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Olga Lukavska gave birth to the first Ukrainian born in Killarney.

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Olga Lukavska sways her new-born son Marko in her arms.

She speaks softly so as not to wake the baby. Her eyes glow with happiness. A few weeks ago, Olga gave birth to her third son. She has come a long and difficult way to give birth abroad.

Olga lived in Kyiv with her husband and two sons. Her husband is a musician, Olga is a speech therapist teacher and was six months pregnant when the war broke out.

The family did not really believe that war would break out. Therefore, emergency suitcases were not ready and there was no evacuation plan.

They simply lived their lives in peace and prayer. Olga and her husband prepared for the birth of a child through The Secret of Happiness St. Jude Novena prayers.

At the beginning of the war, Olga's two sons were with her grandmother in Western Ukraine.

On February 24, she woke from explosions. The war started very loudly. Next to Olga's house is Gostomel Airport, where the Russian landing party began arrived.

It was necessary to evacuate immediately. Friends offered to take Olga's family out in their car. But all the roads from Kyiv were filled with cars, traffic jams stretched for many kilometers. All 4 million Kyivites tried to leave the capital as soon as possible to escape.

To get to the evacuation car the pregnant woman and her husband had to cross fields.

"This field has been my biggest test," says Olga. She ran across the field in complete darkness, holding a guinea pig cage in one hand and her stomach in her other hand.

The man with their things was running nearby. There were constant explosions around, helicopters flew low, the airport was on fire on the horizon, where there was already a battle with the Russian landing party.

At that moment, Olga was thinking about what she should do to save her future child. She and her husband prayed incessantly. Olga still thanks God for her salvation. At the last moment, they managed to get in the car and leave.

Along the way, they saw rockets hitting different cities. The road to western Ukraine stretched for 15 hours. And then the journey continued for a few more months.

Olga's husband stayed, and she and her two small children, mother and brother, left. "We thought we were leaving Ukraine for a few weeks and would have time to return to childbirth," she said. However, fate took the family across Europe and eventually led to Ireland.

After staying at the Killarney Hotel, Olga had a lot of worries, because it was necessary to arrange for children to go to school and kindergarten, Prepare for childbirth, learn how the medical system works and collect all the necessary things for the baby.

She says that the birth went as well as she did not even expect. For this she is grateful first of all to God, but also to the medical staff, volunteers from KASI and all the people who supported her. Parents from St Olivers and the Ballyspillane centre also helped her.

"I received a lot of support from the people who helped me at every stage, from organising medical care to collecting things in the maternity hospital, buying all the necessary things for my son: a stroller, clothes, diapers."

The medical staff also impressed Olga with their attention and professionalism.

"Now, when I look back a few months ago, I realise that I was under a lot of stress. But my psyche was strong. Now I will remember our long journey from Kyiv to Killarney like a dream. During which I had only one thought that I should save the children. It was my mission that gave me incredible strength. It was only in Ireland that I consciously lived my days and was able to exhale,” Olga says.

Nobody knows how long the war will last in Ukraine, so the Lukavsky family plan to stay in Ireland. In autumn her husband will come to Olga and the whole family plans to move from the hotel to their own apartment.

She really believes in people's care.

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KWD Recycling shortlisted for national environmental awards

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KWD Recycling shortlisted for national environmental awards


Killarney-based KWD Recycling has been announced as a finalist in the 2026 Repak Resource Awards, securing a spot on the national shortlist for environmental achievement.


The local waste management company has been nominated in the Best Recovery Operator Innovation category, sponsored by DNV, for its state-of-the-art residual waste recovery system.
The Killarney facility utilizes optical sorting, screening, and mechanical processing to extract recyclable plastics and organic material from municipal waste. In its first year of operation, the technology recovered more than 10 per cent of plastic packaging from residual waste for recycling and diverted almost 50 per cent of organic material toward composting.
KWD Recycling will compete alongside Dublin operators Panda and Thorntons Recycling for the category title.
Repak CEO Zoe Kavanagh commended the Kerry firm for demonstrating environmental leadership and bringing local ambition to the national awards.
Category winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin on Friday, October 23, where each winner will also compete for the Overall Repak Resource Award.
Local businesses have a strong track record at the national event, with Killarney town venue The Killarney Park and The Ross previously taking home the overall title in 2023.

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Drivers warned as deer rutting season begins

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Drivers warned as deer rutting season begins


Motorists in Killarney are being urged to exercise extreme caution as the annual deer rutting season gets underway, causing animals to stray far beyond their usual habitats inside Killarney National Park.


The autumn mating season sees deer becoming highly active and unpredictable, leading to increased sightings and collisions on local roads outside traditional park boundaries.
Two separate incidents highlighted the growing hazard on local routes this week. A reader contacted the Killarney Advertiser to warn drivers after spotting a deer roaming near Tiernaboul towards the school on Sunday afternoon around 7.30pm.
Later that same night, in the early hours of Monday morning, a local driver collided with a deer near Kerry Airport around 1am while returning home from an event.
Despite attempting evasive action, the motorist struck the animal, which died at the scene and temporarily blocked the road before local Gardaí were alerted to clear the obstruction.
The driver sustained substantial vehicle damage, requiring repairs to the bumper, headlamp, and internal components, leaving her facing significant garage costs and time off the road.
Gardaí and road safety advocates advise motorists travelLing during early morning and late evening and remain vigilant along tree-lined routes.

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