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Mixed reaction to Fitzgerald Stadium as homecoming venueBy Sean Moriarty

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There has been a mixed reaction to the Kerry GAA County Board’s decision to host Monday’s homecoming for the victorious Kerry football team in Fitzgerald Stadium and not the traditional Glebe Car park.

Many felt that the stadium lacked atmosphere and the crowd that turned out to welcome the team home fell well short of previous successful years and was significantly less than the crowd that attended the Tralee homecoming a few hours earlier.

An estimated 13,000 people lined Denny St in the county capital on Monday evening.

“Just a few words on the tremendous reception this evening from this fantastic crowd. I was lucky enough to be here 25 years ago when we turned down Denny Street with Paidí Ó Sé leading us with the Sam Maguire, not having won it for eleven years,” manager Jack O’Connor told the assembled crowd.

"We thought we would never see the likes of it again with 20 to 25,000 lining the streets. But there has to be at least that if not more this evening so that is amazing in itself.”

Later that evening the team travelled to Killarney and to a new welcome venue in Fitzgerald Stadium.

Crowds were visibly smaller than previous similar events in the Glebe and were more scattered thanks to the vast area of the Lewis Road pitch.

“They got it all wrong,” Cllr Donal Grady told the Killarney Advertiser. “The town of Killarney should have done a lot more for our victorious Kerry team. The whole thing lacked atmosphere. You could see it in the players faces.”

The unavailability of the Glebe car park forced the hand of the organising committee but they felt that the crowds were on par with previous town centre events.

Cllr Niall ‘Botty’ O’Callaghan MC’d the night, as he has done for many homecomings in the past.

“It worked very well, I thought, especially for young kids who would not have had room in the Glebe to see everything,” he told the Killarney Advertiser.

“For a first time it worked well, like all new things you learn, maybe put a stage in the next time, or have the open top bus go through town and up to the stadium. It made no difference to businesses as they are busy anyway for the last Monday in July.”

The committee in charge of the Kerry Senior Football team Welcome Home event includes members of the Kerry County Board, the East Kerry Board, the Fitzgerald Stadium Committee, Killarney Municipal District Council, Kerry County Council, the Gardaí and the Fire Service.

“The Town Council and the Gardaí made it known to this committee that they were not happy to see a second car park in the town centre unavailable during the height of the busy tourist season - the Glebe Car Park would have had to be closed off on Sunday evening and all-day Monday and the Fairhill Car Park is currently used by Bird’s Funfair. In the absence of any other suitable venue in the town it was decided to hold the event in Fitzgerald Stadium,” John O'Leary of the Kerry GAA Executive Committee told the Killarney Advertiser.

“In my opinion there was a similar crowd to other victorious ‘Welcome Home’ events held in Killarney but obviously you cannot compare a crowd in a four-acre field with a crowd in a confined town centre location such as the Glebe Car Park.”

“Additional car parking, as had been requested by the Gardaí and Kerry County Council, was provided for the event in the Cathedral field and in the old Rugby field off the by-pass road and this was widely advertised.

“I would like to thank the numerous volunteers and stewards who gave of their time freely to ensure that the event was a success.”

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Killarney for Palestine film screening

Killarney for Palestine recently held a sold-out screening of the Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’ at the West End School of Arts, raising €2,100 for Camp Breakerz. The event, which […]

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Killarney for Palestine recently held a sold-out screening of the Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’ at the West End School of Arts, raising €2,100 for Camp Breakerz.

The event, which took place on July 3, included two screenings, both of which were fully booked. Guests enjoyed cheese and wine before the shows.
‘No Other Land’ depicts the ongoing destruction in Masafer Yatta, a cluster of villages in the Southern West Bank, and shows the experiences of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. The film won in the Best Documentary category at this year’s Academy Awards.
The screenings were organised in association with the West End School of Arts.
All proceeds from the €25 tickets benefited Camp Breakerz Crew, a children’s charity based in Gaza that provides creative outlets through dance and is involved in food distribution programs in Nuseirat Camp and Deir-Al-Balah due to food shortages.
Sally MacMonagle, who recently spent time in Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, also spoke at one of the screenings.

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Bid to host European Presidency summit meetings gathers pace

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Tourism, Michael Cahill TD, has highlighted Killarney’s suitability to host summit meetings of international Government Ministers during Ireland’s six-month European Presidency tenure in 2026. Deputy Cahill […]

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Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Tourism, Michael Cahill TD, has highlighted Killarney’s suitability to host summit meetings of international Government Ministers during Ireland’s six-month European Presidency tenure in 2026.

Deputy Cahill believes Kerry’s available accommodation, food, and conference facilities are “second to none,” with Killarney as the central location.
“Visitors from every corner of the earth have been coming to Kerry for centuries now, to experience its beauty and serenity and have returned on many occasions because of the fabulous time they have enjoyed during their stay here,” said Deputy Cahill. “Where else would you want to bring the senior Government Ministers of all of our EU counterpart states, to experience Ireland, its customs and heritage?”
The Rossbeigh TD outlined various attractions available for visitors during downtime: “During their downtime, they can visit the Blaskets and Slea Head, Sceilg Mhichíl and the Ring of Kerry, Killarney’s Lakes, Gap of Dunloe, National Park and Sliabh Luachra, all of our glorious beaches from Ballybunion to Rossbeigh, Kells to Ventry, Whitestrand to Inch, Ballinskelligs to Cromane, Waterville to Derrynane.” He also cited Kerry’s golf courses, Listowel Writers Week, the Rose of Tralee, and Puck Fair as potential experiences.
Deputy Cahill confirmed he has raised this matter with An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin; An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris; and Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne.
“If Killarney’s bid is successful in bringing the Heads of State to our county for meetings, conferences and functions, it will be a massive boost to the local economy in Killarney and also throughout the county,” added Cahill.”Iwill continue to push in the coming months for Killarney and Kerry to be included as bases for the rounds of meetings that are to take place from July 1 to December 312026.”

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