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NCTs to resume in Killarney – but taxis still in limbo

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NCT CRISIS: Local taxi driver David O'Sullivan had to travel to Skibbereen to renew his NCT. Photo by Sean Moriarty

 

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By Sean Moriarty

Taxi drivers in Killarney have been forced travel as far as Skibbereen in West Cork to ensure their National Car Test (NCT) is in order.

Last week the NCT service announced that it was suspending the underbody inspection of cars due to a fault with the lift that it is used for such inspections.

The Killarney NCT centre was one of 47 centres nationwide that was effected by the issue.

Taxi drivers, especially those who need to renew their public carriage licence, must have a full and valid test certificate. The partial cert currently offered by NCT centres will not be accepted by the National Transport Authority, the Government agency that manages taxi regulations – meaning without a valid NCT – they’ll be off the road.

Private motorists were advised to present their cars as per their scheduled appointment and that every part of the test except the underbody section would be completed. Once the situation is resolved drivers can return to an NCT centre and complete the test.

While it is illegal to drive an unroadworthy car, Killarney Gardai said they would take a “common sense approach” to motorists who did not have the correct cert as a result of the lift issues.

Some NCT centres have reopened fully since last week’s controversy – Killarney’s test centre will recommence underbody testing “within the next week” according to a statement issued by the Road Safety Authority of Ireland.

The Skibbereen test centre was one of the first to offer full tests since last week’s nationwide lift failures.

“Seven or eight of us had to go to Skibbereen,” Killarney-based taxi driver David O’Sullivan told the Killarney Advertiser. “It’s four or five hours round trip so it is half a day’s wages but these things happen, our cars suffer wear and tear and these lifts are up and down every day too.”

 

 

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Irish feature film set for Killarney cinema debut

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A new feature film, created by Irish writer and director Liam O Mochain, is set for release in Killarney next Friday, November 7.

Mr O Mochain said he is delighted to bring ABODE to a Killarney audience following its sold out world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh and a screening at the recent IndieCork film festival.

ABODE is a feature film with five stories connected by the theme of home and what it means to the different characters in the film.

It shows that home has an importance and a different meaning for everyone.

In ABODE, everyone wants to belong somewhere. The film was shot over a three-year period and finished in early 2025.

O Mochain says that the stories are a mix of drama and comedy, inspired by true stories, events or incidents.

It is set on the theme of home which is very relevant today.

Ryan Lincoln, Sophie Vavessuer, and Liam O Mochain are among the cast.

ABODE is O Mochain’s fourth feature film. His 2017 feature film ‘Lost & Found’ screened at festivals around the world from the Galway Film Fleadh to the Austin Film Festival

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Local pharmacies restock Lions ‘Message in a Bottle’

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Killarney pharmacies are restocked with ‘Message in a Bottle’, an initiative by Killarney Lions Club.

It is a small plastic container, available free of charge, with an information form which people can fill out with their basic medical details for use by Paramedics, Gardaí, Fire-fighters and first responders in an emergency.

Once the information form is complete, the bottle should be placed in the fridge.

Self-adhesive green cross labels should be put on the front door of the home and on the fridge so that first responders know its there.

Bottles are available at the following pharmacies: Allcare (New St.), Boots (Deerpark), CarePlus+ (Park Rd.), Kennelly’s (Reeks and New St.), Reens Life (Plunkett St.), O’Sullivan’s (New St.), Sewell’s (New St.), Sheahan’s (Main St.), Trants (Park Rd.) and Aherns Farranfore.

Jason Higgins, President of Killarney Lions Club, said that the initiative has been very well received to date as hundreds of people are already using the bottles.

He said: “We just want to make sure everyone who wants a bottle can get one, so the support from the pharmacies is fantastic and if it helps even just one person to get the help they need more quickly and effectively, it is well worth it.”

More information about the Message in a Bottle initiative can be found on the Lions Ireland website: https://lionsclubs.ie/service/message-in-a-bottle/

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