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Youth Theatre Grant Scheme open for applications

Kerry Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) at Kerry ETB has announced a fund to support the development of youth theatres across the county.
Applications from not-for-profit organisations are welcome by close of business on January 11. Funding youth theatre development is a priority for the offices of the Local Creative Youth Partnership at Kerry ETB and the Arts Office at Kerry County Council in 2023.
The fund has come about as a result of a partnership between the LCYP and the Arts Office at Kerry County Council. This partnership is aimed at increasing the number of youth theatres active in the county by underpinning their development with funding and know-how.
“This year LCYP and the Arts Office at Kerry County Council supported the development of three youth theatres in Kerry, one in South Kerry, one in West Kerry and one in North Kerry to the value of €22,000 in total,” Deirdre Enright, the Creative Youth Co-Ordinator at Kerry ETB, said.
“The fund supports the administration, management and the creative facilitation costs for each youth theatre, and encourages youth theatres to be ambitious and exciting to teenagers. Supported youth theatres must ensure diversity and that there is a strong sense of inclusion for their members.”
Youth Theatre is a proven youth work discipline and an exciting creative space for young people to join. The mission in Kerry is to ensure an accessible youth theatre is available to any young person who wants to join one, and that the nearest youth theatre is no more than a 45 minute drive from anyone’s home, no matter where in Kerry a person lives.
“We are delighted that over 30 young people from all sorts of backgrounds have found a great sense of belonging in local youth theatres this year. It is a highly creative space, and not just for those who love acting…writing, sound, production, costume, all of these are aspects but even more important is the time and friendships that young people get to enjoy outside of the formal school environment," Kate Kennelly, Arts Office and Creative Ireland Kerry Co-Ordinator at Kerry County Council, said.
Kerry’s strategy is unique in Ireland and supporting its delivery is Youth Theatre Ireland, the national support agency for youth theatre in the country.
“Youth Theatre Ireland has worked closely with LCYP and Kerry County Council over several years to support the training and development of local youth theatre facilitators. Having skilled, local facilitators in place is the lifeblood of sustainable youth theatre practice and to have this level of financial support in place is crucial for their long-term success. When a young person joins a youth theatre they have access to quality arts experiences within their own community. This can be life changing. We look forward to our continued collaboration to support a sustainable youth theatre culture in Co. Kerry,” Alan King, Deputy Director at Youth Theatre Ireland, added.
Youth Theatres who wish to apply must be not-for-profit and rooted in a local community setting. For more information and an application form see www.kerryetb.ie/creativity-grants.
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Killarney and District Motor Club members honoured by Motorsport Ireland
By Cormac Casey Several members of Killarney and District Motor Club were honoured at the Motorsport Ireland awards lunch in Dublin on Wednesday. The highlight of the event is the […]

By Cormac Casey
Several members of Killarney and District Motor Club were honoured at the Motorsport Ireland awards lunch in Dublin on Wednesday.
The highlight of the event is the announcement of the sport’s top awards.
Kilkenny’s Jack Brennan (19) was named Young Rally Driver of the Year, while Wexford native Jack Byrne was named Young Racing Driver of the Year and the International Driver of the Year award went to recently crowned FIA Junior World Rally Champion, William Creighton.
Muckross-based co-driver Noel O’Sullivan was presented with his Irish Tarmac Rally Championship winning trophy.
This year saw the introduction of the Motorsport Ireland President’s Awards which celebrate the achievements of clubs and organisations.
Killarney and District Motor Club won in the innovation category for their work with their KDMC 2 initiative thanks to the efforts of the club’s vice chairman Mike O’Shea.
Rally Rescue teams were also recognised and the club’s Mike Cleary picked up an award for his role he played in what was a difficult year for rescue crew operators.
Tom O’Riordan, who looks after ambulance procurement on the club’s events, was presented with an FIA Volunteer Pin by Motorsport Ireland President Aiden Harper.
Killarney Advertiser Journalist Sean Moriarty was presented with an award for best use of of PR and media in 2023.
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Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest ‘thank you’ event at Brehon
Participation in the 2023 Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest has grown by more than 100% since 2020 with 98% of those who gave feedback saying they would attend similar […]

Participation in the 2023 Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest has grown by more than 100% since 2020 with 98% of those who gave feedback saying they would attend similar events again in 2024.
Feedback from more than 100 people who attended this year’s Fest events from 7th to 14th October was positive with 91% stating they were satisfied.
The Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest is held annually over the course of a week to highlight World Mental Health Day on October 10.
It aims to raise awareness of the available supports and services in Kerry as well as empower people to engage with the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ through offering a dynamic and interactive programme of events.
99% percent of respondents, most of whom identified as female, said they would recommend the Fest to friends next year. Some key notes for improvement included a request for more events with wider variety throughout the county.
The Chair of the Interagency Steering Group, John Drummey from Kerry Mental Health Association, said: “We wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to event organisers, community groups, businesses, funders and partners that facilitated the Fest’s dynamic and interactive programme of events in 2023. We are encouraged to see such growth in numbers attending the Fest events with a 50% increase from 2022. We are already making plans for the Fest from 5 to 12t October 2024 and we are looking forward to building on this year’s successes. That said, there is always room for improvement and we would welcome suggestions for new events and activities.”
Many of the event organisers attended a ‘thank-you’ event at the Brehon Hotel, Killarney, courtesy of the Kerry Volunteer Centre to coincide with the annual International Volunteer Day, December 5.
The Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest was organised by an interagency steering group made up of local agencies that support wellbeing in our community.
The organising committee is a collaboration between Connecting for Life Kerry, Healthy Kerry, Kerry County Council, Kerry Recreation & Sports Partnership, the HSE, NEWKD, SKDP, Kerry Mental Health Association, Jigsaw Kerry, Munster Technological University/Kerry, KDYS, Kerry Volunteer Centre and Family Resource Centres throughout the county.