Latest news with #Tralee-based
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Kerry soccer club set to improve long-term playing facilities for members
Contracts between the club and Tralee-based company PST Sports were recently signed paving the way for a new all-weather pitch at its club grounds. It's taken over three years of hard work and organisation just getting to this point. Such a facility will enable players train and host multiple games throughout the winter months. The overall cost of a state-of-the art Astro pitch is expected to top €500,000. The club applied for Sports Capital Funding and received €100,000 – 50 per cent of what it applied for. Club members have been phenomenal in supporting various fundraising activities and training fees that have helped raise money for the project. The financial balance of the pitch will be paid for through a combination of future loans and fundraising. Given that Tralee Dynamos cater for adults and children including a new academy that accommodates over 100 girls, the club is disappointed not to have received more in the way of grant assistance for its facilities. By the time interest loans are repaid the new all-weather pitch will be 70 per cent member funded. 'It's great news for the club. We're targeting a finish date of the middle of September. There has been a big push over the last few months to try and have it done before the start of next winter,' said club treasurer, Fergal O'Shea. The club plays through the winter and usually by mid-season its two grass pitches are unplayable. This is due to a combination of weather and four or five teams playing on the same surface within days. With the club active mostly at evenings and weekends, an opportunity exists for community organisations to use the facility by day. Tralee Dynamos has a longstanding relationship with Kerry Parents & Friends Association. 'We contacted them and said they can have free access to it during the day. It is a great organisation and this would be an acknowledgment of the work they do. Hopefully, this is a relationship that can be built on with better club house upgrades in the future. This is something we will be actively pursuing,' said Fergal. 'But having an all-weather facility gives us flexibility. We can train every night of the week if we want and have four or five matches on a Saturday without having to consider its impact on the pitch. This is huge for us. "A big call out must go to our members who over the last three years paid their contributions through training fees. This put a lot of trust in us to deliver. A huge thanks to them. It's great for them to be able to see this is finally happening,' he said.
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Nearly a decade after Kerry debut, Barry Dan O'Sullivan finds game that suits him
Patience and Barry Dan O'Sullivan are long acquainted. Perseverance and Barry Dan are equally familiar bedfellows. But it is only in the past month where this pair of attributes, on display by the 29-year-old midfielder for almost a decade now, have finally begun to receive payment. Mike Quirke, to give him his credit, was first to advocate for Kerry's current middle-third arrangement and how effective it could be. Quirke, a selector in recent campaigns, was a guest on the Irish Examiner Gaelic football podcast the Monday after the League's third round when he championed the approach first adopted by management in Round 6 and repeated for the first time in championship during the victory over Roscommon a fortnight ago. Joe O'Connor made his first appearance of the year during Kerry's Round 3 League defeat to Dublin. There he partnered Diarmuid O'Connor. A reprisal of the county's 2024 midfield partnership. A partnership Quirke wanted broken up. 'I'd love a scenario where you'd Joe O'Connor wing-forward, I think he'd be unbelievable as a wing-forward,' said Quirke. 'But that second spot [at midfield], whether it is Barry Dan, there are question marks over him.' Barry Dan had actually started the county's opening two games of the League. He then disappeared from the line-up. In the ensuing four games, he saw the last quarter of an hour against Tyrone and nothing else. It was the Round 6 victory at home to Armagh when management plumped for Joe O'Connor at half-forward. Éamonn Fitzmaurice described his performance in the No.10 slot as 'immense'. Partnering Diarmuid O'Connor at midfield that evening was Seán O'Brien. The latest piece of evidence that Barry Dan was again out of the first team picture. The story really of his broken Kerry existence. 'Seán has put himself to the top of the midfield queue,' former Kerry forward Seán O'Sullivan told the Examiner the week after the Armagh win. 'The other option is Barry Dan, but for whatever reason, he just doesn't seem to have the trust of management at the moment.' Diarmuid's shoulder injury against Armagh stalled Joe O'Connor's stay in the half-forward line. Him and O'Brien were the midfield picks for their final outing of the League round-robin. O'Brien departed injured the Salthill field on 47 minutes. Barry Dan kicked two points upon replacing him and has not let go of the No.9 shirt since. Knocks to others cleared his path, but when you've persevered as long as he has, you are due the odd domino being knocked in your direction. His selection for the Munster semi-final against Cork represented his 10th championship appearance but first start. Nine years and two months after his 2016 League debut against Roscommon, where he replaced Johnny Buckley off the bench, and seven years after his first League start, he'd finally earned a first championship start at 29 years of age. The Tralee-based vet was a two-year Kerry minor and three-year U21. He pocketed All-Ireland medals at minor and post-primary level, the latter with Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne. Fitzmaurice, first his teacher and then Kerry manager, used him once in the 2016 League, twice in 2017, and on five occasions in 2018. Present, but not a presence felt. The Peter Keane era and he were not acquainted. He was also on the outside looking in for Jack's 2022 all-conquering comeback. David Moran's subsequent retirement, Joe O'Connor's ruptured cruciate, and later injuries to Diarmuid O'Connor and Stefan Okunbor necessitated a Barry Dan recall for the attempted title defence. Then selector Diarmuid Murphy labelled him the form midfielder of the 2022 county championship. His determination for this second chapter to be less peripheral than the first was underlined in June 2023 when he missed his brother's wedding in Rome, for which he was best man, to be part of the panel for the county's Sam Maguire group fixture away to Cork. It was a game he only saw the last five minutes of. On his return to Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the middle of last month, for his full championship debut, he won two kickouts, was fouled underneath another two, successfully broke four more to a teammate, and also raised a white flag. In the first half of the Munster final, he won the Kerry kickout that led to David Clifford's opening goal and was also central to Clifford's second. He won the ensuing kickout, tallied 1-1 himself, and won a further restart that concluded with a Paul Geaney point. 'The new game suits him,' said Jack O'Connor. 'The ball is being kicked out, and Barry Dan is very strong under the ball, hard to shift him, and good in the air. A man like that will always be a big asset in that situation. 'Before, when it was the old game, the midfielders were more link players and box-to-box, whereas now the kickouts are crucial. He's a very, very strong man under the ball so the new game is suiting him.' The Dingle clubman was less prominent when operating either side of Joe and the returning Diarmuid O'Connor against Roscommon. That's his challenge going forward. Starting place cemented, perseverance and patience must now give way to impactful presence.
Irish Examiner
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
18-acre land parcel near Tarbert attracting offers
A 17.8-acre holding near the village of Tarbert in North Kerry is generating a good level of interest in the way that many smaller land parcels often do. The property is currently all in grass and is of good quality, aside from a small portion of marginal acreage in need of attention. It's located in the townland of Tarmons East, just 3.5kms from Tarbert village – famous for its ferry service across the Shannon Estuary to Killimer in Clare. With a central farm roadway, it offers convenient access and is easily managed. 'There are two access points and it's very close to Tarbert village,' says selling agent Éamonn McQuinn of Tralee-based McQuinn Consulting. 'Moyvane is 6kms away, so I'd imagine that it will appeal to someone local. There are also entitlements that can be included in the sale, depending on what the purchaser wanted. There are 8.4 entitlements with a unit value of €175 attached to the land… There might be an opportunity for a site for a house as well.' The price guide is a very reasonable, €180,000 (€10,000/acre), and the attractive parcel is already under offer, the agent confirms. Read More West Cork tillage land tipped to exceed €16,000/ac
Irish Independent
26-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Kerry business selected for programme providing supports for start-ups developing new AI solutions
Ailtir, founded by Donagh Ó Buchalla and Adrian Smith, is a company which provides an AI platform that reduces much of the time and costs associated with the construction tenderising process. The Tralee-based startup has been selected to participate in the second six-month AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme, which is being delivered by NovaUCD, an entrepreneurial hub, and CeADAR, Ireland's centre for AI, at UCD. The focus of the programme, which has just commenced, is to support a cohort of entrepreneurs who are developing disruptive AI solutions in a variety of sectors for a global market. Ailtir co-founder and CEO, Donagh Ó Buachalla, said he is delighted his company has been accepted into the AI programme. 'It's a fantastic opportunity to connect with world-class mentors and ambitious founders, and to accelerate Ailtir's mission to transform how construction teams approach tendering,' Mr Ó Buachalla said. 'We're looking forward to sharpening our product, deepening our impact, and scaling our solution both in Ireland and internationally.' Participants of the AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme will receive guidance from CeADAR's AI experts and experienced commercial mentors, along with workshops on value proposition, scaling and investor readiness. They will also have access to collaborative co-working space at NovaUCD with the opportunity to connect with successful AI entrepreneurs, start-ups, corporates, investors and access to skilled interns. The programme is funded through the European Digital Innovation Hubs framework, an initiative with funding of €700 million from both the European Commission and the governments of member states. Enterprise Ireland is leading on the programme in UCD. The 2025 AI Ecosystem Accelerator Programme will end with a showcase event in October.
RTÉ News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Colin Healy takes the managerial reins at Kerry FC
Former Cork City boss and Republic of Ireland women's assistant coach Colin Healy has been appointed as manager of Kerry FC. The 45-year-old succeeds Conor McCarthy at the helm of the Tralee-based side, who are ninth in the SSE Airtricity Men's First Division after last Friday's 1-0 win at UCD, with Kerry FC CEO Billy Dennehy saying that Healy's appointment as first team manager "marks a significant step in our short history". McCarthy, however, will remain at the club as part of Healy's coaching staff - the 26-year-old having become the youngest League of Ireland manager when he was appointed ahead of the 2024 season. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue my coaching development at Kerry FC. Working alongside Colin Healy will be an invaluable experience, and I look forward to contributing to the club's success in a new capacity," McCarthy said. Speaking after being announced as manager, Healy said he was keen to build on the progress made at Kerry in what is their third season at senior League of Ireland level. "The last year has been the toughest of my life since losing my wife, Kelly. During that time, my main focus has been to help my two young children cope with the loss of their mother and help them find some form of normality," said the former Celtic, Sunderland, Ipswich and Cork City midfielder. "On behalf of my family, I would sincerely like to thank every person who has supported me privately and publicly. "Kerry is a very special sporting county, and the club has made incredible strides over the past few years. "During our conversations, Billy Dennehy's passion and unwavering dedication to the continued growth of the game in Kerry has been so impressive. In combination with John Wall's support, I believe Kerry FC are at the beginning of a very special journey, and I will do everything I can to help build on the exceptional work which has already been done at the club. I am very grateful for the opportunity and feel so hungry to get going." Healy's appointment at Kerry marks his first role since his time in the Ireland women's senior set-up came to an end. The Corkman had criticised the process in which he was removed from the assistant manager's role, claiming he had been informed just weeks before the decision that there would be a recommendation that his contract be extended.
