News
Referendum posters a real nuisance
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As the seemingly never-ending Eight Amendment debate rumbles on, one aspect of the whole chaotic scene is a particular source of annoyance: the ubiquitous campaign posters. People on both sides are slating the other’s billboards and public adverts, with the Yes campaign especially critical of the alleged misinformation being spread by the Pro Life brigade. But, whatever about the content, it’s the sheer volume of these posters that I have a gripe with.
I recently travelled by road to Donegal and by the end of the trip I had the images seared into my brain. Foetus, YES, mother and child, Mary Lou McDonald, foetus YES, mother and child, Mary Lou McDonald. It was non-stop. I understand that it’s an important issue, but do we really need to be beaten over the head with it? One particular stretch of road near Kerry Airport has a row of posters that are so numerous and so close together that trying to read them would genuinely induce carsickness.
As I mentioned last week, I’ll be voting ‘yes’ but you would have to seriously question the thinking behind one of Sinn Féin’s ads. A big photo of Mary Lou McDonald’s head? As my father would say, what has that got to do with the price of milk? Maybe they’re trying to associate her face with the Yes campaign in the hopes that they’re on to a winner. It’s a bold move. And a strange one, too.
Then you have the whole issue surrounding the illegal removal of these signs. Labour say they put up around 80 ‘yes’ posters in Limerick over the past few weeks, and roughly half of those had been taken down. “This is just purely trying to suppress democracy and I would go so far as to say it smacks of fascism,” said Jan O’Sullivan TD.
Fianna Fáil TD for Waterford Mary Butler has also said that she had seen a "huge ‘no’ poster" torn down on the way to Dungarvan over the weekend.
"They cost a lot of money to put up. The tearing down of posters whether they are Yes or No is obviously not the right way to deal with this issue, people are entitled to put up their posters," she said.
Whatever about fascism or the law, the mysterious poster bandits might do us all a favour and take down the rest of them as well.
News
Massive Park Road housing development given green light
A private developer has been given planning permission to build 249 new residential units at Upper Park Road. The development, which will be built on a recently cleared site near […]

A private developer has been given planning permission to build 249 new residential units at Upper Park Road.
The development, which will be built on a recently cleared site near An Post’s sorting office, will include a variety of properties from five-bed houses to single apartments, along with a crèche and over 500 car spaces and over 300 bike spaces.
The development has been welcomed by local councillor Martin Grady.
“Killarney has a massive housing shortage so this is very positive. It will retain young families in the area, stimulating economic growth,” he said. “After 17 years of different planning applications it’s finally coming to fruition.”
News
Ballydribeen residents living in fear due to anti-social behaviour
Residents in the Ballydribeen are living in fear as a result of increased anti-social behaviour in the estate. Several serious incidents in the estate have resulted in several Garda visits […]

Residents in the Ballydribeen are living in fear as a result of increased anti-social behaviour in the estate.
Several serious incidents in the estate have resulted in several Garda visits in the last week.
Local councillor Martin Grady told the Killarney Advertiser that residents are “living in fear” as a result of very serious incidents in the last week alone.
One house in the estate was badly damaged when fire crackers were placed inside a letter box.
Another house had its windows smashed in over the weekend.
“It’s a major problem,” added Grady after meeting residents there earlier this week.
One of the most serious incidents occurred on Tuesday night.
A passing motorists had rocks thrown at his car while driving along the bypass whch is adjacent to the estate.
Taking to social media, local primary-school teacher Pádraig O’Sullivan posted:
“Travelling home tonight, at 11.05pm on the Killarney side of the bypass our car was hit by a rock – not a pebble – from the Ballydribben side , which hit the passenger door.
“It was centimetres away from hitting the window where my father, who is visually impaired, was sitting.
“This could have caused catastrophic permanent injury to him.
“The Killarney Garda were on the scene within three minutes.
“They can’t be patrolling the bypass all night.
“It comes down to parenting. You should know where your children are at this hour and be able to teach them what’s funny and what ruin a person’s life or cause a fatal crash.“