Latest news with #Killorglin
Irish Times
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Late-night drinking at Puck Fair survives court challenge with pubs to stay open until 3am
Puck Fair , one of Ireland's oldest festivals, will see its late-night drinking tradition survive for 2025 after an appeal by publicans in Killorglin succeeded at the Circuit Court in Killarney on Tuesday. The Co Kerry festival sees a goat crowned king for three days and three nights, with daytime activities and street entertainment alongside traditional late opening at pubs. Fourteen Killorglin publicans applied on July 10th to the District Court, sitting in Cahersiveen, for the annual special exemption to their licences over the three principal nights of the August event, known as Gathering (August 10th), Fair (August 11th) and Scattering (12th) However, gardaí objected on the grounds of straitened resources. District Court judge David Waters set closing time at 2am in line with the Garda submission, saying the fair was not all about drinking. READ MORE On Tuesday in the Circuit Court in Killarney, Judge Terence O'Sullivan said he saw no grounds to shorten Puck Fair's traditional drinking time. The fair dates to 1603, the last year of the reign of King James I of England, Judge O'Sullivan noted. Since the 1970s, the pub closing time at Puck has been 3am. 'Prior to that, there was a 24-hour opening of the pubs in Killorglin,' barrister Katie O'Connell, instructed by solicitor John O'Dwyer, had told the court. All-day and family activities took place and afterwards people would go for a drink, she said. Street entertainment ended at midnight and then the fair volunteers would like to go for a drink to relax and enjoy themselves. Puck Fair was 'bigger than Christmas' for people from the region, the barrister said. The statue of the Puck Goat sits at the entrance to the town and economically the festival is important to Killorglin. Only the gardaí, not the locals, had objected, Ms O'Connell added. Garda Supt John Ryan said Garda objections were twofold. The pubs received a 2am exemption the night before Puck Fair and gardaí felt four nights to 2am was sufficient; and having pubs open to 3am required additional police resources, making the reduction reasonable, he said. State solicitor Diane Reidy said the issue was one of resources, not public order, and Puck Fair was the only festival in Kerry seeking to open to 3am. In his decision, Judge O'Sullivan said the traditional opening had been to 3am, and there was no evidence of anyone in the locality objecting on noise or nuisance. He said he did not see any grounds to depart from the tradition.
Irish Independent
22-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Puck tradition continues as Kerry fair gets exemptions until 3am
Kerryman Reducing the opening hours in local pubs during Puck Fair would be 'an attack on the identity' of the festival, Killarney Circuit Court has heard in evidence during an appeal to allow the pubs to remain open until 3am. Earlier this month Kerry District Court Judge David Waters refused the exemption until 3am for pubs in during Killorglin during Puck Fair ending a tradition that has been ongoing since the 1970s.
Irish Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
German drug-maker Aenova to create 10 jobs with expansion of Kerry facility
German drugmaker Aenova is to create 10 jobs with a significant expansion of its facility in Killorglin, Co Kerry. The company, which trades as Temmler Ireland here, said the development would enable it to develop 'innovative drug delivery systems' in the future. It said the development will place the Killorglin site at the centre of its development capabilities in particle engineering, focusing on spray-dried amorphous solid dispersions and inhalation powders. The investment aims to improve bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs, which constitute about 80 per cent of compounds in global research pipelines. READ MORE Temmler Pharma took over the Killorglin site in 2007 and was acquired itself by Aenova Group five years later. The group currently employs 68 people at the facility. The expansion in Killorglin will create about 10 new roles in the areas of research and development, pharmaceutical technology, and analytics. David McWilliams on how 'big incentives' to build could save Dublin city Listen | 36:51 Florent Bordet, chief scientific officer at Aenova, said the company helps its customers speed up the drugmaking process. 'As an end-to-end contract development and manufacturing organisation, Aenova supports its customers throughout the entire drug product life cycle, from pre-formulation and development to commercial manufacturing,' he said. 'Bioavailability is crucial for new pharmaceutical active ingredients. Our new spray drying technology in Killorglin can help to address this issue and aid our customers bring their products to market faster.' Aidan Spillane, managing director at the Killorglin site, said the facility collaborates closely with scientific researchers at University College Cork and University of Limerick. IDA Ireland chief executive Michael Lohan said the facility has 'continually fostered opportunities, investment, and employment' in Killorglin. Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said: 'I warmly congratulate Aenova on this exciting expansion of its Killorglin facility, which not only strengthens Ireland's position in advanced pharmaceutical development but also brings high value employment to Co Kerry. 'This investment is a strong vote of confidence in the southwest region's skilled workforce, world-class research partnerships, and thriving life sciences ecosystem.'
Irish Times
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Minister for Health makes emergency intervention after Taoiseach's joke ripples through the House
The Taoiseach put on his 'I'm going to say something funny now' face, the one where he smirks to himself because he knows he is just about to knock 'em all dead with a hilarious one-liner. He folded his arms tightly around his chest, giving himself a happy hug in advance of what he was about to say. Danny Healy-Rae had just made an impassioned plea on behalf of publicans in the village of Killorglin, Co Kerry. Fourteen of them recently applied to the District Court for an exemption to stay open until 3am during Puck Fair , but the judge permitted them to serve until only 2am. Outrageous carry on. Danny Healy-Rae was incensed. READ MORE Puck Fair has been going on in the Kerry village for more than 400 years, he told the Dáil. 'It has survived many obstacles – bad times, good times and it even survived Joe Duffy's attack on the goat.' Just to be clear, Joe Duffy didn't physically attack the wild goat, which is captured and crowned King of Killorglin for the duration of the three-day festival. The recently retired broadcaster merely facilitated some very heated Liveline phone-ins about the welfare of the goat during its short stint in captivity. Having risen above many setbacks, Danny hopes the festival will survive the docking of an hour off pub closing time. The publicans are set to appeal to the Circuit Court. So Killorglin only gets to serve until 2am on two nights during Puck Fair in August, 'yet we have to listen constantly about requests here in Dublin to open Dublin until six in the morning', complained Danny. What they are saying above in Dublin is, 'they want to bring back the night'. Puck Fair is an event where people come to meet each other once a year, or maybe only once every three or four years, he said. It seems the reason gardaí objected to a 3am finish was pressure on resources. 'Are Garda resources under so much pressure that we can't afford an extra hour each night until three o'clock to maintain the tradition that we've had in Killorglin? 'Twas open all night, you know, one time, Taoiseach.' Then Danny looked directly across at the Government front bench and did his bit for Kerry tourism. 'And seeing as ye are there now, I am inviting ye all to Puck Fair – the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice, the Chief Whip and yourself, Ceann Comhairle. Ye are all welcome to Puck.' Micheál Martin got giddy at the prospect of everyone being welcome to Puck in Kerry. But on the subject of extending drinking hours and granting exemptions, he seemed to be suggesting a somewhat dodgy solution. 'There were many times in Kerry, apparently, when there were many lock-ins,' he said, cryptically, his voice trailing off. Not that he'd know anything about the type of things which might have happened at wild Fianna Fáil functions in the days before green tea. Nor, one assumes, was he saying that the good publicans of Killorglin should take the law into their own hands by allowing after-hours drinking. Perish the thought, and with the Minister for Justice sitting right beside him. Anyway, Micheál was about to unleash his funny gag. He smiled to himself, folded his arms and focused on Danny, who was all ears. 'I'd say you've outdone Leo Varadkar in terms of nightlife and you're extolling the virtues of going the whole way, like the whole night long, like you know …' What was he on about? 'Going the whole way … the whole night long, like you know.' Where was he going with this? Chief Whip Mary Butler, seated directly behind the Taoiseach, looked a little puzzled. Bellowing Danny was momentarily silenced. The Minister for Health made an emergency intervention. 'What?' she hissed loudly from stage left. Jennifer Carroll McNeill is not a woman easily shocked, but like the rest of us, she was probably wondering where Micheál was headed with his meandering line about knowing the virtues of going the whole way for the whole night long. Could Mary Lou McDonald be about to enter the presidential race? Listen | 41:13 The Taoiseach, delighted with himself, was oblivious until he got that little nudge from her and, suddenly, he realised what he had been saying. He turned, stricken, and stuttered to Jennifer about going the whole way 'in terms of nightlife, like!' as his voice went up higher and his accent went full Cork. 'Jaysus,' he chuckled. 'Bí curamach anois!' Telling himself as Gaelige to be careful now. 'So the big issue is drinking 'til 2am. It's the first time it's ever been presented to me in the Dáil like this: that you actually want us to go to 3am,' he continued, but now being ultra careful. 'Well, not me,' he hastily added. No. Not that anyone was thinking that. We were still back with Varadkar making a night of it. 'Until 6am, actually,' observed Sinn Féin's Aengus Ó Snodaigh. Danny was on his feet and roaring again. The Taoiseach was trying to talk. It was like closing time at Puck Fair. 'Taoiseach, your time is up,' called landlady Verona Murphy, or the Ceann Comhairle as she is also known, banging her bell and telling Danny to sit down. Things were getting a bit rowdy. Have they no homes to go to? 'Look it,' said Micheál, ignoring landlady Verona who was doing her best to maintain an orderly house and addressing Danny. 'I've the Minister for Justice alongside of me. He's heard your pleas.' Pleas to come down to Killorglin for the festival or try to do something to make sure the publicans get their extra hour when their appeal is heard? Jim O'Callaghan nodded away. Although it is most unlikely that Senior Counsel Jim is going to hotfoot it down to Killarney or Tralee Circuit Court any day soon to sort out a late exemption. 'He knows what the place is like,' murmured Danny, mysteriously. The Taoiseach had some good news for him about the Minister. 'He's undertaken to go down to the Puck Fair, okay?' We didn't see Jim being consulted on this, but he looked happy enough. 'I will see what I can do to attend as well, but I may not be around at that time,' added Micheál, deftly mapping his escape route. As it turns out, O'Callaghan has strong family links to the Kingdom and is very proud of his Kerry connections. His father, Jerry, came from Callaghans Cross just outside Castleisland. This is the sort of fact Danny Healy-Rae would most certainly know. Although nobody knows if Big Jim or Danny will be 'going the whole way – like, the whole night long' at Puck Fair until three in the morning this year. That's for the court to decide.
The Sun
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Our rental car burst into FLAMES while we were sat in traffic – we escaped by the skin of our teeth
A COUPLE whose hire car unexpectedly caught fire within minutes while on holiday now want answers from the rental company - who they claim appeared "completely unbothered" by the frightening ordeal. Jenna Willcox, 41, and her partner, Matt Jackson, 39, were driving near Killorglin, a small town in County Kerry, Ireland, when their rented Peugeot 3008 began to emit white smoke and a terrible smell. 4 4 4 Sensing a major issue, they quickly got out of the car and pulled most of their belongings out with them, including their suitcases. Moments later, the car was completely engulfed in flames, leaving them stunned. 'It literally happened within minutes, we were sitting in traffic outside this little town and smoke started coming out of the bonnet,' said Jenna, speaking exclusively to Sun Motors. 'It was pouring out, it was the worst thing I've ever smelt. I don't know what was on fire, but it smelled like hell.' The couple ran up the road to a nearby petrol station, watching in shock as the car they'd been sitting in was reduced to a burnt-out husk. 'I keep thinking, if the lock hadn't worked or if we hadn't been able to get away in time. 'Luckily, people around us were able to drive away - but what if we'd been inside a tunnel or stuck in traffic?' After the ordeal, the couple managed to get a bus back to their accommodation, expecting Enterprise, the company they'd hired the car from, to provide assistance - perhaps with an offer of compensation or a replacement car. But Jenna says their response was slow and disorganised, with the company completely unprepared to manage the situation. She claims they were passed around and transferred to a vehicle recovery company, despite there being "nothing to recover." Cars & 30-tonne HGV collide in high-speed pile-up – but is all as it seems 'We literally spent the whole of the next day on the phone to Enterprise to get them to send us another vehicle - we thought the least they could do was send us another vehicle.' After speaking to Jenna, Sun Motors reached out to Enterprise. A spokesperson for the company said: 'At Enterprise we aim to always deliver high-quality customer service. 'If incidents occur, we maintain consistent communication with the customer during and post-incident to provide ongoing support and keep them informed of progress. 'We believe that our actions in this case followed all necessary steps to resolve the situation.' However, Jenna and Matt vehemently disagree with Enterprise's assessment. They claim that instead of offering immediate assistance, Enterprise told them they needed to return to the nearest outlet - some 100 miles away - despite the fact they no longer had a means of transport. How to deal with a vehicle fire If your car catches fire or emits smoke while driving, stop safely, evacuate all passengers and call emergency services. Leave the vehicle quickly, as electrical systems might fail. Use an extinguisher on small external fires only if safe, but don't put yourself at risk. Avoid opening the bonnet as it could worsen the fire, move away from traffic lanes, stand behind barriers if possible and keep a safe distance due to risks like toxic fumes, tyre explosions, or flying parts. Inform emergency services about the vehicle type and any flammable cargo, especially if it's an electric vehicle, as these require special handling. Most of all, prioritise your safety over saving the car. It was only after failing to find a taxi and making several further phone calls, they claim, that an employee eventually drove a replacement car to them. Enterprise disputes this claim, saying that it promptly offered transport to the customers. "It seemed like they had absolutely no contingency plan in place,' added Jenna. 'Even if the car had broken down, you would think they'd have some sort of plan to bring us one. 'The whole thing with Enterprise, the whole way through, they were really bad at communication. 'They didn't apologise or ask us how we were - they didn't seem to care about any of that.' Jenna and Matt continued to chase a response from Enterprise after the incident happened in September. 'Eventually, they got to the stage where they're like, 'Okay, we need to do an investigation into what happened.' 'But it was all from that perspective; what they were interested in was, was it our fault?' Jenna says they never explained or shared any details about the evidence they had - pointing out it was impossible to figure out what caused the fire since the car was completely destroyed. 'At this point, we were terrified, like, what if they think it's our fault? They could prosecute us or take us to court. There was no explanation or communication on what the consequences might be.' Eventually, Enterprise concluded their investigation, finding that Jenna and Matt were not at fault. However, much to the couple's frustration, that was the end of the matter. When they contacted the Ombudsman group European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS), they said they were told by Enterprise that there was a complex investigation ongoing involving many departments. When the couple asked Enterprise about this directly, they claimed the company did not respond - which meant ECRCS said they were unable to act. Eight months later, Zurich, Enterprise's insurance company, finally offered them £600 in compensation, later increasing it to £900. However, this failed to account for the ruined holiday, emotional distress and time spent resolving the issue. 'Sometimes when I drive home from work, it does go through my mind. 'You'll sometimes get a weird smell, and you don't know if it's your car or someone else's car, and it does go through my mind - what if it happens again? 'Before this fire, I would have just been like, 'Don't be ridiculous, a car can't just catch on fire.' But now I know that it does happen for no reason. That does go through my mind, which is pretty horrible.'
