What happened in Kerry this week

Tears of laughter were shed alongside tears of sadness at Killarney’s Holy Cross Mercy national school last Thursday.  That was when three of the school’s longest serving teachers packed away their schoolbooks and schoolbags for the last time.

Sean O’Shea wasn’t the only Kerry hero in Croke Park last weekend - Tralee's James Finnegan completed a 150-foot abseil descent from the roof of the stadium on Friday afternoon.

What would you do if you found a puffin on your doorstep?  It may seem like an odd question – but it’s one that Amelia Nash and her mother Elizabeth had to answer last Monday morning.

Dingle Mart promises ‘50 hours of shear craic’ this weekend.  That’s according to a West Kerry sheep farmer James O’Connor from Cloghane, who is setting himself the challenge of shearing as many sheep as he can in 50 hours, all in aid of charity.

Camp woman Ailise Deane has returned home this week after another monumental challenge in the world of endurance sport, securing second place at the 2025 Rajd Beskidy – a gruelling qualifier event in the Adventure Racing World Series.

Fond memories were relived at the International Hotel in Killarney last Saturday when the Loreto College class of 1965 gathered for their 60th anniversary reunion.

Kerry GAA are calling on supporters to pack out Croke Park once again, as Kerry take on Tyrone in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Semi-Final on Saturday week. The Kingdom will face the Red Hand County following a stunning result over reigning All-Ireland champions Armagh at the quarter-final stage last weekend.

In this week, Kerry’s Eye Sport we have a 14 page All-Ireland Minor Football Final Supplement - We include player profiles of all 34 members of the Kerry minor squad, and our top writers Sylvester Hennessy, Jason O’Connor and Diarmuid Kearney talk to manager Wayne Quillinan, take a look at the winding road to Newbridge and also look at the Tyrone v Kerry rivalry at minor level and highlight Kerry’s 16 previous All-Ireland Minor final victories.

Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.



Let’s get behind the team!

Kerry GAA are calling on supporters to pack out Croke Park once again, as Kerry take on Tyrone in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Semi-Final on Saturday week.

The Kingdom will face the Red Hand County following a stunning result over reigning All-Ireland champions Armagh at the quarter-final stage last weekend.

The game is part of a double-header, with the Tailteann Cup Final between Limerick and Kildare forming the undercard at 2.30pm. The Kerry-Tyrone match will be live on RTÉ.

Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.



Nothing compares to Ewe!

Pavarotti, Paul McCartney, and now Ewe 2? When a top music producer overheard a South Kerry farmer singing to his sheep, he just knew there was sweet music to be made.

Now farmer John Egan is turning into a streaming sensation on Spotify and YouTube - with thousands of listeners already listening in.

The 70-year-old from Coom, Blackwater has been singing all his life at family occasions and at sessions in the pub - and even when he's tending to his sheep and cattle

Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.



Shear craic for 50 hours straight!

Dingle Mart promises ‘50 hours of shear craic’ this weekend.  That’s according to a West Kerry sheep farmer who is setting himself the challenge of shearing as many sheep as he can in 50 hours, all in aid of charity.

James O’Connor from Cloghane has always enjoyed shearing.  “It’s a job you either love or hate and I’ve loved it since I first tried it aged 16,” he says.

“I love shearing my own sheep and travel all over Ireland doing contract shearing for others.”

He first tried his hand at charity sheep shearing in 2023 following his sister’s diagnosis of terminal cancer.

“There was a possibility of treatment in Germany but it was expensive,” he says.

Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.



Listowel now a Dementia Inclusive Town

Listowel has been designated as one of Ireland’s first Dementia-Inclusive towns, three years after initiating a campaign amongst local community organisations and businesses.

There are more than 64,000 people living with dementia in Ireland today and this is expected to double to more than 150,000 by 2045.

The people of Listowel want those living with dementia to feel welcome and included in their town.  That’s why 27 local services, businesses and organisations have worked with staff from the HSE South West in Tralee over the past three years to raise awareness and improve supports for those living with dementia and their families.

Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.



Adventure racer Ailise wins silver in World Series

Camp woman Ailise Deane has returned home this week after another monumental challenge in the world of endurance sport, securing second place at the 2025 Rajd Beskidy – a gruelling qualifier event in the Adventure Racing World Series.

The 580km race, which took place across the unforgiving terrain of the Beskidy Mountains and Low Tatras in Poland and Slovakia, demanded everything from its competitors.

Held over five days, Ailise and her GymCity AR teammates – Maciej Dubaj, Mateusz Talanda and Kevin O’Brien – navigated the long course on bike, foot and water, clocking up over 14,000 metres of elevation and facing everything from paddling and trekking to climbing, swimming and orienteering.

Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.



Beach users raised alarm for surfers

BRAVE volunteers from Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue were on hand in tough conditions last Friday morning to help two surfers who had got into difficulty in rough sea off the North Kerry coast.

Following the incident, the rescue service praised beach-goers and local walkers for raising the alarm after they observed the surfers in difficulty.

Rescue volunteers, local gardaí and firefighters, and the Coast Guard were tasked to the incident in Ballybunion last Friday by Valentia Coastguard.

Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.