What happened in Kerry this week
AMERICA’S Queen of country may not be coming to Listowel next month – but Dolly Parton fans from all around the world will instead be given the chance to win a five-star stay on Dolly’s personal tour bus.
One Kerry boxing club has just landed a knockout pay day with the announcement of a huge €1m grant allocation, which will be used to develop a state-of-the-art gym and ring at the new millionaire club.
Billy Alexander, the Kells Bay horticulturist - and gardening advisor to none other than the newly crowned King Charles - is turning into something of a regal presence at the Chelsea Flower Show these days after picking up his second gold medal at the prestigious gardening competition.
TWO rock violinists from Kerry added yet another string to their bows in Dublin at the weekend – when they formed part of the Katie Taylor entourage and world title team.
The late Timothy Kenny was granted his final wish to be at home with his family when he passed away thanks to the home care team of the Kerry Hospice – now his family are repaying that kindness with a charity Golf Classic in the Ballyheigue Castle Golf Club where Timothy was the manager for the past six years.
A pony found in an upstairs apartment in Listowel was one of 15 pets that had been taken from the same owner into the care of a local animal charity.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
It’s a knockout: boxing club get s €1 MILLION!!!
BOXING HAS had many heavyweight pay days - like the Katie Taylor fight was last Saturday night - but riches on a Million Dollar Baby scale have never come to the Kingdom until now.
The sport's biggest ever pay-day in Kerry came last Friday when Tralee Boxing Club joined the millionaires club, via grant aid to help them finally get a place to call home.
The€1,003,653 on the way to the club thanks to the government's Community Recognition Fund will be used to develop a new state-of-the-art gym and ring at Dean's Lane in the Moyderwell area of town.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
Billy's green and Gold victory!
WHEN KELLS Bay horticulturist Billy Alexander met Britain’s Queen Camilla at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this week it was like bumping into the wife of a friend hebonded with five years ago over a shared love of ferns.
The twice gold medal winner at Chelsea told Kerry’s Eye he first met King Charles when he visited Kells Bay Gardens with his wife during his trip to Kerry in 2018 - and ever since, the South Kerry man has been a yearly visitor to the royal couple’s private residence at Highgrove to dispense advice on their ferns.
“They called to Kells Bay Garden during their State visit in 2018 and we got on like a house on fire,” Billy told Kerry’s Eye.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
Kerry gets the Blues - and we love it!
As the temperatures finally begin to rise and Met Éireann predicts a mini-heatwave this weekend, Kerry is out in front and leading the way once again – the Kingdom is now the proud home to 15 Blue Flag beaches and marinas, the highest number in the entire country.
A total of 13 beaches and two marinas were rewarded withBlue Flag status for the high standards they maintain.
Fenit Marina and the Portmagee Pontoons also retained their Blue Flag status.
Meanwhile, four Green Coast Awards have been presented for Ballinskelligs, Béal Bán, Castlegregory and Littor beaches.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
Special honour for Listowel volunteers
THE MANY volunteers who gave up their time to help older and more vulnerable people in their community have been honoured at a special ceremony in Listowel as part of National Volunteer Week.
The event took place in Ard Chúram, the day care service for North Kerry that's based in the town, because it was the work of the volunteers over many years that ensured the facilities at the centre are what they are.
Ard Chúram is home to the day care centre and the Fuchsia Centre - the state-of-the-art dementia care unit that began operating on the site in 2021 after a huge amount of voluntary work in the community made it a reality.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
Show your ‘Heart of Gold’ for family carers
Family Carers Ireland launched their new fundraising campaign, 'Heart of Gold,' at Tralee’s Rahoonane Resource Centre to raise funds and create awareness about the vital services provided by the national charity offering support to family carers in Kerry and around the country.
Throughout June, Family Carers Ireland will be hosting their ‘Heart of Gold’ month where members of the public can help raise vital funds for family carers across the country.
'Heart of Gold' will also look to honour and acknowledge the invaluable contributions made by family carers throughout Ireland. Given the staggering number of over 500,000 family carers nationwide, their work often goes unnoticed and unappreciated. The'Heart of Gold' campaign aims to change that by highlighting the essential role played by family carers in our society.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
Ballybunion steps up for County Fleadh
FLEADH FEVER is about to grip Ballybunion as the North Kerry town tunes up to play host to its firstCounty Fleadh in eleven years, as the cream of the traditional music crop in Kerry bid to take their first step towards Munster and All-Ireland competition.
The 2023 Kerry County Fleadh was officially launched in McMunn’s in Ballybunion on Thursday night last, when members of the local branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, county board officials and musicians gathered as the programme for the weeklong festival of music and dance was unveiled.
The Fleadh competitions that involve traditional music, singing and dancing will be staged over two weekends, with plenty of events in between as competitors start out on the festival circuit.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
