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Take Two: RTÉ shows to feature talented local men

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By Sean Moriarty

Killarney viewers will have to do a double take next Wednesday evening as not one - but two - local men are to feature on two separate TV programmes.

FEATURE: James Flynn's love of Arbutus furniture will be broadcast on RTÉ ONE next Wednesday evening. Photo: Don MacMonagle

The Brehon's Head Chef Chad Byrne, who also owns the Hungry Donkey food truck, is to feature in the first episode of a new six part series called ‘Paul Flynn’s Food Truck Favourites’.

TV chef Flynn kicks off his first food truck adventure with a search for street food featuring lamb and takes a trip to Killarney to meet Chad and check out his business. 

“He heard about us during lockdown and made contact,” Chad told the Killarney Advertiser
“We are only doing pop-ups now, but every time we do one we have queues and queues of people. To feature on Paul’s show is a huge endorsement to what we do.”

Separately it'll be lights, camera and action for James Flynn as he will be on ‘Nationwide’ with presenters Anne Cassin and Blathnaid Ní Chofaigh running a feature on his efforts to keep the tradition of manufacturing and restorating Arbutus furniture alive in the region.

In October 2020 the Ross Road man discovered a games table for sale in Boston. The rare piece of handcrafted furniture, that dates from just after the famine era, was returned to Killarney in March last year by Mr Flynn.

The Arbutus Tree, sometimes called the Killarney Strawberry Tree, is more prevalent in Killarney National Park than any other region in the country.

James, a former ESB district supervisor for South Kerry, has, since his retirement, devoted his time to tracing the history of Killarney’s Arbutus furniture industry and restores pieces that he finds in online auctions all over the world.

Wednesday’s ‘Nationwide’ programme will feature handcrafters from all over Ireland and will include around seven minutes with James.

“I took the production crew on a tour of Muckross House, we visited Paddy Connor’s antique shop in Lissivigeen,” James told the Killarney Advertiser.

“I brought them up the Moll’s Gap road, just above the tunnel there is an Arbutus tree, with a protective fence, to keep the deer out.”

'Nationwide' will air at 7pm while 'Food Truck Favourites' will be on at 8pm, both on RTÉ One.

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Eight month wait for a driving test in Killarney

A Killarney councillor is calling for action in an effort to reduce the driving test wait list in Killarney The current wait list for a test in Killarney sits at […]

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A Killarney councillor is calling for action in an effort to reduce the driving test wait list in Killarney

The current wait list for a test in Killarney sits at eight months.

Cllr John O’Donoghue raised the issue at Monday’s full meeting of Kerry County Council.

He proposed that driving instructors should be employed to carry out the final test to reduce the current backlog.

At Monday’s meeting he asked that hat Kerry County Council would write to the Minister for Transport to ask him to consider giving driving instructors temporary powers to issue a temporary Driving Licence/Certificate of Competence to those on the waiting list for tests.

“The wait is currently far too long and the system is in danger of becoming completely overwhelmed,” he said.

“The huge waiting list for young drivers is well documented at this stage. In a case I am familiar with, a young person passed their theory test in January 2022 and he immediately applied for his mandatory 12 driving lessons. When these were completed, he applied for his driving test on the 2nd of December 2022. Some weeks ago, he still had not received an application to apply for his driving test. This wait is placing him and his family under considerable extra cost and stress which is completely unacceptable.”

In the course of his research into the matter Cllr O’Donoghue discovered that the next available date for a driving test in Killarney is May 25, 2024, while Tralee is June 3 2024.

“Bear in mind, these are only the dates on which you receive an invitation to book your test, the test itself will then be an estimated three to five weeks later.

“This is an appalling situation and one which needs to be rectified as a matter of urgency. I am proposing that driving instructors, which presumably are fully trained up on the rules of the road, be granted temporary powers to be allowed to issue temporary driving licences to young people. When the waiting list time has been reduced, I would still propose that these people sit the test as usual, but the current pressure needs to be alleviated as soon as possible. There is precedent as I believe that in the 1970s, a cohort in this country were issued driving licences without having sat a test as the wait time for the test was too long.”

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Ballymac charity vintage run on October 1

The Ballymac Vintage Club is hosting a classic car, tractor and Honda 50 run on October 1. The run will leave from and return to the Halfway Bar, Ballymac. Registration […]

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The Ballymac Vintage Club is hosting a classic car, tractor and Honda 50 run on October 1.

The run will leave from and return to the Halfway Bar, Ballymac.

Registration begins at 9:30am and sets off at 11am.

“There will be two separate routes with one for tractors and the other for cars and motorbikes. Proceeds on the day are in aid of Castleisland Day Care Centre and we’ll have plenty of spot prizes to giveaway too in the morning,” said the club’s PRO Kieran Glover.

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