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National Park to host European BioBlitz competition

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Killarney’s nature and wildlife will take centre stage from Friday, May 15, to Sunday, May 24, as the town celebrates National Biodiversity Week.

The annual 10-day event offers a variety of free activities funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

These events provide opportunities for the public to connect with nature and learn from local experts and groups working to protect natural heritage.

This year, Killarney National Park has once again registered for the Natura 2000 BioBlitz.

This is a friendly competition between European nature sites, reserves, and national parks to see which location can record the highest number of species during the week.

In last year’s event, Killarney performed strongly, placing 8th out of 86 competing sites with 647 individual species recorded.

The Killarney National Park Education Centre is calling on the public to help identify and record as many species as possible this month.

To take part, volunteers can download the Obsidentify app and use it to scan plants and wildlife within the park boundaries between May 15 and May 24.

All scans made during this period will count toward Killarney’s total in the EU-wide competition.

Organisers hope that local involvement will help the park climb even higher in the European rankings while highlighting the diversity of the local ecosystem.

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Diabetes expert Dr Omer Taha to address local health meeting

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Consultant Endocrinologist Dr Omer Taha from the Bon Secours Hospital, Tralee, will be the guest speaker at the upcoming HeartBeat meeting on June 30.

The meeting will commence at 8pm in the Parish Centre on Park Road.

Dr Taha will speak about Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 and Type 2, detailing all diabetes-related complications.

The talk will be followed by a question and answer session, alongside tea, coffee, and biscuits. Special informational booklets from Diabetes Ireland, focused on living well with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, will also be available on the night.

All are welcome to attend.


The announcement follows last month’s meeting, which focused on the Kerry Stroke Support Group. Guest speaker Stephanie Stretton delivered a talk on stroke aftercare, recovery, and the health and wellbeing needs of survivors.


A key piece of advice highlighted was that anyone suffering a stroke while away from home in the countryside should call 112, as emergency services can track the phone location immediately to save valuable time.


The Kerry Stroke Support Group continues to hold its monthly meetings on the last Thursday of each month at the Baile Mhuire Day Centre in Tralee.


Meanwhile, HeartBeat recently received a generous financial boost. Paul Sherry, Manager of the Killarney Outlet Centre, successfully applied to the Pavers Annual Charities Funding Event on behalf of the group. As a result, Pavers London has donated £1,000 sterling, equivalent to over €1,200.

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National award for Liam O’Connor’s family band

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Killarney accordionist Liam O’Connor and his family band have won the Family Band of the Year award at the 2026 Irish Entertainment Awards.


The star-studded ceremony took place on June 18 at the Great Northern Hotel in Bundoran, County Donegal.


The annual event brings together musicians, performers, and personalities to recognise outstanding achievements across the Irish entertainment industry.


O’Connor said he was delighted and honoured to receive the accolade. During the event, the local musician shared the stage with a line-up of performers including singer Simon Casey and actor Patrick Bergin.

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