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Volunteer says Special Olympic trip was a “life-changing experience”

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7 years ago

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And Special Olympic hero Gary welcomed home in Killarney and Castleisland

By Sean Moriarty

The Killarney woman who volunteered for the Irish team at the recent Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi has described her experience as “life-changing”.

Leanne Cronin, from Spa, has been a volunteer with Special Olympics Ireland for little over a year, after signing up for a scheme set up by her employer, Kerry Group.

She was the only Kerry person on the 74-strong volunteer team in the United Arab Emirates earlier this month.

She witnessed first-hand the success of Castleisland athlete Gary O’Sullivan who won a gold and silver medal at the games.

Gary, a member of the Kerry Stars, won gold in the shot put competition and backed this up with silver in the 400m walk.

He returned to Kerry last weekend to a hero’s welcome at the Dromhall Hotel on Friday night after a Garda escort from the railway station. On Saturday night he was paraded through his native Castleisland.

“It was a privilege to share my Special Olympics World Games experience with Gary. Gary is a gent,” she said. “Although we approached the games from different angles I felt so fortunate to be in Abu Dhabi for the Games when a proud Kerry man displayed his best ability and put his hard months of training to good use. He raised the flag not just for Ireland those days, but Kerry also, and that made me very proud. It was phenomenal, the entire experience,” she added. “To witness the sportsmanship and the friends for life that I made from all over the world. We were treated like royalty over there and the people of the UAE were some of the friendliest people I met in all my travel. The experience was life-changing.”

Leanne started volunteering for Special Olympics Ireland last year and her first major event was the Dublin qualifiers in June and this prompted her to join the local Kerry Stars Special Olympic Club as a volunteer.

“I was lucky that Kerry Group set this up. I always wanted to volunteer but this helped me take the next step,” she added. “The great work that the Kerry Stars do in all sports is fantastic.”

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Concerns over future of St Mary of the Angels

Two Kerry TDs have voiced concerns over the future of St Mary of the Angels and St Francis Special School in Beaufort, highlighting the urgent need for respite services for […]

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13 hours ago

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17 October 2025

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Two Kerry TDs have voiced concerns over the future of St Mary of the Angels and St Francis Special School in Beaufort, highlighting the urgent need for respite services for children and adults with profound disabilities and special needs.

The campus, set on lands generously donated by the Doyle family, offers 30 acres of grounds, existing buildings, and services, making it a valuable asset for the provision of respite care in Kerry. TD Michael Cahill emphasized that the Doyle family’s wishes should be respected, and that the grounds should be made accessible immediately.
“The special needs community in Kerry has a major respite crisis and families don’t have time to wait. Families need help — they are not asking for full-time residential care but respite care, a break, a helping hand,” Deputy Cahill said.
He added that a bespoke approach is needed to meet the individual needs of children attending St Francis Special School. “Many of the children in the county with profound needs need a safe haven where they can roam the grounds freely, and St Mary of the Angels offers this.”
Deputy Cahill has accompanied several Ministers to the Beaufort campus to highlight its value to Disability Health Service providers. A working group has been formed including St John of Gods, the HSE, representatives of residents at St Mary of the Angels, and St Francis Special School, to explore options for maintaining and expanding respite services.
“Parents are worn out and at the end of their tether. This needs to be dealt with expeditiously, in an environment of cooperation between the relevant Government Departments of Health, Disability, and Education. We need to get this across the line urgently and put it permanently in place,” he said.
Deputy Cahill pointed to the current shortfall of respite services in Kerry. “As of now, Cunamh Iveragh respite in Cahersiveen is only open Friday to Sunday, running at half capacity — two adults per night instead of four. The issue is staffing, and the HSE will not release funding to open full-time. The Beaufort campus is available and should be utilised as parents are crying out for overnight respite. Cooperation and compassion could see this done quickly.”
TD Danny Healy Rae echoed these concerns during a Dáil speech this week. “We are still short of respite beds on the southern side of the constituency. Families caring for people with disabilities just want a break, but there is nowhere available locally. Places are being offered only in Tipperary or Meath for those needing new residential care. It makes no sense. St Mary of the Angels in Beaufort has 40 or 50 acres of grounds that could be expanded, with facilities already in place such as swimming pools. It could be developed as a model for the rest of the country.”
Both TDs are urging the Government and the HSE to take immediate action to utilise the Beaufort campus for respite care, in line with the intentions of the Doyle family and the needs of Kerry families.

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Cardiac Response Unit’s ‘Restart a Heart’ training event

Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) is set to run a range of events as part of the global initiative Restart A Heart, which aims to increase awareness and actual rates […]

Published

18 hours ago

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17 October 2025

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Killarney Cardiac Response Unit (KCRU) is set to run a range of events as part of the global initiative Restart A Heart, which aims to increase awareness and actual rates of bystander CPR worldwide.

The main event, titled RAH 2025, invites the public to learn life-saving skills and the basic steps in the chain of survival. This will take place on Saturday, October 18, at the Killarney Outlet Centre.
Members of the public are encouraged to join KCRU at the centre between 10:00 am and 5pm.
Key feature of the day will be the CPR Competition, offering “fantastic prizes to be won.”
For further information, visit www.killarneycru.ie/rah25

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