Local heritage remembered ahead of National Ploughing

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Local agricultural history comes into focus this month as preparations conclude for the National Ploughing Championships, taking place from September 15 to 17.

Ahead of the national event, local resident Tony Wharton recalled the town’s long-standing connections to competitive ploughing, including the time the national event took place on local soil. During the 1960s, the grounds of the Cahernane Hotel hosted the National Ploughing Championships, drawing competitors and spectators from across the country to the venue on the edge of town.

The area also boasts a rich history of individual competitors. Pacella O’Donoghue, who competed in ploughing events in previous decades, originally hailed from Mill Road. She was a sister of Seamus O’Donoghue, founder of Killarney Oil.
The Wharton family maintains a strong link to the sport, with the Wharton brothers and Ryan Wharton continuing the local tradition of involvement in competitive agricultural events.
The National Ploughing Championships remain one of Ireland’s largest outdoor events, showcasing traditional and modern machinery alongside agricultural competitions.
Photo Caption
PLOUGHING HERITAGE: The Wharton family, including the Wharton brothers and Ryan Wharton, who are preserving local agricultural connections ahead of the National Ploughing Championships next week.

Pre-planning underway for starter homes

Councillor Maura Healy-Rae raised the issue of affordable housing at Wednesday’s meeting of the Killarney Municipal District.

She submitted a motion asking officials: “To ask Kerry County Council to give an update on providing affordable housing and sites within Killarney MD?”
In response, local authority officials revealed that three separate submissions for Affordable Homes, now officially categorised as Starter Home, were received in the Killarney district following an open call for expressions of interest issued in December 2025.
Council management confirmed that active discussions are taking place with the respective developers involved,
A council official said: “Discussions have been ongoing with the relevant developers in relation to these three proposals, all of which are currently at pre-planning stage. Relevant planning consents will need to be in place before the Council will be in a position to make a submission to the Department for access to the Affordable Housing Fund in respect of these developments.”
Alongside the ongoing development discussions, the local authority outlined administrative preparations currently being undertaken to ensure the scheme can be rolled out efficiently once statutory planning approvals are granted.
Officials noted that work is progressing on wider operational aspects of the Starter Home Scheme in readiness for public advertising, following a formal briefing delivered to commercial lending institutions in July and the engagement of a third-party software provider to construct the online application portal.
Addressing the provision of future housing land, Kerry County Council added that developer proposals submitted under forthcoming open calls for turnkey developments will undergo evaluation via the Croí Cónaithe Serviced Sites: Ready to Build Scheme.