News
Renowned film producer to receive Maureen O’Hara award

American film producer and current president of Lucasfilm has been named the recipient of this year's Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF) Maureen O’Hara award.
Esteemed producer, Kathleen Kennedy, has participated in the making of over 70 films worldwide including five of the 50 highest-grossing films in motion picture history. She also co-founded the production company Amblin Entertainment with Stephen Spielberg and Frank Marshall. She has produced a wide range of films that have since become beloved by fans, such as the emotionally-endearing 'E.T. the Extra Terrestrial', the thrilling films of the Jurassic Park series, acclaimed historical dramas such as 'Munich', 'Lincoln', and 'Schindler’s List', and three of the four celebrated Indiana Jones adventures, among scores of others. She is currently producing several new Star Wars series and films, including the third season of the Emmy Award-winning 'The Mandalorian'.
The much-coveted award is offered exclusively to women who have excelled in film and KIFF are privileged to be presenting this award to a producer of such calibre. Due to COVID restrictions, the award will be presented via an online interview which will be available throughout the festival on the KIFF website and social media platforms.
Taking place October 14 to 17, KIFF is a well-established festival that celebrates shorts, features, live film scores, emerging film talent and industry events. This year, the festival will be hosting both an online and physical event in partnership with venues throughout Kerry, such as Cinema Killarney, Randles Hotel Killarney, the Plaza Hotel Killarney and Siamsa Tíre Tralee.
“It is such an honour to receive the prestigious Maureen O’Hara award, a namesake that represents the progressive grit and enduring grace of powerful women in the industry whose careers and accomplishments paved the way for all of us," Kathleen Kennedy said. "I very much admire what the Kerry International Film Festival has accomplished and look forward to virtually meeting the filmmakers in October!”
KIFF has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months as they gained over 17,000+ live streams during their online festival in 2020 and they recently received their largest number of film submissions in the festival’s history to date. KIFF will announce their 2021 programme in the coming weeks. See www.kerryfilmfestival.com for more.
News
Eight month wait for a driving test in Killarney
A Killarney councillor is calling for action in an effort to reduce the driving test wait list in Killarney The current wait list for a test in Killarney sits at […]

A Killarney councillor is calling for action in an effort to reduce the driving test wait list in Killarney
The current wait list for a test in Killarney sits at eight months.
Cllr John O’Donoghue raised the issue at Monday’s full meeting of Kerry County Council.
He proposed that driving instructors should be employed to carry out the final test to reduce the current backlog.
At Monday’s meeting he asked that hat Kerry County Council would write to the Minister for Transport to ask him to consider giving driving instructors temporary powers to issue a temporary Driving Licence/Certificate of Competence to those on the waiting list for tests.
“The wait is currently far too long and the system is in danger of becoming completely overwhelmed,” he said.
“The huge waiting list for young drivers is well documented at this stage. In a case I am familiar with, a young person passed their theory test in January 2022 and he immediately applied for his mandatory 12 driving lessons. When these were completed, he applied for his driving test on the 2nd of December 2022. Some weeks ago, he still had not received an application to apply for his driving test. This wait is placing him and his family under considerable extra cost and stress which is completely unacceptable.”
In the course of his research into the matter Cllr O’Donoghue discovered that the next available date for a driving test in Killarney is May 25, 2024, while Tralee is June 3 2024.
“Bear in mind, these are only the dates on which you receive an invitation to book your test, the test itself will then be an estimated three to five weeks later.
“This is an appalling situation and one which needs to be rectified as a matter of urgency. I am proposing that driving instructors, which presumably are fully trained up on the rules of the road, be granted temporary powers to be allowed to issue temporary driving licences to young people. When the waiting list time has been reduced, I would still propose that these people sit the test as usual, but the current pressure needs to be alleviated as soon as possible. There is precedent as I believe that in the 1970s, a cohort in this country were issued driving licences without having sat a test as the wait time for the test was too long.”
News
Ballymac charity vintage run on October 1
The Ballymac Vintage Club is hosting a classic car, tractor and Honda 50 run on October 1. The run will leave from and return to the Halfway Bar, Ballymac. Registration […]

The Ballymac Vintage Club is hosting a classic car, tractor and Honda 50 run on October 1.
The run will leave from and return to the Halfway Bar, Ballymac.
Registration begins at 9:30am and sets off at 11am.
“There will be two separate routes with one for tractors and the other for cars and motorbikes. Proceeds on the day are in aid of Castleisland Day Care Centre and we’ll have plenty of spot prizes to giveaway too in the morning,” said the club’s PRO Kieran Glover.
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