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The Assess Ireland Rally of the Lakes means a lot of things to a lot of people.

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By Sean Moriarty 
Photos by Dylan Clifford 

For those of us that love it, the event is our Christmas and St Patrick’s Day all rolled into one.

It brings a massive early-season tourist boost, not just to the town, but to the smaller towns and villages that the event passes through too.

There is no doubt that Rathmore and Gneevequilla were busier than usual last Sunday and the small village of Ardgroom, on the Beara Peninsula was particularly busy last Saturday.

This year’s event was particularly poignant. It was the first Irish rally since the passing of Craig Breen, he would have wanted the show to go on and while it was a difficult milestone for competitors, organisers and fans, it was one that needed to be crossed with dignity and compassion.

His long-time co-driver Paul Nagle, the same man who guided him to success on the 2019 Rally of the Lakes and the 2021 Killarney Historic spoke of his fallen rally brother at the event’s opening ceremony on Friday.

Despite an estimated crowd of about 2,000 people, the respectful silence offered to Paul as he spoke was a testament to how much Craig Breen was loved and admired in Killarney.

The Saturday action centred on the Beara Peninsula. The area is equally loved and feared by drivers.

The breath-taking scenery,for once, took second place to equally draw dropping action and pace.

The crowds were out in force on Sunday, the famous Gortnagne stage was lined from start to finish with people. The farming area was more akin to Croke Park as the glorious sunshine brought both fans and curious locals out in their droves.

A massive crowd turned out for the finish ramp at the Gleneagle Hotel too. They were there to welcome hometown hero Noel O’Sullivan who won the rally for the second time.

Some people love the rally, some don’t but each and every person, from marshalls, to fans, service mechanics to competitors each left a lot of money in the town.

Long life the rally, its value is not to be underestimated, and without a traditional Munster final football match this weekend, the rally’s financial boost will have to stretch across two weekends at least.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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Town centre-based software firm marks two years in business

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A Killarney-based software company is celebrating two years in business since expanding into the European market.

QT9 Software Ltd, which is located on Bohereencaol was established in 2024 as part of the company’s move to better serve customers across Europe.

The business is part of a US-based company founded 20 years ago in Chicago by Brant Engelhart.

Its Irish office is headed by Killarney resident Angela O’Sullivan, who serves as Operations Director.

QT9 Software currently employs four full-time staff members in Killarney and plans to increase that number by an additional two this year.

The company provides quality management software to businesses worldwide, with the Irish office helping to support European customers within their own time zones.

As part of its continued European expansion, the software company also opened a new data center in Amsterdam in 2025 to meet data storage and compliance requirements.

QT9 Software works with businesses that must meet quality standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 13485, as well as industry-specific regulations across sectors, such as automotive, aerospace, food and life sciences.

Speaking about the milestone, Angela O’Sullivan said: “We’re very proud to have grown QT9 Software here in Killarney over the past two years. It has been a really positive journey so far, and we’re looking forward to continuing to build our team and support more customers across Europe.”

The company is also currently recruiting for an IT Systems Administrator, with details available in the appointments section on page 46.

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