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Rower Monika inspires Kerry’s leaders and champions to dream big with Nissan

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Irish senior rowing high performance team member Monika Dukarska. PICTURE: DAVID KEANE

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KILLORGLIN rower Monika Dukarska is playing an inspirational role in encouraging Kerry’s next generation of leaders and champions to follow their dreams with the support of Nissan.

Monika has become one of the country’s top rowers since she joined the Nissan Generation Next programme which provides Ireland’s rising stars with a brand new, taxed and insured Nissan to drive for a year.

Applications for this year’s Nissan Generation Next programme are now open and Monika is calling on Kerry’s innovators and movers and shakers to apply so that they might follow in her footsteps.

“Anyone who wants to get ahead should apply. It is definitely worth it. I did not really expect to win when I applied but anyone who is ambitious should not underestimate their chances of getting the keys to a brand new Nissan,” said Monika.

Monika drove away with the keys to a Nissan Pulsar when she was selected from the hundreds of high achievers around the country who applied to be part of the Nissan Generation Next programme in 2015.

Recent illness has forced Monika to pull back from her attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio, but she has bounced back with a move from the women’s pair discipline to single sculling as part of a longer-term strategy to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.

“Without the car I would not be able to train as easily as I do. It has given me huge independence to travel from Kerry to Cork for training, to Tralee for college and to the lake in Cromane which is great for training 24/7 because I don’t have to worry about low tides,” Monika said.

“People in Kerry are definitely more aware of who I am driving the car. My coach was telling some locals in Cromane that I would be coming to train there and they told him they already knew that because they had seen me in the Nissan Generation Next ambassador car.”

Collecting the Nissan Pulsar and driving it down the motorway back to Kerry was one of the highlights of the year for Monika, she said. “I no longer have to rely on family and friends to drive me somewhere. The car gives me peace of mind to do my own thing and people support me because I am a Nissan Generation Next ambassador,” she said.

Nissan Generation Next has put 20 of Ireland’s new generation of leaders and champions on the road to success since it was launched in 2014.

“We are looking for people like Monika who are confident, focused and passionate about what they do in life and who could use a brand new, taxed and insured Nissan to help them achieve their goals,” said James McCarthy, CEO of Nissan Ireland.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants for the 2016 Nissan Generation Next progamme can apply online at www.nissangenerationnext.ie.

Applicants will be requested to briefly outline why they are an ideal candidate for Nissan Generation Next and how Nissan can help them to achieve the goals. Family members and friends can also make applications on behalf of individuals whom they consider to be an ideal Nissan Generation Next ambassador.

The closing date for applications is Tuesday, May 10, 2016. A shortlist of 20 candidates from those who apply nationwide will be announced soon after and put forward to a four-week public voting phase. The seven individuals generating the largest number of votes will win a place on the Nissan Generation Next ambassador programme.

The judges at Nissan will also select three applicants whom they believe are deserving of a place on the Nissan Generation Next ambassador programme.
 


 
Monika Dukarska. PICTURE: DAVID KEANE

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

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Five local postmen retire with 185 years service

RETIREMENT NIGHT: Pictured at the retirement party held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday, October 3, celebrating a combined 185 years of service with An Post, are Connie Brady, James Foley, Terry Potts, Pat Cronin, and D.J. Cahill.


Five well-known local postmen celebrated their retirement at a special function held at Killarney Racecourse on Saturday night, October 3.


The event brought together current and former An Post colleagues to mark the combined total of 185 years of service delivered across Killarney and surrounding areas.
Delivery Services Manager Terry Potts retired after 43 years with An Post. He began his career in Dublin, where he worked for 10 years, before moving to Killarney in 1993 for a further 33 years.
Pat Cronin completed an impressive 51 years of service between Killarney and Farranfore, spending 44 of those years delivering post on the Farranfore route.
James Foley served 35 years with An Post, delivering on routes across Killorglin throughout his entire career.
D.J. Cahill marked 32 years of service based out of Killarney post office, delivering mail across Killarney town, Killorglin, Kilcummin, and Headford.
Connie Brady retired following 24 years with the postal service, spending 17 years in Killarney town before completing his service in Killorglin.
The celebration offered local postal staff an opportunity to gather and catch up ahead of the busy Christmas rush.

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New Streetscapes murals launched at College Square

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A colourful collaboration between the Kerry Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) and the Architecture Kerry Festival at Kerry County Council launched yesterday evening at College Square.

Titled Streetscapes, the open-air public art installation officially opened at 5pm on Thursday, accompanied by a performance from the Killarney Youth Drumming Band THUMP! under the guidance of Urs Wenk from Drum Dance Ireland.


The public art project features a series of wall murals depicting Killarney through the eyes of local children, exploring freedom, play, and potential future evolutions of the townscape.

The artworks reimagine Killarney’s iconic landmarks and streets, blending youthful imagination and curiosity.


Supported under the Creative Ireland Programme, the installation is mounted on the gable wall of Reen’s Life Pharmacy in College Square, where it will remain on public display until March 2027.


Speaking at the launch, Daniel O’Shea, Youth Development Officer at Kerry ETB, stated: “Streetscapes is a wonderful celebration of how children see things. Their creativity brings new perspectives to the townscape, and we are proud to support their ideas and their art through this public artwork.”


Deirdre Enright, Co-Ordinator of the Local Creative Youth Partnership at Kerry ETB, acknowledged the community support behind the initiative: “We are very grateful to Reen’s Life Pharmacy who have shared their built space with us. Huge credit is due to the artistic team from Me+The Moon whose dedication to creativity and to children’s art shine through in this work.”


The project forms part of the annual Architecture Kerry Festival and receives funding through Creative Ireland and the Department of Education and Youth via Kerry ETB and Kerry County Council.


Victoria McCarthy, Festival Organiser and Architectural Conservation Officer at Kerry County Council, welcomed the continued inter-agency project: “It’s always a great event for Architecture Kerry and we are so pleased with this collaboration between public sector organisations. It remains a key feature of the Architecture Kerry programme.”
See next week’s Killarney Advertiser for full photographic coverage of the event.

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