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New era for Rally of the Lakes as 2026 route revealed

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The 2026 Killarney Rally of the Lakes is set to introduce several major changes to the prestigious May Bank Holiday motorsport event.

The weekend will kick off with the ceremonial start ramp in Killarney town centre on Friday evening.

This high-energy event remains a fan favourite, drawing thousands of spectators to the town to see the crews and machinery up close before the competitive action begins on Saturday morning.

The opening day features a blend of legendary stages and fresh territory. While the route includes the iconic run over Moll’s Gap, a significant departure for 2026 sees the rally move towards Millstreet for much of the Saturday loop.

This involves the use of newer or lesser-used roads in the vicinity, providing a fresh challenge for drivers. In line with this shift, the service park for Saturday will be located at the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet.

Sunday’s action returns to the traditional heartland of South Kerry, featuring staples such as the Beallaghbeama Pass.

The organisers have introduced a twist on the Shanera stage, extending the route by approximately 4km over roads never used in this specific configuration.

In a major scheduling shift, the Junior contenders will now run their full eight-stage event on Saturday rather than the traditional Sunday slot.

Furthermore, following the success of the Rally Masters at Killarney Racecourse, a dedicated World Rally Car class will run exclusively on Sunday.

This class features iconic 2.0-litre machines from the early 2000s, including Subaru Imprezas and Ford Focus WRCs.

While these cars are no longer eligible for overall championship honours, they remain huge fan favourites and will provide a nostalgic soundtrack to the final day.

The event serves as a crucial counting round for the NAPA Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the Southern 4 Rally Championship, and the Moriarty’s Central Car Sales Kingdom of Kerry Rally Championship.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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Town centre-based software firm marks two years in business

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A Killarney-based software company is celebrating two years in business since expanding into the European market.

QT9 Software Ltd, which is located on Bohereencaol was established in 2024 as part of the company’s move to better serve customers across Europe.

The business is part of a US-based company founded 20 years ago in Chicago by Brant Engelhart.

Its Irish office is headed by Killarney resident Angela O’Sullivan, who serves as Operations Director.

QT9 Software currently employs four full-time staff members in Killarney and plans to increase that number by an additional two this year.

The company provides quality management software to businesses worldwide, with the Irish office helping to support European customers within their own time zones.

As part of its continued European expansion, the software company also opened a new data center in Amsterdam in 2025 to meet data storage and compliance requirements.

QT9 Software works with businesses that must meet quality standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 13485, as well as industry-specific regulations across sectors, such as automotive, aerospace, food and life sciences.

Speaking about the milestone, Angela O’Sullivan said: “We’re very proud to have grown QT9 Software here in Killarney over the past two years. It has been a really positive journey so far, and we’re looking forward to continuing to build our team and support more customers across Europe.”

The company is also currently recruiting for an IT Systems Administrator, with details available in the appointments section on page 46.

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