News
Rally of the Lakes worth €10 million to local economy -Chamber

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has advised local businesses to prepare for a particularly busy May Bank Holiday weekend with the 41st International Rally of the Lakes ensuring a bumper long weekend in the town.
With a value to the town of in excess of €10 million, the International Rally of the Lakes is right up there in terms of major attractions in Killarney and it creates a hugely exciting sporting spectacle for the long weekend, Chamber President Niall Kelleher said.
He stressed that the town’s tourism industry relies heavily on flagship festivals and gatherings such as the 4th July Festival, Christmas in Killarney, the St Patrick’s Festival and, more recently, the Wander Wild Festival and events like the Rally of the Lakes, the Historic Rally and Bikefest add a wonderful extra dimension and real colour to what the town can offer visitors and locals.
“Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce is fully supportive of the Killarney and District Motor Club and I congratulate Clerk of the Course Darren McCormick and all involved in organising such a finely-tuned and high quality motorsport event, one of the best run of its kind in the country,” Mr Kelleher said.
He noted that Killarney has been synonymous with rallying for decades, which is hardly surprising given the terrific rally terrain it can offer, with the technically demanding stages matched only by the spectacular landscape.
“The Rally of the Lakes is very much a team Killarney effort with Gardaí, Kerry County Council, residents and businesses all playing their part and, in terms of coverage, Killarney and Kerry benefit enormously through TV, media and social media exposure.
“COVID has played spoilsport over the last two years but, on April 30 and May 1 we should forget all about the pandemic and concentrate instead on a feast of top class rallying and fun,” the Chamber President added.
News
Killarney and District Motor Club members honoured by Motorsport Ireland
By Cormac Casey Several members of Killarney and District Motor Club were honoured at the Motorsport Ireland awards lunch in Dublin on Wednesday. The highlight of the event is the […]

By Cormac Casey
Several members of Killarney and District Motor Club were honoured at the Motorsport Ireland awards lunch in Dublin on Wednesday.
The highlight of the event is the announcement of the sport’s top awards.
Kilkenny’s Jack Brennan (19) was named Young Rally Driver of the Year, while Wexford native Jack Byrne was named Young Racing Driver of the Year and the International Driver of the Year award went to recently crowned FIA Junior World Rally Champion, William Creighton.
Muckross-based co-driver Noel O’Sullivan was presented with his Irish Tarmac Rally Championship winning trophy.
This year saw the introduction of the Motorsport Ireland President’s Awards which celebrate the achievements of clubs and organisations.
Killarney and District Motor Club won in the innovation category for their work with their KDMC 2 initiative thanks to the efforts of the club’s vice chairman Mike O’Shea.
Rally Rescue teams were also recognised and the club’s Mike Cleary picked up an award for his role he played in what was a difficult year for rescue crew operators.
Tom O’Riordan, who looks after ambulance procurement on the club’s events, was presented with an FIA Volunteer Pin by Motorsport Ireland President Aiden Harper.
Killarney Advertiser Journalist Sean Moriarty was presented with an award for best use of of PR and media in 2023.
News
Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest ‘thank you’ event at Brehon
Participation in the 2023 Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest has grown by more than 100% since 2020 with 98% of those who gave feedback saying they would attend similar […]

Participation in the 2023 Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest has grown by more than 100% since 2020 with 98% of those who gave feedback saying they would attend similar events again in 2024.
Feedback from more than 100 people who attended this year’s Fest events from 7th to 14th October was positive with 91% stating they were satisfied.
The Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest is held annually over the course of a week to highlight World Mental Health Day on October 10.
It aims to raise awareness of the available supports and services in Kerry as well as empower people to engage with the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ through offering a dynamic and interactive programme of events.
99% percent of respondents, most of whom identified as female, said they would recommend the Fest to friends next year. Some key notes for improvement included a request for more events with wider variety throughout the county.
The Chair of the Interagency Steering Group, John Drummey from Kerry Mental Health Association, said: “We wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to event organisers, community groups, businesses, funders and partners that facilitated the Fest’s dynamic and interactive programme of events in 2023. We are encouraged to see such growth in numbers attending the Fest events with a 50% increase from 2022. We are already making plans for the Fest from 5 to 12t October 2024 and we are looking forward to building on this year’s successes. That said, there is always room for improvement and we would welcome suggestions for new events and activities.”
Many of the event organisers attended a ‘thank-you’ event at the Brehon Hotel, Killarney, courtesy of the Kerry Volunteer Centre to coincide with the annual International Volunteer Day, December 5.
The Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest was organised by an interagency steering group made up of local agencies that support wellbeing in our community.
The organising committee is a collaboration between Connecting for Life Kerry, Healthy Kerry, Kerry County Council, Kerry Recreation & Sports Partnership, the HSE, NEWKD, SKDP, Kerry Mental Health Association, Jigsaw Kerry, Munster Technological University/Kerry, KDYS, Kerry Volunteer Centre and Family Resource Centres throughout the county.