News
Six rescued from snowy Carrantouhil trek

By Sean Moriarty
Six adventurers who wanted to reach Carrantouhil's snowy summit spent hours stranded yesterday (Wednesday) after making a navigational error.
26 volunteer members of Kerry Mountain Rescue Team were called out at 4.15pm to come to their aid and finished at approximately 1.30am. It was their first major callout of the year.
The climbers - made up of two separate groups - ascended the popular mountain after a Met Éireann Yellow weather alert was issued warning of the presence of heavy snow on the MacGillycuddy's Reeks.
The first two-person group made it to the top and on their way down met the second group of four.
All six decided to descend together, via the south-west face of the Bone on Maolán Buí, an area to the east of the Zig Zags - a well-travelled descent route - when they made a navigational error and attempted to go down an unrecognised route.
The six became cragfast 150m from the gully and raised the alarm around 4.15pm.
“Conditions on the hill were very poor, rendering any approach to the casualties from the bottom of the gully dangerous. The team instead climbed up to a point near the top of the Bone above the gully, where a belay system was set up,” Colm Burke from the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team said.
A number of team members abseiled 200m from the belay point down to the casualties and secured them to haul lines that were used to bring them all safely to the top of the ridge. Once at the top, the casualties were short-roped down off the Bone to awaiting Landrovers in the Hags Glen.
“Apart from being very cold and fatigued, thankfully none of the casualties were injured and the rescue successfully concluded at approximately 1.30am.”
The team confirmed the six hillwalkers were well equipped and wore the correct clothing for a winter summit attempt of Ireland's highest mountain.
Two experienced hill runners dressed in shorts and t-shirts with head torches passed the rescue operation on their way to the top and later made it down safely.
News
Killarney to feature on TG4’s Country Music show
By Sean Moriarty A song about Killarney – once made famous by local Country Music hero Dermot Moriarty – will feature on TG4 tomorrow night (Tuesday). The second series of […]

By Sean Moriarty
A song about Killarney – once made famous by local Country Music hero Dermot Moriarty – will feature on TG4 tomorrow night (Tuesday).
The second series of the Irish channel’s County Music show ‘Viva Ceol Tire’, which highlights emerging Country Music talent in Ireland, airs every Tuesday night at 9.30pm.
The next programme will feature Donegal singer David James’ version of ‘Oh Killarney’.
The programme was filmed entirely on location in Killarney including Torc Waterfall, Ladies View Moll’s Gap and Kate Kearney’s Cottage.
“The song was written by Dennis Allen. However, it was a hit for Dermot Moriarty in the 1980s. The first time I heard it I loved it and I was thrilled with the reaction my version has got,” James, who is from the small village of Killean in Donegal, told the Killarney Advertiser.
“It’s pretty rural but I love it. I’ll be in Country Music 10 years this May. My first gig was in the local GAA hall for my aunt’s 50th birthday. I was 14 and I’ve been at it ever since.”
.
News
Five questions to ask yourself before buying a stock
By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com When it comes to investing, nothing is certain. There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy. […]

By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com
When it comes to investing, nothing is certain.
There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy.
The truth is, investing is hard, and building a portfolio of top stocks that beat the market is something that even financial professionals have trouble doing consistently.
For most people, investing in index funds is the perfect hands-off approach, providing broad exposure to the stock market at a very low fee. Even my own personal portfolio is made up of roughly 70% ETFs despite the fact I invest in the market for a living.
But I believe some stock picking is a good strategy for many hands-on people.
Taking a small portion of your overall portfolio and diligently selecting a small number of companies to invest in gives you an opportunity to learn about the investing process and fully understand the businesses you are investing in, which helps to build conviction in your positions.
From a psychological standpoint “collector’s instinct” kicks in, enabling people to participate and invest more money over time.
Lastly, for Irish investors, there are tax benefits to consider. If you invest in individual stocks, you are taxed at the CGT rate of 33%, and the first €1,270 of your gains are exempt from CGT each year. When investing in index funds or ETFs, you are taxed at the exit tax rate of 41% with no annual exemption.
For those interested in picking individual stocks, here are five questions you should ask yourself before investing in any company.
Do I understand the business?
Too many people invest in businesses they don’t understand because it ‘sounds good’. If you have no idea how the company works, you won’t have the conviction needed to hold onto the stock when an inevitable downturn comes.
Can the balance sheet withstand severe, temporary adversity?
This seems obvious, but so many people invest in companies without understanding how much money a company holds and who they owe money to. Economic cycles are guaranteed. You must ensure that the company has enough cash-on-hand to avoid becoming obsolete when activity slows.
Will the company benefit from long-term trends?
Make sure the company will remain relevant into the future. If the stock is cheap now, it may be cheap for a reason.
Is the company enjoying profitable growth?
Not growth at all costs, but a combination of sustainable growth and value. All this information can be found online at sites like stratosphere.io.
What are the risk factors?
Is the company trying something new and untested? If yes, who are its competitors and how successful are they? If other players are more established, this company may have a tough time breaking into the market.
-
Sport2 weeks ago
An Hour with Paul Galvin: Drawing lines between football and fashion
-
News2 weeks ago
Attenborough to showcase Killarney in latest BBC wildlife series
-
News2 weeks ago
Killarney woman urges support for cancer patient services this Daffodil Day
-
News2 weeks ago
Premiere of Kevin Leahy’s film revealed