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O’Shea, Brosnan and Geaney score big in first round of Fantasy Club

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5 years ago

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The Killarney Advertiser Fantasy Club game in association with Gaelic Plus got underway last weekend and the unique new competition has captured the imagination of players and supporters right across the county.

Entrants scrambled to submit their perfect teams ahead the deadline last Wednesday night and then waited with bated breath to see how their players would fare in the Kerry Senior Club Championship Round 1 matches on Friday and Saturday.

When the games began, some popular players like Tadhg Morley of Templenoe and Daithí Casey of Dr Crokes were sadly notable by their absence while others, like Seán O’Shea of Kenmare and Dingle’s Paul Geaney, did exactly what their managers were hoping for.

LEADERS

It’s tight at the top after the first round of fixtures with joint leaders DJ Murphy of Gneeveguilla and Mick O’Connell of Fossa just six points clear of Gavin Moriarty in third.

DJ, who plays full back for his club and was in action himself over the weekend in the Junior Premier Championship, had free-scoring forwards Tony Brosnan (33), Seán O’Shea (25), Jack Savage (23) and James O’Donoghue (20) to thank for the bulk of his tally with backs Cian Gammell and Dan McCarthy also chipping in with 21 points apiece.

Micko also had Gammell and McCarthy with Paul Geaney (25) and Kenmare goalscorer Paul O’Connor (12) also helping to propel him up the leaderboard.

Kenmare youngster Dan McCarthy could be a game-changer for anyone who has selected him; the Kerry U20 is listed as a defender but he was named at midfield for Kenmare’s victory over Kerins O’Rahilly’s, and he actually did most of his work in the forwards. This is significant because backs earn more points than forwards for scoring from play (9 versus 3) and they also get a bonus if their team concedes under 15 points.

McCarthy, Gammell and attacking Dr Crokes half back Michael Potts each earned 21 points, more than any other back, by virtue of starting (1), winning (3), conceding under 15 (8) and scoring a point (9) in their respective games.

Tony Brosnan of Dr Crokes was the most commonly picked player amongst Fantasy Club managers and his impressive scoring exploits on Friday night saw him clean up with 33 points in total (start=1, win=3, goal=8, five points from play=15, three points from frees=6). Seán O’Shea, Paul Geaney and James O’Donoghue have also been selected by a large number of participants, although the rules in relation to Star Players prevented anyone from selecting all four of these players.

LOYALTY

Gavin Moriarty from the Killarney Legion is third in the table and family loyalty played a big part in getting him there. He selected his brother, Thomas, in his team and the pacey corner forward came off the bench to kick two points from play against Kilcummin. That bagged him six points and Thomas also picked up three bonus points for helping his side to victory.

Thomas’ teammate Brian Kelly was unfortunately unable to keep a clean sheet (which would have been worth eight points) but he still managed to score four, which was good news for… Brian Kelly. The Legion goalkeeper is taking part in Fantasy Club and he naturally selected himself. His four points elevated him to 18th place on the overall leaderboard, just ahead of his friend and clubmate Derek Twomey (who incidentally went with Shane Murphy in goal).

The majority of managers in the league are, as one might expect, from the Killarney and East Kerry area but “foreign” clubs like John Mitchels, Sneem, Cromane, Beaufort, Annascaul, Castleisland, Dingle and Kenmare are all represented. There is also one entry from the Pádraig Pearse’s club in County Roscommon.

The competition was initially capped at 100 entries but a handful of would-be managers missed the deadline, so the final number of participants is 92.

It’s all to play for heading into Round 2 and with a brand-new set of Gaelic Plus jerseys and some fantastic consolation prizes on the line, managers will be praying for some big performances from their chosen players.

Follow @AdamMoynihan on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest Fantasy Club updates!

 

 

 

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Tree of Light ceremony on Monday

The spectacular 100ft Tree of Light in Killarney, festooned with close on 3,000 lights and topped with a giant star, will again illuminate the town this Christmas with the official […]

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6 hours ago

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7 December 2025

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The spectacular 100ft Tree of Light in Killarney, festooned with close on 3,000 lights and topped with a giant star, will again illuminate the town this Christmas with the official switch-on date planned for Monday next, December 8.

The lighting up ceremony will take place after a community Mass in the adjacent St Mary’s Cathedral at 6.15pm and a short prayer service will mark the big switch-on.
The towering Tree of Light is a landmark giant Californian Redwood tree located just outside the main door of the Pugin-designed building.
The project is an collaboration between a sub-committee of Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce and the Killarney parish and it creates a wonderful focal point in the town in the lead up to and during the festive season.
Killarney Parish Administrator, Fr Kieran O’Brien and Christmas in Killarney Chairman, Cllr Niall Kelleher extend a warm invitation to all community groups, schools, clubs and organisations, families and individuals to attend the special Mass next Monday evening or to visit the tree this Christmastime.
The feature star on the spectacular tree will take on an extra special meaning this year as it will be dedicated to the late Donal Grady, a long-serving local councillor and former Mayor of Killarney who worked diligently and passionately for the community.
Donal, who passed away in 2024, was a dedicated public representative who worked with great passion and a real sense of purpose on behalf of his loyal supporters.
Through his work as a long-serving chief fire officer in Killarney, he helped so many families at a time when they most needed assistance and reassurance and he brought a great sense of calm and responsibility to the position
The Tree of Light was first lit to mark the millennium year when it commemorated all those who lost their lives in the conflict in Northern Ireland and it was again illuminated in the mid-2000s to remember those who had been killed on Irish roads.
Since then the project is all about community and it celebrates the fact that Killarney is such a wonderful town to live in.
In the past, the star at the top of the tree has been dedicated to great community activists Johnny Hickey, Yvonne Quill, Paul Coghlan and Rena Kennelly.

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O’Donoghue planning National Rally Championship campaign

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7 hours ago

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7 December 2025

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Killarney’s Colin and Kieran O’Donoghue claimed victory in the Modified section of the Killarney Towers Hotel Killarney Historic Rally, delivering a controlled run in their Ford Escort Mk2 to secure Colin’s second win in the category and Kieran’s first.


At the finish ramp outside the Plaza Hotel on Saturday evening, Colin O’Donoghue confirmed he is considering a step into the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship next season.

He said he plans to travel to Mayo in March to see how the opening round suits before making a decision.

O’Donoghue set the fastest time on all nine stages to secure the win over second-placed Chris Armstrong/Conor Smith, also in a Ford Escort.


Third place went to Gary McPhillips and Conor Mohan, 17.9 seconds further back in their Escort.


The Modified section also featured the battle for the Carrick Cup, awarded in memory of Mike Gaine to the fastest Kenmare-based crew over Moll’s Gap.


This year it went to Tommy Randles/Darragh Lynch, who set the pace among the local contenders and finished 35th overall.

Randles, a long-serving club official, has hinted this could be one of his final competitive outings.


The best Kerry Motor Club crew was John Michael Kennelly / Dylan Harrington, who took fifth overall in the Modified division.

Dave Slattery / Denis Coffey continued their strong season with 13th overall (Class 6, 4th), while Hugh McQuaid and Rathmore school teacher Declan Casey placed 15th overall and sixth in Class 6.

Other locals included Seán Enright / Kevin Doherty who were Class 3 winners on the recent Thomond Rally and backed that up here with another steady finish in 26th.


Tadhg O’Sullivan /Frank Byrnes, Seán Hartnett/Kieran Doherty, Raymond O’Neill/Jason O’Connor, Cyril Wharton/Donal Falvey and Ray Stack/Gene Stack brought their Escorts home safely inside the top 40.

Gary Healy/Niall Myers, switching from a Civic to a Toyota Twin Cam 20V, took third in Class 5.


Paudie O’Callaghan/Daniel Murphy brought their Starlet home fourth in Class 4.


Noel O’Sullivan/Nicholas Burke, one of the few crews to have contested every Historic Rally since it began in 1996, finished 50th overall.


Killarney father-and-son team Tom and Mark O’Sullivan completed the demanding event in their Peugeot 205 GTi.

Representing Kerry Motor Club, Ken McKenna / PJ O’Dowd reached the finish in their Peugeot 205.

Kevin O’Donoghue / John McElhinney used Super Rally to return to the stages after mechanical trouble, as did Kenmare’s Shane McCarthy / Eamonn Creedon who were among several crews targeting future Carrick Cup success and completed their Honda EG6’s run under Super Rally as well.

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