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Santa helpers now doing home visits

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ELF DRIVE: Santa's Little Helpers will be visiting Killarney children until December 22.

By Sean Moriarty

It's not a case of the elf on the shelf this Christmas - instead elves are planning to come to life and visit excited children outside their homes.

At a time when it is not possible for Santa Claus to welcome children to his town centre grotto, his helpers have joined forces with O’Callaghan Coaches so they can visit children in their own homes.

In the run up to Christmas, the family coach firm would usually be flat out ferrying Christmas shoppers to and from Dublin, Belfast and other destinations.

Apart from their school work, their fleet is effectively parked up and with office staff and drivers available to work, but with little else happening, they have come up with a novel idea to bring Christmas cheer to your own front door.

O’Callaghan Coaches are working with Tom Kennedy of Experience Ireland Golf and Travel.

The two companies retrained five of their staff, some drivers and some office workers, as fully-qualified elves with the support from Fiona Crowley of Killarney Stage School, and have adapted one of their minibuses into an elf-mobile.

“I saw the idea in Cork and ran it past my team and they all jumped on it,” Phillip O’Callaghan told the Killarney Advertiser. “We are bringing some Christmas cheer to the town, but is has also helped raise our own spirits too in a difficult year.”

Each visit includes a personal poem read out by the elves, a gift pack and a certificate of good behaviour signed by Santa Claus himself. Full COVID-19 protocols are exercised during each visit including a socially distanced photo and all activities take place outdoors.

Santa’s Helpers will be visiting homes in the Killarney area until December 22. Bookings and further details, including time slots, are available via www.santashelpers.ie.

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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