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Marking a moment in time – a very different St Patrick’s Day

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Marking a moment in time

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By Sean Moriarty

For the second year in a row the streets of Killarney fell silent on St Patrick’s Day.

Ireland’s National Holiday is usually a day of celebration and revelry but all public events were cancelled again this year as the country remains on COVID-19 alert.

There was an eerie silence the town centre on Wednesday afternoon.

Both the Municipal District Mayor and Killarney Gardai thanked the people of Killarney fo their high level of compliance and promised better days are ahead.

“I am so proud of the people of Killarney and wider district, “Mayor Brendan Cronin told the Killarney Advertiser.

“There is hope ahead and the brighter days are very close.”

The Mayor of Killarney is usually very busy on St Patrick’s Day. He would be one of the leading dignitaries at the parade, he would be obliged to give welcome speeches to national and international visitors as well as attending religious and other ceremonies.

“I just drove into town and visited some of the many displays – it was very visible [the lack of large crowds] but it was also nice to see families marking the day in their own way [within the guidelines].”

Meanwhile Killarney Gardai reported a very quiet Bank Holiday and there no reports of unessential crowd gatherings.

“The day passed off fine,” Superintendent Flor Murphy told the Killarney Advertiser. “There were people out and about but everyone was behaving in a responsible [within public health guidelines] manner. There is a high level of compliance in the Killarney area. This is what we want to see so we can get out of this.”

One of these photographs was taken on Main St on Wednesday afternoon around the same time that the annual St Patrick’s Day parade was expected to pass through town.

The other photograph taken by well-known and respected local snapper Valerie O’Sullivan was captured during the 2019 running of the hugely popular event.

The contrast captures the times we live in and the good times that lay ahead.

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Joey Sheehan wins historic sixth Dr Crokes Captain’s Prize

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Accomplished golfer Joey Sheehan scooped the Dr Crokes GAA Club Golf Society Captain’s Prize for the sixth time following the outing at The Killeen Course at Killarney Golf Club on Friday.

Society Captain Niall Botty O’Callaghan and his mother Eileen O’Callaghan hosted the prizegiving function in The Failte Hotel, where Joey was presented with a painting of the fourth hole at Killeen by local artist and Dr Crokes member Paul Downey.


Joey Sheehan won his first Dr Crokes Captain’s prize back in 1997, which was the start of an historic four-in-a-row.

He collected his fifth Captain’s prize in 2006 before adding his sixth with the 2026 title last Friday.

Over the years, he has also won two Dr Crokes Presidents prizes, numerous other society outings, and the Eddie Barry Memorial Cup three times as player of the year.


The prize giving function in The Failte featured speeches from society officer Brendan Keogh, Captain Niall Botty O’Callaghan, and overall winner Joey Sheehan.

During the speeches, a number of recently deceased local people and others from recent years associated with the Dr Crokes Golf Society were remembered.

Among those fondly remembered were Brian O’Regan, John O’Mahony, Ewan MacIndoe, Gerry Collins, Paudie O’Callaghan, Malachy Walsh, and Seani McCarthy.


The Dr Crokes Captains Prize was once again sponsored by Mike Buckley of Kerry Coaches. Following overall winner Joey Sheehan, the full list of prize winners included John Lynch in second, Finian Moran in third, and Liam Hartnett in fourth. Sean Brosnan took fifth place, followed by Maurice O’Donoghue in sixth, John O’Leary in seventh, Paudie Sheahan in eighth, Colm Galvin in ninth, and Eamonn Fitzgerald in tenth.

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Discussion on Irish-American literary voices

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The second series of talks for the new ‘Summer in Killarney’ festival took place at Killarney House in Killarney National Park, focusing on the lives and work of literary figures F. Scott Fitzgerald and Mary Lavin.

The event, titled ‘The Great Irish-American Voices of F. Scott Fitzgerald & Mary Lavin’, featured presentations by authors Gráinne Hurley, writer of Gratefully and Affectionately: Mary Lavin and The New Yorker, and Killarney native Patrick O’Sullivan Greene, author of Gatsby: Death of an Irishman.

Following their presentations, both authors joined Irish Times journalist Ronan McGreevy for a panel conversation exploring the impact of both writers on American literature.

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