News
O’Sullivan toast of Killarney as Muckross man wins Rally of the Lakes
By Sean Moriarty
Killarney competitors took the top honours in all four categories of the Rally of the Lakes at the weekend.
JUNIOR CHAMPS: Junior Category winners Jason Farrell and John McCarthy with club officers Martin Farrell and Diarmuid Lynch at the prizegiving ceremony of the International Rally of the Lakes at The Gleneagle Hotel on Sunday. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
CLASS WINNERS: Local crew Pat Looney and Amy Burke with Joe McCarthy (Vice Chairman) and Ann O'Donoghue (Entries Secretary) at the prizegiving ceremony of the International Rally of the Lakes on Sunday. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
WINNERS: National category winners Rob Duggan and Ger Conway with Michael O'Mahoney (Rentokil Initial) and Paul Ahern (Ahern's Motor Group) at the prizegiving ceremony of the International Rally of the Lakes at The Gleneagle Hotel on Sunday. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
TWO IN A ROW: Historic category winners Alan Ring (right) and Adrian Deasy with Darren McCormick (Clerk of the Course) at the prizegiving ceremony of the Killarney and District Motor Club International Rally of the Lakes at The Gleneagle Hotel on Sunday. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
FAMILY OCCASION: Winning co-driver Noel O'Sullivan Jnr with his parents Noel Snr and Marion O'Sullivan at the prizegiving ceremony of the International Rally of the Lakes. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
JUNIOR CHAMPS: Junior Category winners Jason Farrell and John McCarthy with club officers Martin Farrell and Diarmuid Lynch at the prizegiving ceremony of the International Rally of the Lakes at The Gleneagle Hotel on Sunday. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
CLASS WINNERS: Local crew Pat Looney and Amy Burke with Joe McCarthy (Vice Chairman) and Ann O'Donoghue (Entries Secretary) at the prizegiving ceremony of the International Rally of the Lakes on Sunday. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
WINNERS: National category winners Rob Duggan and Ger Conway with Michael O'Mahoney (Rentokil Initial) and Paul Ahern (Ahern's Motor Group) at the prizegiving ceremony of the International Rally of the Lakes at The Gleneagle Hotel on Sunday. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
TWO IN A ROW: Historic category winners Alan Ring (right) and Adrian Deasy with Darren McCormick (Clerk of the Course) at the prizegiving ceremony of the Killarney and District Motor Club International Rally of the Lakes at The Gleneagle Hotel on Sunday. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
FAMILY OCCASION: Winning co-driver Noel O'Sullivan Jnr with his parents Noel Snr and Marion O'Sullivan at the prizegiving ceremony of the International Rally of the Lakes. Photo: Eamonn Keogh
Killarney and District Motor Club (KDMC) member Noel O'Sullivan said it was the stuff of dreams on the finish ramp on Sunday evening after he and his driver, Derry man Callum Devine won the rally in dramatic circumstances.
Drama is a word often thrown around in sport, but on Sunday last, the final stage of the International Rally of the Lakes will go down in history.
Overnight leader Alastair Fisher had a 7.7-second lead coming into Sunday but a quick run up Molls Gap and Ballaghbeama by Devine early on Sunday morning cut the gap to 5.8 seconds.
Following a dead heat on the second run over the Gap, the battle came down to the final stage of the event, Caragh Lake, with just 3.1 seconds between the pair. Alastair was first on the road and halfway through when his Volkswagen Polo left the road and he couldn’t get back out to finish the stage.
Devine and O’Sullivan held on to claim a memorable victory for the local man.
“I am speechless, it is not often I am caught for words,” he said one week after he won the opening round of the British Rally Championship alongside Osian Pryce.
“The pace is up there with all the British, European and world events I have done.”
It was a special weekend for the O’Sullivan family. Noel’s father, Noel Snr, on his 38th attempt (out of 41 events) at the Rally of the Lakes, finished second in his class in his Ford Escort. Co-driver Nicky Burke started the rally for the 25th consecutive time.
The 'Acesigns' Irish Tarmac Rally Championship leader Josh Moffett, said he was finding the going difficult all weekend, left Killarney in second place, a result which he said he was happy with. Belfast’s Jonathan Greer rounded out the podium places in his Citroen C3.
National Rally
National honours went to Killarney club man Rob Duggan and Ger Conway. Having complained of clutch issues from the word go, Rob battled hard throughout setting multiple fastest stage times to win out by 48.9 seconds from Donegal man Kevin Eves in his Toyota Corolla Twin Cam.
“Sunday was a long day,” Duggan said, after nursing his car through the final day. As well as his clutch problems his Ford Escort suffered from a leaking head gasket and starter motor issues.
Conor Murphy and Sean Collins brought their Ford Escort home in third place overall in the national section.
“We are delighted with the clean run – drama free,” said Murphy at the finish.
Kilcummin’s Damien Fleming guided Raymond Conlon to a class in their Toyota Corolla.
Defending Kingdom of Kerry rally champion Mark Murphy and his co-driver Thomas Murphy were another crew to take top honours in their class.
Another local driver John Hickey, and his north Kerry co-driver Maurice McElligott, won their class in their unusual Fubaru Escort RS 4x4 while Denis Nagle and Brian Rowan won the 1400cc class in their Nissan Micra.
Historic Rally
Alan Ring went one better than his second place result in the Killarney Historic Rally last November by taking the historic win on his home rally in the Subaru Legacy.
Alan and his co-driver Adrian Deasy had 45.8 seconds to spare over another local crew Fergus O’Meara and Ronald Riordan in their Ford Escort.
Ring suffered brake problems on Saturday but recovered the lost time over the Sunday loop of stages.
“The pedal went to the floor,” said Ring in Parc Ferme on Saturday evening. "It did not inspire confidence.”
His win on Sunday was the second time in a row that he won the historic section of his home rally – his previous victory coming in 2019, the last time the rally ran.
Local garage man Pat Looney and his co-driver Amy Burke, who is better known for her equestrian skills, won their class in a Ford Escort Mk1.
Junior Rally
Killarney and District Motor Club member Jason Farrell has extended his lead at the top of the standings in the Irish Junior Tarmac Rally Championship following an emphatic Junior rally win. This was his third victory of the year.
Local debutants Gary Healy and Gearoid Moynihan brought their Honda Civic home in third, a fantastic result for them given it was their first outing on home soil.
The rally was held in some glorious weather over the weekend, with just some showers early on Sunday morning to test the driver’s skill and technique. Thousands of spectators lined the stages in what was one of the biggest crowds seen at the International Rally of the Lakes for years.
Patient transfer to new hospital to begin on Monday
Following several false starts and long delays, the phased transfer of patients and residents to the new state-of-the-art Killarney Community Nursing Unit on Lewis Road is set to begin on Monday, August 10.
A major stumbling block regarding staff transfers and safe staffing levels was resolved following negotiations under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
With an agreement reached between the HSE and representative unions, including the INMO, SIPTU, and Fórsa, at long last, staff and residents are prepared to move into the new facility.
Welcoming the breakthrough, Councillor Marie Moloney expressed cautious optimism:
“It’s good news that an agreement has been reached with the staff and that transfer of residents and patients can finally take place to the Community Nursing Unit. So many families have been waiting for so long to see their loved ones transfer to this beautiful new facility. Let’s hope there will be no further delays.”
HSE National Director and Integrated Health Area Manager for Kerry, Julie O’Neill, confirmed that the agreement enables the facility to open safely on a phased basis:
“I welcome the agreement reached at the Workplace Relations Commission, enabling us to proceed with the opening of our new Community Nursing Unit in Killarney. I would like to thank everyone involved in reaching this agreement and acknowledge the constructive engagement of all parties.”
Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry and member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health, Michael Cahill TD, also welcomed the news:
“This is very welcome news for older people and their families across Kerry. The new Killarney Community Nursing Unit has been eagerly awaited and I am delighted that agreement has now been reached to allow its phased opening from August 10. I know the delays have been a source of frustration for many families but today’s announcement provides certainty that residents will soon begin moving into this modern, purpose-built facility.”
Deputy Cahill acknowledged the efforts of all parties involved in negotiations, noting:
“I want to thank the HSE, the Workplace Relations Commission and the representative unions, the INMO, SIPTU and Fórsa for their constructive engagement in reaching this agreement. Ensuring safe staffing is essential, and I am pleased that a solution has now been found.”
He added:
“As a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health, I will continue to work to ensure Kerry receives the healthcare investment and staffing it deserves. The opening of this new unit is a major step forward for residential care in our county, and I look forward to seeing residents welcomed through its doors from August 10.”
Call for plaque at historical burial site
Local history enthusiast Anthony Kerrigan has formally written to Kerry County Council proposing the installation of a commemorative plaque or historical marker at the unmarked Moyeightragh Burial Ground in Killarney, and is calling on Killarney Advertiser readers to back the initiative.
The ancient site is said to be in the vicinity of of Lewis Road and Fitzgerald stadium
The sacred site, registered under Monument Record KE066-068002, sits in the vicinity of Lewis Road and the Fitzgerald Stadium footprint. In his letter to council officials, Kerrigan explained how the landmark faded from view over generations.
“Historical mapping shows that this ancient burial ground was progressively built over and divided following the construction of Lewis Road in the 1850s and subsequent urban developments,” Kerrigan wrote. “While the site is completely invisible on the surface today, it remains a designated archaeological monument where subsurface human remains are protected in situ.”
Kerrigan highlighted that recent discoveries underscore the risk of the location being forgotten entirely, noting how the displacement of significant artefact, such as the 18th-century Margaret Shea grave ledger uncovered nearby during Park Road archaeological testing in 201, illustrates how vulnerable the memory of the site is to the passage of time.
Advocating for a permanent marker near the site, Kerrigan explained the cultural importance of recognising those buried there.
“As a matter of community respect, civic pride, and historical preservation, I believe a modest, non-invasive plaque or information board should be placed nearby,” he stated. He noted that such a marker would serve to honour past generations of Killarney citizens, educate visitors about the town’s shifting landscape, and prevent the total erasure of the designated heritage asset from local consciousness.
Kerrigan pointed out that the proposal aligns directly with the core objectives of the Department’s Community Monuments Fund regarding the enhancement and public accessibility of archaeological monuments. He expressed a desire to coordinate with the Council’s Heritage Office, the Burial Grounds Section, and local history groups like the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society to ensure appropriate text and placement.
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