News
The art of local news
FOUNDER: Danny Casey founded the Killarney Advertiser in 1973.
By Cormac Casey
In the 1970s my father, Danny Casey, had a belief that local news must be produced locally. We must remember in the ’70s we only had county and national paid newspapers and one national broadcaster. If any local community was lucky enough to feature nationally, more often than not, it wasn’t the desired headline.
Understanding how news was delivered in the ’70s we have to remember that Tim Berners-Lee only tentatively introduced the World Wide Web in 1989, 15 years passed before Zuckerberg’s Facebook surfaced, Twitter two years later and the first generation of i-Phone arrived the following year.
In the ’70s local news was word-of-mouth. However, our natural ability to embellish even the simplest story turned into a thing of legend. What was missing was the method to communicate local news and control our own narrative from within our own community and, more importantly, to accurately document community history.
Today we consume news from numerous different mediums, from the printed page to our social media account. Whatever the medium, our news needs never change – one constant is the reliable source and our personal choice of engagement.
In 1973 the objective of the Killarney Advertiser was to deliver real local news locally. The method of the time was print. Over 47 years the product has dramatically evolved from a humble 10 page black and white to a 72 page full-colour publication. Today print is one of many media products available to us: our online and social media presence is another facet of our offering, and this is only the beginning.
The ‘Let’s Talk About Town’ online survey published this week was facilitated by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce and collated by the Institute of Technology in Tralee. One of the survey questions asked, ‘We want to know how do you find out what’s going on in Killarney?’ The response clearly shows that Danny Casey’s 1973 objective continues to deliver today. This is very positive news for the Killarney Advertiser team and the community. Quality hyper-local news is alive and well.
The Killarney Advertiser is not one entity, it is a community. I would like to acknowledge the dedicated ‘Advertiser’ team, contributors and readers, and a special thank you to the commercial community that continues to fuel this project, and finally the participants of the survey who delivered a clear and resounding support for one man’s simple objective to deliver local news.
TEA TIME: Nora Murphy, Mary Lehane and Betty Carmody, drinking a cuppa as they raise awareness about this year’s Virtual Tea for Motor Neurone Disease which takes place on June 21.
By Michelle Crean
June 21 is Global Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Awareness Day and one local group is calling for participants to get involved.
Christy Lehane, Chairman of Kerry Friends of Motor Neurone and Ambassador for the IMNDA, will take part in the Virtual Tea for MND fundraiser and awareness event.
“We never thought this time last year that 12 months later we would be doing Virtual Tea for MND,” Christy told the Killarney Advertiser.
“In these COVID times our fundraising efforts have all ceased, but sadly there is no slowing down of Motor Neurone Disease. Providing the support and services to our Motor Neurone sufferers is now more important than ever before. I am now appealing to all you good people and friends who have supported us in the past to please hear my plea. I myself will drink Virtual Tea for MND again this year. So go on, put on the kettle and take out the china tea pot and get family and friends around to the garden for a brew and a catchup for a great cause. If you do not feel comfortable with having people around, you can go very modern and go Zooming and encourage your friends to do so also. I am aware that some of our MND sufferers are themselves organising Virtual Tea Drinking get togethers.”
Participating SuperValu stores are on board again this year providing tea bags etc. to raise awareness of MND, and staff will be asking shoppers for donations for the IMNDA starting on June 7 to 21.
“I seldom seek donations and financial support, but perhaps in these COVID times when our need is greatest you might be moved to help us.”
Every year MND Associations across the globe mark June 21 as a special day of recognition where the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations across the world undertake a range of activities to raise awareness and keep focused on the search for the cause, treatment and eventual cure for this terrible disease.
You can donate to www.imnda.ie or if you can contact Christy Lehane Chairman of Kerry Friends of Motor Neurone and Ambassador for the IMNDA on 087 9671011.
NEW LOOK: Laura Cronin, who is currently sitting her Leaving Cert, cut 14 inches off her hair for The Rapunzel Foundation.
By Michelle Crean
Rathmore’s Laura Cronin headed into her Leaving Cert exams this week with a whole new look after transforming her hairstyle for charity.
Laura, daughter of Una and Donal from Rathbeg, cut 14 inches off her hair for The Rapunzel Foundation.
As her long locks didn’t get cut over the last year Laura decided to get a good chop in Katelynn’s Hair Design in Rathmore instead, and use the left over hair to create wigs for sick children.
“I thought, rather than trim it I’d cut a lot off,” Laura, who hopes to study pharmacy in college, told the Killarney Advertiser. “I wanted to cut off a lot of it, I was sick of long hair. I said that if there’d be enough I’d donate it as it’d be a shame to see it on the floor.”
Laura said that hopefully it can make a child happy if it allows them to receive a specially made wig for their First Holy Communion, or a similar occasion.
“I’d encourage anyone who has long hair to think about what they could do with it.”
INVESTMENT: DV8 have invested €1m to update their store in the Killarney Outlet Centre. Pictured at the reopening were staff members: Clodagh McCarthy (Store Manager), Lorraine McGough (Assistant Manager), Anuka Altanson and Sarah Murphy. Photo: Don MacMonagle
A popular Killarney fashion shop, which reopened last week, securing up to 15 jobs, has had a facelift after a €1 million investment.
Leading fashion retailer DV8, which has a network of over 50 stores across Ireland, reopened its 4,000 square feet store in the Killarney Outlet Centre.
And customers admired the new look.
DV8 sells over 40 top fashion clothing brands as well as footwear and accessories in its stores and online at www.dv8fashion.com. The hip fashion house is well-known for its uber cool shop interiors and has dedicated customers across Ireland and the UK.
“We are delighted to be reopening our new store in Killarney and confident it will compliment the existing retail offering in the town, with DV8’s unique range of male and female clothing and footwear,” David Scott from DV8 said.
“We think local shoppers will enjoy the DV8 experience, including the top fashion brands and excellent customer service.”
Eamonn Fitzgerald: Keane should know 11 of his 15 starters
As Kerry ramp up towards the championship, Eamonn Fitzgerald gives his assessment of their preparations to date. One certainly learns...
Tom O’Sullivan and Tony Brosnan start as Keane makes raft of changes
Dingle defender Tom O’Sullivan and Dr Crokes sharpshooter Tony Brosnan have been named in a much-changed starting line-up for Kerry’s...
Geraniums grow well under trees
By Debby Looney, gardening expert Perennials come into their own during summer time, as do lupins, scabious, geraniums and countless...
Train Hard, Have Fun, Belong
By Brian Foley from Activate Fitness We have a short motto in our office at Activate: “Train Hard, Have Fun,...
-
featured2 days ago“Don’t shut Main Street” plead town retailers
-
featured2 weeks agoIt’s showtime: Omniplex Killarney announces July opening plan
-
featured2 days agoThe buzz is back in town as pubs and restaurants reopen
-
Sport2 weeks agoThe foreign game: How soccer took roots in Killarney
-
featured1 week agoGlobal screening planned for new Viking movie
-
News4 years ago
Sportif to unlock Kerry’s potential as must-visit cycling destination