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Spa captain: Last year made us take a look at ourselves

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The Intermediate has been Spa’s Holy Grail for a number of years but early exits in 2016 and 2017 have raised a lot of difficult questions. Ahead of their championship opener on Sunday, Adam Moynihan spoke to club captain Dan O’Donoghue.

Hi Dan. Thanks for talking to me.

No bother.

It’s time for another crack at the Intermediate. What do you think of the new group format?

I think it’s a great idea really because you’re training with the focus on three or four weeks of definite games, compared to other years when it was a bit scattered. I think it’s a good improvement.

The Intermediate has been Spa’s priority for a long time now. Why is it so important to the club?

It’s the biggest competition we’re in as a club so you’re always aiming to win the biggest things, and every club wants to win a county title as well so I suppose that’s why it’s so important. Especially after winning in 2009, fellas want to do it again. We’re in Division 1 now so we wouldn’t mind taking the step up to senior as well.

You made three finals between 2012 and 2015 but lost in the early rounds the past two years. How disappointing was that?

Yeah, I’ve lost two finals myself already and then last year we lost in the first round which was very disappointing. We weren’t used to losing in the first round. But it made us take a look at ourselves and what we were doing. There were teams passing us out and we had to see what was going wrong.

The team is under new management this year (Ivor Flynn, Kieran Herlihy, Brian Gleeson and Neily Kerins). How much of a difference have they made?

They’re doing a great job. They’re very professional about whatever they do and everyone’s enjoying training. The numbers are better than they’ve ever been in my time with Spa so they must be doing something right.

The club recently completed work on a new floodlit pitch. That must be a welcome addition.

It will definitely have an impact on our progress because for the last few years we’ve been training under what are nearly like street lights on the main pitch. This pitch with the floodlights is a serious asset to have.

Spa have made an excellent start to the County League with big wins over Rathmore and An Ghaeltacht. What has been the most pleasing aspect of your current form?

Yeah, they were two massive wins. Against Rathmore we were drawing at half time and against An Ghaeltacht we were losing at half time, so I think the overall performances over 60 minutes… We never gave up, we kept battling away and that’s kind of been lacking in other years. The way we are grinding out wins is very pleasing.

Gneeveguilla, who are currently in Division 4, are your first opponents in the Intermediate. Are you expecting a tough game?

Definitely. Whatever competition you play Gneeveguilla in, it’s gonna be a tough, physical battle. Especially in championship. It doesn’t really make a difference what division you’re in. They’ll be well up for it.

You have Liam Kearney back from injury now. How much of a difference can he make to the team?

Whatever team he plays with, he’d make a difference. The Ghaeltacht game now was his first full game in, Jesus, I don’t know how long… You’d be talking two years. We’re absolutely delighted to have him on the pitch. Whatever we get after that from a player of his calibre is a big bonus.

How have you been playing yourself? What are your goals for the season?

The season is only beginning really but I’ve been happy so far… I haven’t won a medal with the Spa senior team in four or five years playing with them so I’d love to win something this year.

Good stuff. All the best on Sunday.

Thanks Adam.

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Con O’Leary: Killarney loses a vibrant and popular personality

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the early hours of Sunday.

Con was a vibrant and popular personality in Killarney where he operated The Laurels on Main Street, a thriving bar and restaurant, which he inherited following the passing of his father, Thado.
The business organisation said from a social perspective, The Laurels became the beating heart of the town and it was a landmark at the Market Cross in the same way as Clery’s clock was in the capital city.
Chamber said Con’s passing really marks the end of an era as he was one of a golden age of inspirational local business people who developed and built Killarney, through hard work, bravery and great commercial flair, and helped create the wonderful tourist attraction and holiday destination it is today.
“Con was very proud of Killarney and he played a very active part in progressing the town at many levels.
“He was a man that was never short of great ideas and his contribution to the business life of the town and as a director of Killarney Race Company was immense,” Chamber said.
“He was ahead of his time in many respects with the introduction by what became known as “the singing lounge” many years ago and The Laurels always led by example through its successes in the annual Killarney Looking Good competition”.
The business representative organisation noted that the O’Leary family has always been very supporting of the town and Con’s daughter, Kate, was a very dynamic Chamber President and is still a very valued member of the executive.
Chamber expressed deep sympathy to Con’s wife, Anne, children Kate, Niall, Tara and Lorna, sons-in-law, grandchildren, sisters, relatives and friends as well as the dedicated staff in The Laurels, past and present, who Con always had great time for and a great rapport with.

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All Roads Lead To Kerry For National Road Safety Conference

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29. The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event […]

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Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29.

The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic-related incidents, and sharing knowledge and best practices for safer road use. It encompasses various strategies and efforts across multiple domains, including road design, engineering, enforcement, forensic collision investigation, technology, education, collision trends, occupational driving, cycling and scooting, e-mobility, active & sustainable travel and on-road events.

In addition to this, AI, Virtual Reality and Driver Simulation will play a significant role at the conference, in improving safety by predicting and preventing accidents, optimizing traffic, and aiding the development of autonomous vehicles.

This ‘Safer Roads’ conference is a non-public event where road safety professionals, speakers and service providers from across Ireland, other EU countries and the UK will attend, including transportation experts, government and local authority officials, roads policing and vehicle inspection agencies, road safety advocates, educators and promoters, collision responders, cycling bodies and community safety networks.

Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh said:
“Road safety has evolved over the years to a much broader scope, in terms of e-mobility, sustainability, technology and engineering for instance. It’s not just about the road or the vehicle anymore, but also about how technology, human behaviour, enforcement, and education intersect to reduce risks and prevent collisions. The ‘Safer Roads’ conference will involve and include every branch of the road safety tree, right across the board, and in doing so, we aim to increase road safety awareness, improve road user behaviour and decrease the collisions and carnage we see on our roads every day,”

The two-day conference also provides an opportunity for exhibitors to attend, and interested state bodies, businesses and service providers are invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services and engage with delegates and officials at the conference.

Further information about the conference and how to register or exhibit can be found here. https://www.kerrycoco.ie/safer-roads-road-safety-conference/

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