biosphere are celebrated in the booklet with insights into the wetlands and uplands that occur within the reserve.
The Biosphere reserve is noted for its rare and important habitats and species, but is also noteworthy for its significant cultural heritage. The reserve is home to a range of field monuments, some as early as the Late Mesolithic (c.5,000 BC). The celebrated cultural history of the reserve is also well represented in the booklet.
Practical information relating to activities and permits required within the reserve, and the concept of Leave No Trace are also presented in the Kerry Biosphere Reserve booklet. For more information about the Kerry Biosphere Reserve please visit www.kerrybiosphere.ie or contact the Biosphere Officer at kerrybiosphere@skdp.net or 087 152 7746.
News
Fassbender ready for second Le Mans appearance
Local Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender is in the final preparation stages for his second appearance at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The iconic endurance race is celebrating its […]

Local Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender is in the final preparation stages for his second appearance at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The iconic endurance race is celebrating its 100th edition next weekend.
The Fossa star has already arrived in the famous French twon where he is involved in a week-long series of engagements including drivers’ parades, autograph sessions and more serious appointments like car safety checks, practice and qualifying.
Like last year, when he finished 16th in the LMGTE Am class, Fassbender has been entered in to the event by the German Proton Competition team with Estonian Martin Rump and the Austrian Richard Lietz.
Fassbender dreams of following the trajectory of fellow Hollywood actors Patrick Dempsey who was second in LMGTE Am class in 2016 and Paul Newman who finished second overall in 1979.
News
Ireland’s oldest citizen has Killarney connections
Ireland’s oldest woman met with President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this week. Máirín Hughes, who turned 109 on May 22 has strong Killarney connections. The previous record […]

Ireland’s oldest woman met with President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this week.
Máirín Hughes, who turned 109 on May 22 has strong Killarney connections.
The previous record was held by 107-year-old Nancy Stewart who died on September 10 2021.
Although born in Belfast, Máirín went to school in the Mercy Convent. Her father was a customs and excise officer and the family moved around a lot eventually coming to Killarney after spells in County Down and Dublin.
Her mother came from the Rathmore area and her father was from Newmarket in County Cork.
She attended the Mercy Convent and has, in previous interviews, recalled growing up on the shores of Lough Lein.
“Neighbours who had three children were given the job of taking me to school,” she said. “They were annoyed because the children were going to school for two or three years but I was put in to the same class as them – my mother had taught me.”
In 2021 she featured in the book ‘Independence Memories: A People’s Portrait of the Early Days of the Irish Nation’, sharing stories of being kept in school in Killarney during an attack on the RIC barracks down the road.
In 1924 she started a degree in science and a diploma in education at University College Cork, before working in the pathology lab in University College Cork’s Department of Medicine for 16 years.
last year she recalled her story on the podcast: ‘Living History – Irish Life and Lore’.
During the broadcast she talked about her parents’ membership of the Gaelic League in 1910; the Spanish Flu in Ireland in 1918; The Black and Tans in Killarney in 1921; the early days of the new Free State; Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in 1932, visiting the Basket Islands in 1929; and working in the UCC medical laboratory from 1932 until 1948.
This week President Michael D. Higgins hosted an afternoon tea event to celebrate the important role that a variety of people have and can play in different communities and Máirín was among the guests of honour.