News
Pigs Lane – Killarney’s first underground bar with plenty of surprises in store

A unique new bar has just opened beneath the well-trodden streets of Killarney. Pig’s Lane on College Street, is the town’s first underground drinks spot offering hand-crafted cocktails designed by a world champion mixologist; sustainably selected natural, regenerative and vegan wines; locally sourced snacks and small plates; a whiskey parlour; and live music from both well-known and up-and-coming artists.
Making its opening debut earlier this month, the subterranean venue has been developed by the innovative and sustainably-minded family-run team behind the award-winning Café du Parc, The Tan Yard and O’Donoghue Public House – the O’Donoghue Ring Collection.
Pig’s Lane is a nod to the former name of the original site on which the new bar now stands. In the early 1900’s, Pig’s Lane ran from college street through Railway Road.
Enter through the striking, lamp-lit arched doorway and descend the dramatic tiled staircase reminiscent of underground railways of old, into the beautifully crafted subterranean bar. Designed with quality, provenance and creativity in mind, every element of the new venue – from the reclaimed décor to the delicious drinks and dishes – adds another layer of enjoyment and intrigue to any evening.
Behind the scenes, drinks aficionado Ariel Sanecki, the newly appointed Drinks Development Manager for the O’Donoghue Ring Collection, has poured his years of experience competing in (and winning) cocktail competitions across the world into creating a meticulously crafted cocktail menu. A veritable showcase of the best Irish spirits and liquor is accompanied by locally sourced, seasonal fruit and herb garnishes and signature homemade syrups.
Groups of four or more can gather around gorgeous antiquated punch bowls and feel immersed in the time-honoured art of sipping and sharing libations containing local spirits, cold brew herbal teas and refreshing hints of fruit.
Meanwhile, a unique wine list has been lovingly curated from a selection of natural, biodynamic, and sustainable varieties specifically sourced from small producers committed to nurturing the environment through every drop they create. Wines from Romania, Crete, Czech Republic, and Lebanon, promise to take wine enthusiasts on a journey beyond traditional terroirs and contribute towards a wine list that is working towards reducing C02 emissions and a greener future.
Uncover the hidden whiskey parlour – a distiller’s den lined with more than 120 rare quality bottles sourced from the best producers and collectors internationally. Whilst the finest Scotch, Japanese and Bourbon bottles have their place, the focus is on premium Irish whiskeys with plenty of exclusive and rare releases to be discovered.
Newly appointed Group Development Chef Janice Casey Brackens has used her passion for provenance to create a menu of snacks and small plates combining the freshest of ingredients sourced from local and Irish suppliers, along with the group’s innovative Killarney Urban Farm located right next door. These tempting sidekicks provide the perfect accompaniment to any drinks order.
Music moves with the mood with a diverse mix of genres to suit all tastes. The eclectic and versatile house playlist sets an ambient tone as you sip, savour and mingle with friends, whilst well-known artists, bands and DJ’s are bringing their live acts underground for some intimate performances.
Open seven days a week from 5pm, Pig’s Lane has arrived just in time to provide a one-of-a-kind hideaway for the darker months ahead.
News
Fossa School says ‘bonjour’ to French classes

Fossa National School is giving its pupils a headstart in learning a new language.
The school signed up to Language Sampler scheme as part of the ‘Say Yes to Languages’ initiative in primary schools organised by Post Primary languages Ireland in 2021. This is the school’s third year running the module.
Hélène Olivier-Courtney, the school’s French teacher and director of French For All Killarney School of French, covers ten schools in Kerry over the three terms.
The success of the initiative relies on an all-school approach and the active involvement of class teachers and management.
“The whole staff in Fossa certainly helped make this new journey a special and enjoyable experience for the children as we learnt French through art, songs, games and food tasting! This year, we also organised a catwalk on our last day. Our sixth-class students will have such a head start before secondary school and most importantly will have develop curiosity interest and love for the language,” said Hélène.
News
Opinion: Silent majority needs to stand up and call out far-right hate

By Chris Davies
Last Friday’s Dublin Riots should not have come as a surprise to anyone. It has been bubbling under the surface of Irish society for a good number of years now. The actions of a small minority last week was a culmination of years of racism, hatred and misinformation shared online by far-right groups.
Late on Friday night a disturbing WhatsApp voice note was doing the rounds on social media where a far-right actor could clearly be heard encouraging violence on the streets of Dublin.
“’Seven o’clock, be in town. Everyone bally up, tool up…Any foreigner, just kill them”
Watching the Riots unfold on social media brought me back to when I was working in Dublin a number of years back. My morning commute from Skerries to the city centre involved a dart to Connolly Station followed by a short trip on the Luas to the Jervis. Every week, without fail, I would witness at least one racial slur or attack on someone who didn’t fit the narrow minded view of what an Irish person should look, dress or talk like. I don’t know if it is the eerie silence of public transport that seems to amplify the situation, but that’s where I found it to be most common. The abuse was usually perpetrated by a group of youths or someone who was clearly under the influence of drink or drugs. The victims were always of colour, often dressed smartly enough to presume they were on their way, or coming from work. A far cry from the perpetrators who you could tell were roaming aimlessly around the city looking for trouble.
While shameful to admit, I would often look on and watch the abuse unfold, only to spend the rest of my work day thinking about the poor person who was told to “F*&K off back to your own country”. I would sit at my desk questioning why I didn’t step in and say something. There were one or two occasions where I did step in and call it out, but not nearly often enough.
This disgusting behaviour is much more visible in our cities. Since moving back to Killarney I wouldn’t witness as much direct abuse on the streets but working with the Killarney Advertiser I would be tuned in to local news and some of the comments I read on our social platforms are far worse than anything I witnessed during my time in Dublin.
There is a significant group of people in Ireland that I would call the ‘silent majority’. We are not as outspoken on issues we care about. We tend to observe and consume the news quietly, and only speak of our support or disgust on certain issues in close circles, too afraid we might offend someone. The problem with this is that we are leaving these far-right groups unchallenged, to become louder, more aggressive and more hostile as seen last week.
The past week Sinn Fein and the Social Democrats have been busy in the media expressing no confidence in Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris but I would suggest that there is a large percentage of the Irish population that bears some of the responsibility. We witness racism in our communities and online every day and we need to start speaking up and calling it out.
On the issue of immigration in Killarney, there is no doubt resources are being stretched and our tourism industry is suffering as a result of an influx of immigration. Locals have also raised concerns in relation to the placement of so many male international protection applicants in one setting and we only have to look back on the incident in Hotel Killarney last year where a number of men were involved in a harrowing stabbing incident to see how that played out.
However, being concerned around immigration is not the same as anti-immigration. It is important to raise these issues with local representatives and Kerry TD’s but also to separate ourselves from far-right groups who are only interested in encouraging violence.
The anarchy we witnessed last week should never be the answer and research shows it is completely unnecessary. Harvard University have looked at hundreds of protests over the last century, and found that non-violent campaigns are twice as likely to achieve their goals as violent campaigns and that it only takes around 3.5% of the population actively participating in the protests to ensure serious political change.
Let’s continue to protest peacefully for issues we believe in, but stand up and speak out against people and movements in our community that incite hate and violence.