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Shelley’s shocked after surprise 80th party

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80th BIRTHDAY: Shelley O'Donoghue Lehane, celebrated her 80th birthday with family and friends in The Killarney Avenue Hotel on Saturday night. Front from left are: Julie, Jerry, Shelley, Pacella and Marguerite Lehane. Back from left are: Seamus and Margaret O'Donoghue, Vincent Sheahan, Eileen Kinsella, Sean and Breege O'Donoghue, Noel and Pearl Tansley and Stephen Murphy. Picture: Eamonn Keogh

 

It was a night filled with love in abundance as family, friends and neighbours gathered to celebrate the 80thbirthday of one local lady.

It was a big night on Saturday for Pacella O’Donoghue Lehane, known affectionately to all as Shelley.

Her nearest and dearest came together in the Killarney Avenue Hotel and danced the night away as they helped celebrate the big milestone birthday – which Shelley from Dromtarriff was only made aware of hours earlier.

However, that didn’t deter Shelley from having a ball as she never left the dance floor all night.

Shelley’s official birthday is this coming Tuesday, March 12, but her family spent months making arrangements for the perfect party.

And with the party just hours away her husband Jerry and daughters Marguerite, Julie and Pacella who travelled from Chicago for the occasion, let her in on the secret.

The surprise went down very well as daughter Marguerite told the Killarney Advertiser this week that Shelley, who is originally from Flesk Castle, Killarney, was very excited all day and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

“We had to have the party early as she’d have suspected,” Marguerite said.

“The planning had been going on for months and we told her hours earlier as she was supposed to sing with Duhallow Choral Group later that evening for a priest’s retirement party.”

Needless to say Shelley didn’t make it to her group singing session. Instead, she joined her family, neighbours and friends at 8.30pm in the hotel.

And later that night, 10 members of her choral group joined her for her celebration and held an impromptu singing session - and Shelley joined in.

Other family members who made it on the night included Shelley’s brothers Seamus from Mill Road and Sean from Flesk Castle, her sisters Pearl Tansley from Ross Road and Eileen Kinsella who travelled from Wexford. Shelley’s grandson Tommy, Marguerite’s son, who is just a year-and-a-half old made a brief appearance before heading to bed early. There were plenty of cousins and other relatives from Killarney and surrounds as well as from Wexford. All enjoyed a buffet and a cake, as well as plenty of dancing as Dermot and Irene Ring provided the music on the night, Marguerite added.

“It was a really really great night – the happiness and joy was in abundance. She did not miss a second of it. She is still on a high, feeling so loved.”

 

 

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Concerns over future of St Mary of the Angels

Two Kerry TDs have voiced concerns over the future of St Mary of the Angels and St Francis Special School in Beaufort, highlighting the urgent need for respite services for […]

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Two Kerry TDs have voiced concerns over the future of St Mary of the Angels and St Francis Special School in Beaufort, highlighting the urgent need for respite services for children and adults with profound disabilities and special needs.

The campus, set on lands generously donated by the Doyle family, offers 30 acres of grounds, existing buildings, and services, making it a valuable asset for the provision of respite care in Kerry. TD Michael Cahill emphasized that the Doyle family’s wishes should be respected, and that the grounds should be made accessible immediately.
“The special needs community in Kerry has a major respite crisis and families don’t have time to wait. Families need help — they are not asking for full-time residential care but respite care, a break, a helping hand,” Deputy Cahill said.
He added that a bespoke approach is needed to meet the individual needs of children attending St Francis Special School. “Many of the children in the county with profound needs need a safe haven where they can roam the grounds freely, and St Mary of the Angels offers this.”
Deputy Cahill has accompanied several Ministers to the Beaufort campus to highlight its value to Disability Health Service providers. A working group has been formed including St John of Gods, the HSE, representatives of residents at St Mary of the Angels, and St Francis Special School, to explore options for maintaining and expanding respite services.
“Parents are worn out and at the end of their tether. This needs to be dealt with expeditiously, in an environment of cooperation between the relevant Government Departments of Health, Disability, and Education. We need to get this across the line urgently and put it permanently in place,” he said.
Deputy Cahill pointed to the current shortfall of respite services in Kerry. “As of now, Cunamh Iveragh respite in Cahersiveen is only open Friday to Sunday, running at half capacity — two adults per night instead of four. The issue is staffing, and the HSE will not release funding to open full-time. The Beaufort campus is available and should be utilised as parents are crying out for overnight respite. Cooperation and compassion could see this done quickly.”
TD Danny Healy Rae echoed these concerns during a Dáil speech this week. “We are still short of respite beds on the southern side of the constituency. Families caring for people with disabilities just want a break, but there is nowhere available locally. Places are being offered only in Tipperary or Meath for those needing new residential care. It makes no sense. St Mary of the Angels in Beaufort has 40 or 50 acres of grounds that could be expanded, with facilities already in place such as swimming pools. It could be developed as a model for the rest of the country.”
Both TDs are urging the Government and the HSE to take immediate action to utilise the Beaufort campus for respite care, in line with the intentions of the Doyle family and the needs of Kerry families.

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Cardiac Response Unit’s ‘Restart a Heart’ training event

Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) is set to run a range of events as part of the global initiative Restart A Heart, which aims to increase awareness and actual rates […]

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Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) is set to run a range of events as part of the global initiative Restart A Heart, which aims to increase awareness and actual rates of bystander CPR worldwide.

The main event, titled RAH 2025, invites the public to learn life-saving skills and the basic steps in the chain of survival. This will take place on Saturday, October 18, at the Killarney Outlet Centre.
Members of the public are encouraged to join KCRU at the centre between 10:00 am and 5pm.
Key feature of the day will be the CPR Competition, offering “fantastic prizes to be won.”
For further information, visit www.killarneycru.ie/rah25

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