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Tribute to motor club stalwart John Flynn

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By Sean Moriarty

With John Flynn, there was one golden rule: if something was worth doing at all it was worth doing right.

This is how the popular Barleymount man is being remembered this week by his friends and colleagues in Killarney and District Motor Club.

John passed away on Monday night after a relatively short illness.

He will be very much missed by his daughters Kate and Sinéad, son-in-law Kevin, Sinéad's partner Kevin, granddaughter Isla, sisters Mary (O'Meara) and Sheila (Hickey), mother-in-law and Eithne Tarrant.

His colleagues in the club behind such major events like the Rally of the Lakes and The Killarney Historic Rally will also miss the man who gave so much to local motorsport.

He was unable to attend this year’s Rally of the Lakes in May as he was too sick but the club did not forget him either on the occasion of its biggest event of the year.

Each year KDMC present the sought after Silver Wheel Award to the person who has gone above and beyond in the support of motorsport in the county.

When John Flynn was announced as the 2022 recipient at the event’s prizegiving ceremony at the Gleneagle Hotel in May, everybody present was in agreement that he was a deserving winner.

He is best remembered for two reasons within rally circles. He was always the first man on duty on any given event as he operated the time control at a rally start and he was always the last man to finish in his role as Car Accountability officer.

His dedication to the job meant that Rally Control always had the most up-to-the-minute figures in terms of withdrawals and retirements, crucial information for operational and emergency reason.

His radio call sign "all accounted for” in his soft and gentle tones was reassuring for those in the rally office that needed to know the whereabouts of anything up 160 rally cars at any given moment.

And such was the nature of the job, he was always the last man to finish and always put in the longest shift of any person working on an event.

“In order to start his count with certainty he always insisted on personally manning the first control out of Parc Ferme and throughout the remainder of the rally one could rely on clear accurate reports from the start and finish of every stage, right through to final control and when each successive figure was transmitted, the message "all accounted for" would invariably follow,” his friend and motor club colleague Mike Marshall said.

“John’s accuracy and dependability as Car Accountability was widely recognised throughout the Munster-based clubs and most called on his services in that role for their own events.”

Outside of motorsport he ran a successful plumbing business.

“John started his working life as a milking machine fitter with Westphalia, whose Irish headquarters was then in Castleisland, not far from his home near Scartaglin,” added Mike.

“When Westphalia moved to Cork, John decided to continue on his own in the plumbing and heating sector and the same attention to detail which characterised every aspect of what John took on was evident in the quality of his work.”

Following Requiem Mass at the Prince of Peace Church, Fossa on Thursday morning, John was laid to rest at Aghadoe Lawn Cemetery.

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Street Orienteering added to Wander Wild programme

By Sean Moriarty A new event has been added to the extensive Wander Wild Festival next weekend. Kerry Orienteers will run a family-friendly Urban Orienteering event as part of the […]

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By Sean Moriarty

A new event has been added to the extensive Wander Wild Festival next weekend.

Kerry Orienteers will run a family-friendly Urban Orienteering event as part of the festival on March 25.

Participants can start at the Killarney Plaza Hotel Basecamp anytime from 2-4pm on Saturday.

Orienteering is an exciting outdoor adventure sport which involves walking or running whilst navigating around a course using a detailed map and sometimes a compass. And the Wander Wild Street Orienteering will have courses suitable for all ages and abilities.

“The aim is to navigate in sequence between a set of control points and decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. It does not matter how young, old or fit you are, as you can run, walk or jog the course and progress at your own pace. If you need any help or tips members of Kerry Orienteering Club will be available to assist during the day,” said organiser Brendan O’Brien.

Two routes are available: ‘Wander’ – 2km (easy, wheelchair and buggy accessible) and Wild – 4km (moderate), and bookings can be made via: https://t.ly/jHm2R.

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Quiz helps to fund Easter pilgrimage

A popular annual table quiz, which raises funds to send Kerry children and young adults with special needs to Lourdes, will be held in Killarney next week. The Tim Moore […]

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A popular annual table quiz, which raises funds to send Kerry children and young adults with special needs to Lourdes, will be held in Killarney next week.

The Tim Moore Memorial Table Quiz will be held in the Gleneagle Hotel at 7.30pm on Wednesday, March 29.

The entry fee for tables of four is €40 and it is €20 for teams of four schoolchildren with great prizes up for grabs on the night.

All proceeds will go to the Irish Pilgrimage Trust which organises trips to Lourdes every Easter for children and young adults with additional needs.

They will be brought on the pilgrimage on Easter Sunday and all the volunteer helpers and medical staff that will accompany them will cover for their own travel costs.

The annual quiz, which is running for close on 30 years, is dedicated to the memory of the late Killarney accountant Tim Moore who was a tireless campaigner for the Irish Pilgrimage Trust. He passed away, suddenly, in 2002 and his friends have continued the quiz as a tribute to his legacy and to ensure the charity continues to be supported.

It hasn’t been held for the past two years due to the pandemic but all involved are thrilled that it is back for 2023.

Kieran Coffey, the retired principal of Fossa National School, is one of those who spearhead the Kerry pilgrimage to Lourdes and he has appealed to the public to support the very important fundraiser which helps offset some of the costs involved.

“We are delighted to be in a position to continue Tim’s great work and to dedicate the quiz to him. The event is always so well supported by the people of the greater Killarney area and we greatly appreciate that generosity,” said Kieran.

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