Community Hospital targeted for mid-July opening pending union ballot

The long-awaited Killarney Community Hospital has been given a new targeted opening date of July 13 for patient transfers, though one final obstacle remains as staff vote on operational conditions.

The project has faced numerous delays over the past two years, with several previously missed deadlines including September 2024, early 2025, March 2026, and most recently, June 30 of this year.
On Monday this week the facility finally secured its formal registration from Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).
The approval was granted following the completion of minor structural works required to meet national standards. While the HSE had previously suggested this registration was imminent as far back as last January, the official clearance has only now arrived, roughly 18 months after the physical completion of the building on the grounds of St Finan’s.
The transition to the new state-of-the-art facility will involve the relocation of 101 patients from the existing community hospital.
However, the mid-July moving date remains strictly dependent on the outcome of an ongoing union ballot. Following discussions between management and staff representatives, an agreed position was reached, and nurses began voting on the proposed staffing conditions over the weekend.

Fassbender returns to Le Mans in Porsche

Fossa’s Michael Fassbender made a successful return to the Circuit de la Sarthe last weekend.

The Fossa-raised actor and racing enthusiast competed as a guest driver in the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil. The series served as a headline support fixture for the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Fassbender previously competed in the main 24-hour event in 2022 and 2023. For his return, he took the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
Lining up against a competitive field of 35 drivers, the actor navigated the challenging French circuit across two sprint races. After finishing 25th in Thursday’s opening race, he climbed the order to finish an impressive 14th on Saturday morning.
The event was historic for the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil. The one-make championship held rounds in France for the first time since the series’ founding in 2005.