What happened in Kerry this week
Volunteers with Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue are continuing to deliver hot meals to more than 25 clients across isolated parts of North Kerry this week as prolonged heavy snowfall, freezing temperatures and water/power outages continue to wreak havoc in many areas.
Thick snow blanketed Rossanean, Currow this week, but that didn’t deter 84-year-old Charlie Moriarty from lending a hand and his tractor to neighbours and family stuck indoors after days of heavy snowfall.
A Ballinskelligs campaigner for disabled people’s rights and people with rare diseases has called on elected officials to do more for those in need, once a new government is formed.
Kenmare-based singer songwriter Glen Dunleavy released his first album ‘The Painted Man’ on the day that marked his one year anniversary of becoming a new man – now in recovery Glen took his life back from years of struggles with mental health and alcohol.
A Tralee teenager who spent five years waiting for scoliosis surgery here in Ireland has just returned from a 6,000km round trip to Italy where she underwent life-changing surgery to correct the curvature of her spine.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
Kerry locked in Deep Freeze
THE DEPTH of snowfall in Kerry over the past five days has exceeded the heavy snowfall of the Big Freeze in 2010 –and now temperatures as low as -8c are set to grip the county today (Thursday).
Up to 20cm of snow fell on higher ground during a 20-hour blizzard between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, before further snowfall on Monday and Tuesday made travel in many locations impossible.
Temperatures reached -5c in some areas in recent nights, while today (Thursday) is predicted to be the coldest of all –with temperatures predicted to reach -8c in areas such as Castleisland, according to information provided by Met Éireann.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
'Catastrophic damage' at Tralee Sports Centre
THE future of one of the most important sports facilities in the county is in limbo, pending the outcome of an engineer’s assessment of the building – after the roof of Tralee’s main sports hall collapsed under heavy snow on Monday morning.
This week, Tralee Regional Sports and Leisure Centre is counting the cost after emergency services were alerted at 7am on Monday following the roof collapse in the early hours of the morning.
The 50-year-old sports hall building, overall complex and its grounds have since been closed to the public.
Luckily, the building was closed and empty at the time and no injuries occurred.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
Charlie takes orders for grocery run
Thick snow blanketed Rossanean, Currow this week, but that didn’t deter 84-year-old Charlie Moriarty from lending a hand and his tractor to neighbours and family stuck indoors after days of heavy snowfall.
A semi-retired farmer, Charlie, who celebrated his birthday on New Year’s Day, took it upon himself to organise grocery deliveries.
Armed with his tractor and a transport box, Charlie enlisted the help of his 16-year-old grandson Ben Brosnan – who was only
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
‘This has been our Christmas miracle’
A TRALEE teenager who spent five years waiting for scoliosis surgery here in Ireland has just returned from a 6,000km round trip to Italy where she underwent life-changing surgery to correct the curvature of her spine.
Seventeen-year-old Camesha Leen left Ireland in late November alongside her devoted mother Violet, to attend a private scientific research hospital named Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza in the Italian town of San Giovanni Rotondo, which just so happens to have been founded by Padre Pio (Saint Pio of Pietrelcina) in 1956.
“We’re home since December 27th and she is recovering well –this has been our Christmas miracle,” Violet told Kerry’s Eye this week.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
More adults in emergency housing
HOMELESS figures have risen again with almost 50 adults accessing emergency accommodation in Kerry, according to latest data from the Department of Housing.
A total of 47 people accessed emergency accommodation at the end of November, a rise of four on the previous month.
Nationally, the number of people registered as homeless has now surpassed 15,000 for the first time with 15,199 people accessing emergency accommodation –an increase of 233 in the space of a month.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
Ciara finds her voice for exciting new career
After discovering her unique talent for creating characters using a variety of quirky voices, a young woman from Farranfore has made a full-time career out of voice acting.
Dedicated gamers will recognise the voice of 27-year-old Ciara Payne, who gave life to the character of Princess Elizabeth in the mod game ‘Fallout: London’, based on the smash hit ‘Fallout’ game series.
The daughter of English native Geoff and local woman Sharon Payne, an SNA in Presentation School in Killarney, Ciara discovered her talent for voice acting while reading aloud with her friend, as a way of killing time during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read the full story in Kerry’s Eye Digital Edition.
