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You are > Home > Letters to the Editor   Kenmare event hailed a big success Thursday, July 22, 2010 ON behalf of the trustees and all the families under the wing of the Jack and Jull Children’s Foundation, I would like to thank The Kingdom, most sincerely, for kindly sponsoring the Jack and Jill Run Up The Hill charity 10k event in Kenmare.  more > Trócaire thanks Thursday, July 22, 2010 TRÓCAIRE thanks the people of Kerry for responding so generously to our appeal to help Haiti, six months after a massive earthquake destroyed the Caribbean country.  more > Tralee together Thursday, July 22, 2010 JUST a quick note to let readers in Tralee know that the closing date for the housing estates and private gardens section of the tidy towns competition is July 23.  more > Dental confusion Thursday, July 22, 2010 THE HSE’s attack on the medical card scheme has caused chaos, confusion and hardship to dental patients all over the country but this suffering was entirely avoidable.  more > Teacher initiative Thursday, July 22, 2010 WE know we live in challenging time but an initiative by the Super Generation is seeking to take positive action to create a positive mindset in our younger people.  more > Marriage damage Thursday, July 22, 2010 REGARDING the Civil Partnerships Bill, are our people aware of and alert to the serious challenge that marriage and family are now facing?  more > Polio survivors Thursday, July 22, 2010 I HAVE been a polio survivor since the 1940s and I would like to help those who had polio many years ago who know little or nothing about the late effects it can have.  more > Essential services are not luxuries Thursday, July 15, 2010 THOSE in attendance at a recent fashion show in the Killarney Avenue Hotel, which was organised by Kerry Parents and Friends organisation, were undoubtedly highly entertained by the talented and spirited models in the packed function room.  more > Mental health Thursday, July 15, 2010 I REFER to your report, by Mary Murphy, on June 29, in relation to the Mental Health Commission report on St Finan's Hospital, Killarney for 2009.  more > Kenmare water Thursday, July 15, 2010 YOUR "Kenmare says No" reporter writes amusingly about the Kenmare water supply but he is being briefed in Tralee.  more > President Kelly? Thursday, July 15, 2010 I WRITE to offer congratulations to Donal Hickey on his two very insightful articles on the respective fortunes of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael in Kerry.  more > Children’s laughter is big reward Friday, July 09, 2010 MY year as Mayor of Killarney has just concluded and I wish to place on record my gratitude to the electorate and to my council colleagues for affording me the great opportunity of being first citizen of a very special place.  more > Hunt problems Friday, July 09, 2010 IRISH hunt followers declared war in a futile attempt to prevent the outlawing of stag hunting with hounds.  more > Credit crisis Friday, July 09, 2010 CONTAINED within the Central Bank Reform Bill 2010 are proposals to change the day-to-day operations of credit unions for the future.  more > Red-letter day Friday, July 09, 2010 THE Irish Council for Civil Liberties praises members of the Dáil for unanimously endorsing the Civil Partnership Bill.  more > Queen’s visit Friday, July 09, 2010 WITH reference Ms Ní Mhaolain’s article in The Kingdom opposing the Queen's visit, I have the following points to make.  more > Queen’s visit is to be welcomed Thursday, July 01, 2010 THE first mention of a proposed visit by Queen Elizabeth to Ireland appeared on the front page of The Kingdom several weeks ago when it was portrayed, correctly, as a wonderful opportunity to help save the tourism industry in what is a very difficult trading year.  more > Big milestone Thursday, July 01, 2010 I WELCOME the announcement that Queen Elizabeth II will pay a State visit to Ireland, possibly next year.  more > Shop protests Thursday, July 01, 2010 I DISAGREE with The Kingdom’s editorial comment on head shops in which the writer stated that staging politically motivated protests outside the doors of head shops was essentially about political opportunism and was a waste of time.  more > Logical idea Thursday, July 01, 2010 I HAVE read the article submitted to The Soapbox section of The Kingdom by Mr Noel O’Neill and it gives me food for thought.  more > Eagles have not been targeted Thursday, June 24, 2010 WE, the undersigned, wish to clarify matters in relation to news coverage of the poisoning of white-tailed sea eagles in Kerry.  more > More interest Thursday, June 24, 2010 ONE in four primary schools in the last two years did not have a permanent appointed principal.  more > Slow progress Thursday, June 24, 2010 AT a recent meeting of Kerry County Council in the Killarney Electoral Area I asked if there had been any progress with the Department of the Environment in relation to the extension of the public sewer to Lissivigeen, Aghadoe and Tralee Road.  more > Carbon copy Thursday, June 24, 2010 IT seems to me that the Civil Partnership Bill is a carbon copy of the strategy on divorce.  more > Outside loop Thursday, June 24, 2010 THE current economic downturn has and is affecting everybody.  more > Free TV sport in Irish needed Thursday, June 17, 2010 CONRADH na Gaeilge welcomes the proposal by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Éamon Ryan, to guarantee that Heineken Cup Rugby, the Cheltenham Festival and certain All-Ireland GAA matches will be free-to-air events.  more > Child begging Thursday, June 17, 2010 FOLLOWING the recent introduction of legislation to tackle the issue of begging, the ISPCC would like to take the opportunity to highlight the worrying issue of child begging.  more > Garda awards Thursday, June 17, 2010 THE People of the Year Awards, organised by Rehab, is seeking nominations from members of the public for a special new award category this year – Garda of the Year.  more > Thanks runners Thursday, June 17, 2010 ON behalf of the Meningitis Trust I would like to congratulate the runners from across Ireland who took part in the Flora mini-marathon for us on Monday, June 7.  more > Hello money Thursday, June 17, 2010 THE hostile opposition of big supermarkets to government proposals for a voluntary code of conduct for the grocery sector shows the need for laws to outlaw unfair trading practices that are putting farmers out of business.  more > No poison in a good society Thursday, June 10, 2010 IN recent years, Ireland has been involved in a major programme of re-introducing birds of prey to habitats they previously occupied in the late 19th century, including the white-tailed eagle programme in Kerry.  more > Eagle despair Thursday, June 10, 2010 IT is with a deep sense of sadness, bordering on despair, that I write in relation to the ongoing slaughter of the majestic sea eagle.  more > Listowel success Thursday, June 10, 2010 ANOTHER weekend of cultural bliss has ended at Listowel Writers’ Week.  more > College reunion Thursday, June 03, 2010 NUI Galway is inviting any Kerry graduates from the classes of 2000 and 2005 to attend its reunion barbecue on Saturday, 5 June.  more > Keeping silent Thursday, June 03, 2010 WITH regard to the recent reports in your newspaper concerning the burning of gorse, this is a serious threat to some households and also to habitats.  more > Green agenda Thursday, June 03, 2010 I NOTICE that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael TDs and senators have been grumbling on Oireachtas committees about the dangers of what they describe darkly as "the Green agenda".  more > Legal rights Thursday, June 03, 2010 THE first two thirds of the Civil Partnership Bill would enable a same sex couple to have their partnership registered with the state.  more > Unpaid levies Thursday, June 03, 2010 KERRY County Council must pursue property developers who owe in the region of €88 million in unpaid levies.  more > Rampant fires are putting lives at risk Thursday, June 03, 2010 THOUSANDS of acres of forests have been burned in gorse fires and about half the land is Coillte owned with the other half privately owned.  more > Greyhound industry must be examined Thursday, May 27, 2010 FIGURES just released by the Department of the Environment on dog euthanasia must surely strengthen the case for not exempting the greyhound industry from the provisions of the proposed Dog Breeding Establishments Bill.  more > Charity support Thursday, May 27, 2010 GENEROSITY comes in many guises; not just in monetary form. Since GOAL was founded in 1977, over 1,500 of our people have volunteered to work in the developing world on our behalf, helping us to deliver critical aid to the most vulnerable.  more > Human organs Thursday, May 27, 2010 THE Irish Kidney Association welcomes the landslide decision of members of the European Parliament to pass the directive on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation.  more > Rural living Thursday, May 27, 2010 THE effort being put into fighting lower drink driving limits would be better spent coming up with real solutions to keep rural pubs open.  more > Rubbish costs Thursday, May 27, 2010 WHEN I was young I used to collect old bottles and meal sacks and bring them back to where they were bought to get money for them.  more > Norris attitude Thursday, May 27, 2010 RTÉ recently gave some airtime to Senator David Norris to promote his quest for the presidency, which he seems to think he would be suited to.  more > Attacks on Greens ring hollow Thursday, May 20, 2010 THERE has been some criticism of Environment Minister John Gormley’s handling of wildlife issues in the wake of further eagle deaths in Kerry.  more > People attacks Thursday, May 20, 2010 DURING the Lisbon Treaty debate I drew attention to the growth and stability pact element of the Treaty and specifically the powers with which the EU Commission sought to equip itself to reenforce its neo-liberal agenda in member states providing for savage cuts in public spending and living standards.  more > Thanks Kerry Thursday, May 20, 2010 I WOULD like to take this opportunity to thank your readers for the fantastic support they gave to Trócaire's annual Lenten campaign this year.  more > Help required Thursday, May 20, 2010 THE Meningitis Research Foundation would like to thank all the ladies in Kerry who have registered to take part in the 2010 Flora Women’s Mini Marathon on our behalf.  more > National issue Thursday, May 20, 2010 IF there is any doubt about how serious the present government is about protecting children then may I ask how long it takes for them to name a date for the long awaited referendum on children’s rights?  more > Laughter turns to tears over eagles Thursday, May 13, 2010 I AM putting pen to paper to highlight my total and absolute disgust at the behaviour of those responsible for trying to destroy the project to reintroduce the white-tailed sea eagles to the Kerry countryside.  more > Eagle poison Thursday, May 13, 2010 THE eagle poisoning in Killarney is a clear case of where government bodies are not talking to each other.  more > Spring pension Thursday, May 13, 2010 I WAS quite surprised to read that former Tanaiste Dick Spring is in receipt of a Dáil pension in excess of €50,000 and a ministerial pension to the value of almost €76,000.  more > Rural issues Thursday, May 13, 2010 FROM its title, one might deduce that the group known as RISE – Rural Ireland Says Enough – is concerned with the very real issues and challenges facing people in rural Ireland.  more > Shop products are not fit for humans Thursday, May 06, 2010 I AM at a complete loss as to why head shops here are still open.  more > Bad reactions Thursday, May 06, 2010 LAST week in Kilkenny, the owner of a head shop in the city told a local publication that he personally would not use any of the legal high products he sells in his shop as they are not fit for human consumption.  more > Clean Muckross Thursday, May 06, 2010 A TOTAL of 100 volunteers collected over 100 bags of rubbish in Muckross, Killarney on the evening of Monday, April 26.  more > Health dangers Thursday, May 06, 2010 MINISTER Conor Lenihan has publicly invited the petroleum industry to apply for licensing options to allow prospecting for natural gas onshore in two different areas for up to two years.  more > Lame attempt Thursday, May 06, 2010 THE "haregate" scandal that has engulfed Ireland’s hare coursing community has shown that once the truth about this foul activity is exposed, personal attacks on the integrity of the message and the messengers are unleashed.  more > Longer summer Thursday, May 06, 2010 I WAS very upset to read in The Kingdom that Aidan O’Mahony has left the Kerry panel.  more > Joe Duffy is wrong on pool issue Thursday, April 29, 2010 AS someone who returned to live in Ireland a few years ago, after many years of teaching young children in England, I would like to comment on a matter dear to my heart: swimming lessons for young children.  more > Flying pigs Thursday, April 29, 2010 RECENT news reports have indicated that Fine Gael is seeking to increase and build the party’s vote in Kerry. I must admit I found this quite amusing.  more > Debate denied Thursday, April 29, 2010 IT has come to my attention over the last number of weeks that Deputy Tom Sheahan stated that he has secured a guarantee from the National Roads Authority for €250,000 for works on the road through Barraduff village.  more > Revolt sought Thursday, April 29, 2010 BRIAN Lenihan has dropped another bombshell: the entire tax take for a whole year is to be squandered on bailing out banks. Our children will be still paying for these hand-outs for decades to come.  more > Higgins reading just beggars belief Thursday, April 22, 2010 I AM writing in response to the letter from Joe Higgins, titled The Vatican is incapable of reform, which was printed in The Kingdom.  more > Statue dispute Thursday, April 22, 2010 IF health and safety was the reason for the removal of the statue of the Sacred Heart from over the entrance to Killarney Community Hospital then why won’t the Health Service Executive put a proper plan in place for the refurbishment, security and safety of the 70-year old religious landmark?  more > Opinion valued Thursday, April 22, 2010 I FEEL compelled to write in response to Mr John Joe Lynch’s letter in a recent edition of The Kingdom regarding your columnist Rory O’Sullivan’s views on the Killarney Community Hospital statue row.  more > Spring decision Thursday, April 22, 2010 FORMER Labour leader Dick Spring, speaking in Tralee on Easter Sunday, said that the country was crying out for leadership in the current economic crisis. I tend to agree with him, but that is where we part ways.  more > Coursing cruelty Thursday, April 22, 2010 THE Irish Coursing Club has offered a reward of €20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever caused a particular hare to be ill-treated in an incident caught on film by two students who attended the national coursing meeting in Clonmel in February.  more > Fires outrage Thursday, April 22, 2010 I WRITE to ask the following questions arising from the recent spate of forest and mountain fires in Killarney:  more > Statement of support for Kerry children Thursday, April 15, 2010 THE ongoing litany of revelations of child abuse has us all horrified and shocked that such immorality and degradation could have been so widespread and unknown – by most – in our country.  more > Ghost estates Thursday, April 15, 2010 I HAVE had an idea in relation to our ghost estates.  more > Women abused Thursday, April 15, 2010 THE government has betrayed, for the second time, women who were forced to leave work up to the 1970s simply because they got married, according to the National Women’s Council of Ireland.  more > Animal abuse Thursday, April 15, 2010 IT was a sad day for when Ireland’s animal abuse community took to the streets for a pro-hunting march.  more > Charity women Thursday, April 15, 2010 ON behalf of the Meningitis Research Foundation, I am writing to ask if there are any ladies in the Kerry area who are willing to run on our behalf in the 2010 Dublin Flora Women’s Mini Marathon.  more > Bogus callers Thursday, April 15, 2010 SINCE the Haiti earthquake, GOAL’s head office in Dun Laoghaire has been taking calls from members of the public concerned about the legitimacy of people calling at their homes claiming to be collecting money on behalf of GOAL.  more > Standing room only at Sunday masses Thursday, April 08, 2010 I HAVE read the article in The Kingdom (23 March) by Rory O’Sullivan giving his views on the moving statue row at Killarney Community Hospital which, he says, is making a comedy of Church affairs.  more > Helping women Thursday, April 08, 2010 PLEASE allow me an opportunity to ask all female readers of your paper to consider joining Plan Ireland’s team to run the Flora mini marathon on June 7.  more > Digging Ireland Thursday, April 08, 2010 IRELAND: Dig It is a new RTÉ TV series where teams of fifth and sixth class primary school students have the chance to play an exciting and energetic archaeology adventure on TV.  more > Brookes family Thursday, April 08, 2010 I AM wondering if anybody in the Killarney area knows or knew of a Brookes family?  more > Appalling danger Thursday, April 08, 2010 THE massacre of six World Vision staff in Pakistan is another grim reminder of the appalling dangers humanitarian workers are being exposed to in the field.  more > Terrible injustice Thursday, April 08, 2010 MANY within the media who report on acts of terror are being very hypocritical when they do not show disgust at the slaughter of babies intentionally killed.  more > Vatican is incapable of reform Thursday, April 01, 2010 THE pope's linking of clerical rape and abuse to secularism beggars belief and demonstrates a man and an institution out of touch with reality Total separation from state must be hastened, especially in the education system.  more > Statue scandal Thursday, April 01, 2010 THE way Rory O'Sullivan sees it (The Kingdom, 23 March) the moving statues row makes a comedy of church affairs.  more > Lotto funding Thursday, April 01, 2010 I HAVE asked Kerry County Council to call on the government and the relevant minister to detail the use to which money generated by the National Lottery is being put.  more > Critical issues Thursday, April 01, 2010 THE Union of Students in Ireland is urging the newly appointed Minister for Education, Mary Coughlan, to ensure that the Student Support Bill is processed as a matter of urgency.  more > Listowel support Thursday, April 01, 2010 THE Meningitis Research Foundation would like to offer information and support to the Kerry community in response to the recent case of meningitis in Listowel.  more > Community treated with total contempt Thursday, March 25, 2010 SOMETIMES, for reasons illogical, bureaucracy assails the sensibilities of an entire people. Dismissive arrogance ignores the very reality that is the essence of what creates and constitutes community.  more > Repair statue Thursday, March 25, 2010 THE well-known statue of Christ has been removed from its prominent position on top of the Killarney Community Hospital building and according to the Health Services Executive, the move has been made on health and safety grounds.  more > Elderly upset Thursday, March 25, 2010 AS I read The Kingdom’s front page coverage of the statue removal at Killarney Community Hospital one word leapt out at me – community.  more > Mistakes made Thursday, March 25, 2010 AS we celebrated the feast of St Patrick how ironic that Cardinal Seán Brady and former auxiliary bishops of Dublin, who have given their lives carrying on the work of Patrick, trying to make the love of Christ a reality in the lives of people, are now being vilified and castigated for not being perfect.  more > Open healing Thursday, March 25, 2010 THE Lámh Healing Centre in West Cork will hold an open day for survivors of institutional abuse and clerical abuse on Thursday, March 25 (2.30pm).  more > Behaviour of banks was reckless Thursday, March 18, 2010 HAVING seen the film Moby Dick, I must admit that my sympathy was always with the whale.  more > Pension policy Thursday, March 18, 2010 FOR the second time, the government has betrayed women who were forced to leave work up to the 1970s simply because they got married.  more > Deeply flawed Thursday, March 18, 2010 THE government’s proposed new National Pensions Framework is deeply flawed.  more > Drivers’ plight Thursday, March 18, 2010 IT is absolutely despicable that once again, taxi drivers have been forced to take action to highlight the plight that workers in the industry face.  more > Still left living in rags Thursday, March 11, 2010 IN 2005, then president, Mamdou Tandja, scoffed at the very suggestion that there was widespread famine in Niger, even while international aid agencies like GOAL were fanning out across his country, delivering food and medical assistance to tens of thousands of starving men, women and children.  more > VEC services Thursday, March 11, 2010 I WISH to bring your readers’ attention to the grave risk to local education services as a result of the government’s intention to abolish Vocational Education Committees (VECs) throughout the country.  more > Animal welfare Thursday, March 11, 2010 IN an act of sheer political opportunism, Fine Gael are fluttering their political eyelashes at Ireland’s animal abuse community.  more > Stroke victims Thursday, March 11, 2010 THE Irish Heart Foundation has launched a campaign to secure better services for the 10,000 people who have a stroke in this country each year.  more > Runners sought Thursday, March 11, 2010 ON behalf of the Meningitis Research Foundation, I am writing to ask if there are any ladies in the Kerry area who haven’t decided on their charity to run on our behalf in the 2010 Dublin Flora Women’s Mini Marathon.  more > Bishop’s comments down-to-earth Thursday, March 04, 2010 THANK you for your very balanced Kingdom Comment "Due Process needed in Vatican response," last week which contrasted so dramatically with John Prior's survivor's response and Rory O'Sullivan's not so understandable and over-thetop article of condemnation of Pope Benedict.  more > Cynical reaction Thursday, March 04, 2010 HOW easy it is to be cynical. I have listened to several TV and radio programmes about Minister Willie O’Dea’s resignation and the theme recurs throughout: The Greens will do anything to stay in power and avoid an election.  more > Resource funds Thursday, March 04, 2010 THE Castleisland Family Resource Centre has been shortlisted as one of the local deserving children’s projects in contention for a €10,000 award from AIB Castleisland through the Better Ireland Programme.  more > Support sought Thursday, March 04, 2010 THANKS to The Kingdom for your continued support for DEBRA Ireland. We very much appreciate everything that you do and now, more than ever, in these difficult times, we rely on your readers’ generosity.  more > Victim’s courage Thursday, March 04, 2010 READING the reports of the trial of a 52-year-old man who was accused of systematically sexually abusing and raping his son over a period of three years was more like reading about the trial of the 20-year-old victim.  more > Killarney is not a theme park Thursday, February 25, 2010 THE words Killarney and tourism are inextricably linked. A large part of our economy, including job creation and opportunities, relies on tourism.  more > Kerry support Thursday, February 25, 2010 I WOULD like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Kerry for their generous support.  more > New measures Thursday, February 25, 2010 WE welcome a report from a government committee that calls for urgent new measures to tackle over-indebtedness.  more > Business shape Thursday, February 25, 2010 MUSGRAVE Wholesale Partners has discussed the reshaping of its foodservice business with its employees at its facility in Killarney.  more > Kerry research Thursday, February 25, 2010 WE would really appreciate if The Kingdom could print this letter to help us recruit volunteers for national research.  more > GAA happy to support Haiti fund Thursday, February 18, 2010 THE GAA confirms that with the assistance of its four provincial councils, a donation of €50,000 will be made to assist aid work in Haiti following the devastation caused by an earthquake in that country.  more > Banks lending Thursday, February 18, 2010 THE Governor of the Central Bank Patrick Honohan’s assertion that the banks have totally lost their edge with regard to small business lending should be a wake-up call to banks to get credit moving to small and medium enterprises.  more > Dog breeding Thursday, February 18, 2010 THE Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 is progressing to the Irish statute book and it will tackle the issue of commercial dog breeding.  more > Robust systems Thursday, February 18, 2010 THE reporting on the first two and half years of HSE’s recording of complaints in relation to disability services makes for very disturbing reading.  more > TDs must choose who they support Thursday, February 11, 2010 WHEN the public comes to consider the industrial action and disruption that will soon be widespread in the public sector, they will remember that public servants play a vital role in our community and are central to our health, education, security, welfare and local services.  more > Utmost respect Thursday, February 11, 2010 KILLARNEY is still in shock after the sudden death of one of its best-known and most respected citizens, Cllr Michael Courtney.  more > Broken promise Thursday, February 11, 2010 I AM wondering when the economic recovery and jobs promised by our main political parties on the passing of the recent Lisbon Treaty will occur?  more > Service changes Thursday, February 11, 2010 THE first wave of route changes announced by Bus Éireann prove that the company no longer considers itself as having a public service obligation.  more > No control over bigger businesses Thursday, January 28, 2010 KEY among the conditions that allowed the property bubble to emerge was the absence of statutory control over the price of building land and the abandonment of local authority responsibility for building quality affordable homes.  more > HSE cutbacks Thursday, January 28, 2010 ONE of the major fallouts from the severe weather is the number of people who have fallen, suffering a broken limb.  more > Teachers crux Thursday, January 28, 2010 A MAJOR recruitment drive for teachers has been launched in Ireland by Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) which is the largest independent volunteer placement agency in the world.  more > Relief success Thursday, January 28, 2010 THANKS to support from people in Kerry GOAL has been able to mount a relief and rehabilitation effort in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake.  more > Water concerns Thursday, January 28, 2010 AS many of the asbestos-cement trunk water mains in the County are in excess of 30 years old and as the generally available evidence states that pipes of that age can deteriorate rapidly, I have asked how great a financial challenge is confronting Kerry County Council in relation to pipe replacement?  more > Lives reduced to rubble Thursday, January 21, 2010 CHRISTIAN Aid has launched an emergency appeal for victims of the Haiti earthquake.  more > Goal reached Thursday, January 21, 2010 OVER the past decade, many natural and manmade disasters have befallen some of the poorest and most deprived people on our planet.  more > Appeal target Thursday, January 21, 2010 THE Irish Red Cross has reached its target of €1 million in its Floods Disaster Appeal.  more > Books advice Thursday, January 21, 2010 A NEW 12-page information booklet on assisted publishing services has been produced by The Author's Friend, with the aim of helping authors, writers and poets to get their books into print and published.  more > Tourism needs more even spread Thursday, January 14, 2010 THE Kingdom probably received a press release from Minister Martin Cullen’s Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism regarding tourism priorities and, at over 900 words, you’ve probably not gone through it in detail.  more > Little warning Thursday, January 14, 2010 THE inadequacy of the reaction to the inclement weather conditions is negligent.  more > War declared Thursday, January 14, 2010 IRISH hunt followers have declared war in a futile attempt to prevent the outlawing of stag hunting with hounds.  more > Mongrel foxes Thursday, January 14, 2010 I AM disappointed by Fine Gael’s decision to oppose the government sponsored Bill to ban stag hunting.  more > Honouring the truth of the past Thursday, January 07, 2010 IN his resignation statement Bishop Jim Moriarty of the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin said that he accepted that from the time he became an auxiliary bishop of Dublin, he should have challenged the prevailing culture.  more > New challenge Thursday, January 07, 2010 I WOULD be grateful if, through your pages you would permit me to express my thanks on behalf of Self Help Africa to all of our supporters in Kerry for the generous support and backing during 2009.  more > Smoking crux Thursday, January 07, 2010 AS we enter the first few days of a new year, we in ASH Ireland continue to be seriously concerned about the amounts of smuggled tobacco available on the Irish market.  more > Great support Thursday, January 07, 2010 I WOULD like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Kerry for their generous support during 2009.  more > Stand up and be counted Thursday, December 31, 2009 THE recent events in the trial of Danny Foley, at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee, were shocking in that they were allowed to take place at all in front of the victim and that 50 or so people felt compelled to behave in the way they did.  more > Chilling glimpse Thursday, December 31, 2009 ON the day a bishop resigned owing to his failure to act in cases of clerical sexual abuse, a convicted sex offender in Tralee Court was thronged by well-wishers, including a priest in full clerical garb, who proceed to clap him on the back as if he had just scored a goal for Kerry.  more > Reform needed Thursday, December 31, 2009 THE scenes in the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee, which have outraged people across the country, under-line the need for reform of procedures in the courts service.  more > Utter disgust Thursday, December 31, 2009 AS a law-abiding and taxpaying citizen of Kerry I wish to express my utter disgust at the behaviour of the 50 or so people who hugged, embraced and kissed a convicted sex attacker in court just feet away from his horrified victim.  more > A Christmas dirge the grim reality Thursday, December 24, 2009 IT is the best of times, it is the worst of times. For some the sun shines on sun-kissed beaches and warm breezes caress the tanned bodies. For others, the harsh winds from the north invade the inner core of their very being.  more > Business move Thursday, December 24, 2009 A VERY well-orchestrated campaign by business interests influenced the government’s decision to cut public sector pay at the lower level.  more > Funds needed Thursday, December 24, 2009 I AM writing to say thank you to everyone in Kerry who supported the Meningitis Trust during 2009. It is only with the help of local communities that we are able to continue our vital work helping to rebuild lives shattered by meningitis.  more > Helping women Thursday, December 24, 2009 THE Women’s Aid Helpline will remain open all over Christmas - except Christmas Day - to help women and children living with domestic violence.  more > Problem priests Thursday, December 10, 2009 I am a native of Killarney and I have served as a priest in the Archdiocese of Dublin for over 50 years.  more > Second class Thursday, December 10, 2009 THE Union of Students in Ireland has called on the government to amend shortcomings in the Civil Partnership Bill.  more > Brass necked Thursday, December 10, 2009 SINN Fein TD Martin Ferris should be ashamed to stand at the memorial to a murdered Irish patriot in Ballylongford.  more > Poverty trap Thursday, December 10, 2009 I AM deeply concerned about reports that child benefit faces a 10 per cent cut in the December 9 budget.  more > Keeping tourism in Kerry afloat Thursday, December 10, 2009 A NUMBER of government initiatives must be introduced if Kerry tourism is to be saved and local businesses kept afloat.  more > Kerry help sought in MS plea Thursday, December 03, 2009 MS Ireland has been severely affected by government cuts and reduced fundraising income, which is now impacting on our ability to provide services to those living with MS, a progressive neurological condition affecting 7,000 people and families in Ireland.  more > Hunt dangers Thursday, December 03, 2009 THE high risk posed by foxhunting to public safety and the livelihoods of farmers is again in the spotlight.  more > Scared witless Thursday, December 03, 2009 THE hunting with hound community is scared witless about the march of the animal rights movement to victory in their war on animal abuse.  more > Santa letters Thursday, December 03, 2009 WARM greetings from the North Pole to you, my dear editor, and to all your dear readers.  more > Free campaign Thursday, December 03, 2009 SETANTA Sports Television is offering a free advertising campaign for three Irish charities this Christmas.  more > Team tenacity Thursday, November 26, 2009 I HOPE it is not too late to congratulate Kerry for winning the All-Ireland senior football championship.  more > Cycle success Thursday, November 26, 2009 ON behalf of the Kerry branch of the Irish Autism Society I would like to thank all involved in the annual Ring of Kerry charity cycle for organising the wonderful night we had in the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney at which we were presented with a cheque for our charity.  more > Fighting back Thursday, November 26, 2009 IN recent months and weeks there has been vast coverage of the subject of the Magdalene Laundries and the fight the women are facing in seeking justice within the media.  more > Media reports Thursday, November 26, 2009 THE Columban Missionaries in Ireland would like to acknowledge their appreciation of the important role played by the media in sympathetically covering the abduction and subsequent release of Fr Michael Sinnott, SSC.  more > No quick fix to traveller row Thursday, November 26, 2009 THE Kerry Travellers Development Project continues to actively work with an interagency group in response to the conflict between a minority of traveller families in the county.  more > The Lakes of Killarney is the jewel Thursday, November 12, 2009 WHEN I picked out the Irish Times to read, I did so not because it is my favourite daily paper.  more > Pope memory Thursday, November 12, 2009 I REFER to Rory O’Sullivan’s recent article regarding the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland in 1979.  more > Real concerns Thursday, November 12, 2009 SINCE being established in Kerry in 1996, the Kerry Network for People with Disabilities has always responded to the expressed needs of its members, people with disabilities, their families, carers and advocates.  more > Shave success Thursday, November 12, 2009 I WISH to thank The Kingdom for the publicity you gave me during my recent head shave fundraiser to raise finance for the Kerry Hospice Foundation.  more > Dung-catchers should be tried Thursday, November 05, 2009 I HAVE been following the story of the jarveys’ dispute in Killarney each week each week through The Kingdom.  more > Jarveys debate Thursday, November 05, 2009 I HAVE raised the stand-off between the jarveys at Muckross and the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Seanad and I have called for an immediate, binding mediation process to be facilitated to ensure a satisfactory solution to the ongoing conflict.  more > Aid required Thursday, November 05, 2009 AT its recent meeting the Catholic Bishops' Conference considered the issue of Ireland’s Overseas Development Aid (ODA) allocation in the light of the significant cuts made to it over the past year and the recommendations concerning the allocation in the McCarthy report.  more > Revolt threat Thursday, November 05, 2009 ONE shouldn’t be too surprised to hear that Fianna Fail backbenchers are threatening a revolt. You’d expect a development like that given our frightful economic emergency.  more > College fees Thursday, November 05, 2009 UCC President, Dr Michael Murphy, has suggested that a hike in third level registration fees is necessary to avert a funding crisis in the higher education sector.  more > Giving nation Thursday, November 05, 2009 WE in the Aid agency World Vision Ireland are appealing to the anonymous donor who sent in ¤2,760 in cash in the post to make themselves known.  more > Drugs are never the only cure Thursday, October 29, 2009 MARY Harney has forced the mental health service in Ireland to rely more on dispensing drugs than providing alternative therapy. This is due mainly to the savage cuts that her government has made, together with the clever marketing strategies of pharmaceutical companies.  more > School damage Thursday, October 29, 2009 THE commitment in the revised Programme for Government to immediately appoint 100 additional teach-ers to second-level schools is only a gesture and will not undo the damage caused by the education cutbacks.  more > College event Thursday, October 29, 2009 THE Institute of Technology, Tralee hosted the European Inclusive Physical Education Training (EIPET) Conference at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin on Friday.  more > School party Thursday, October 29, 2009 IT may be of interest to past pupils from Cork, now living in Kerry that Cork’s Coláiste Chríost Rí, one of the country’s most famous secondary schools, is about to launch a comprehensive account of its history in a new book to commemorate its 50th anniversary.  more > Action needed to save landscape Thursday, October 22, 2009 THE Irish landscape has been severely damaged by a sustained period of economic growth and turbo-charged development.  more > China crisis Thursday, October 22, 2009 THE latest African leader to embrace the Trojan horse that China has placed in the heart of the Third World is Rwandan President Paul Kagame.  more > Homes threat Thursday, October 22, 2009 THE law does not protect people whose homes and farms come under attack from intruders and who themselves are often subjected to violent assault.  more > Tax smoking Thursday, October 22, 2009 THE Irish Heart Foundation has called on government to introduce tough measures to stamp out cigarette smuggling to protect young people from the deadly effects of tobacco consumption which is estimated to cost the Irish economy ¤685 million.  more > Coffee treat Thursday, October 22, 2009 THE Irish Hospice Foundation and Bewleys thank the many of people in Kerry who hosted coffee mornings in their homes and workplaces last month.  more > Stay vigilant Thursday, October 22, 2009 AS the winter months approach, we need to become more vigilant, as this is the time of the year where you will see an increase in the number of cases of meningitis and septicaemia.  more > We have done the right thing Thursday, October 15, 2009 AS a nation we have taken a decisive step for a stronger, fairer and better Ireland, and a stronger, fairer and better Europe, following ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.  more > Political forces Thursday, October 15, 2009 JUST as the No vote in the Lisbon Treaty last year was a victory for Irish independence, democracy and neutrality, the Yes vote this year was a victory for imperialism and a victory for those political forces that want to transform the European Union into a centralised neo-liberal militarised super-state.  more > Hunting hounds Thursday, October 15, 2009 THE Irish hunting with hounds community is up in arms at the proposal of Environment Minister, John Gormley, to include hunt kennels under the remit of commercial dog breeding establishments statutory instrument which he intends to sign into law.  more > Execution saga Thursday, October 15, 2009 SIX years after the US invasion of Iraq, the country now has one of the highest rates of execution in the world. according to a new report by Amnesty International that reveals the number of executions is set to double from last year.  more > Ferry funding Thursday, October 15, 2009 I WISH to make a couple of comments on The Kingdom’s report about the new Swansea-Cork ferry service which stated that Kerry welcomed the boost from new ferry option.  more > Jack up with the best of them Thursday, October 08, 2009 HAIL the mighty Kingdom. Hail our all-conquering heroes. With six all Ireland final appearances in a row, these boys are definitely heading for history - and they are not finished yet.  more > Treaty replay Thursday, October 08, 2009 ORGANISING a second Lisbon Treaty referendum last Friday was akin to Cork GAA fans demanding a re-run of the All-Ireland football final, despite an earlier defeat to Kerry.  more > Saving lives Thursday, October 08, 2009 THE Polish people have every reason to be cynical about Russia’s celebration of the Soviet triumph in Word War II.  more > Deaths double Thursday, October 08, 2009 SIX years after the US invasion of Iraq, the country now has one of the highest rates of execution in the world according to a new report by Amnesty International that reveals the number of executions is set to double from last year.  more > Learner drivers Thursday, October 08, 2009 THE National Youth Council of Ireland welcomes the Road Safety Authority consultation on the graduated driving licensing system for learner drivers.  more > Health roadshow Thursday, October 08, 2009 NEWS that Ireland has been chosen as one of seven EU countries where a roadshow on the benefits of healthy eating and exercise designed especially for young people will be put into effect is very much welcomed.  more > Nothing impossible for Kerry heroes Thursday, October 01, 2009 TO describe the exploits of fans of the Kerry football team this year, I’ll borrow a phrase associated with the wonderful Munster rugby team: To the brave and the faithful, nothing is impossible.  more > Funds needed Thursday, October 01, 2009 I AM writing to you on behalf of the Southwest Kerry Women’s Association, a community development project operating in the South West Kerry area.  more > Window crux Thursday, October 01, 2009 ON the front page of the Irish Examiner on 15 August, Deputy Jackie Healy-Rae was quoted as saying that money should be found from the people who robbed the state. It was a very peculiar statement.  more > Press coverage Thursday, October 01, 2009 WHEN reflecting on the eighth anniversary of the mass murder at the World Trade Centre, I would greatly appreciate no weary press coverage suggesting 19 Moslems in a cave in the Middle East planned and executed this atrocity.  more > Sensible option Thursday, October 01, 2009 IRELAND has now been part of the European Union since 1973 but even back then there were people who had concerns about joining.  more > Clear message Thursday, October 01, 2009 THE fact that we are voting again on the exact same Lisbon Treaty makes an absolute joke of democracy.  more > Remove Killarney’s hub shackles Thursday, September 24, 2009 THE Killarney Working Group has been in existence for a number of years and its membership consists of representatives from a number of sectors, including local government, education, enterprise and industry, regional development, commerce and tourism, gardaí, national park, youth and social.  more > Lisbon honesty Thursday, September 24, 2009 THE amount of lies, half-truths and spins being propagated by some of those on the No side locally are an example of complete and total dishonesty and must be killed quickly.  more > Family rights Thursday, September 24, 2009 CONGRATULATIONS to the Law Reform Commission on addressing the rights of unmarried fathers, grandparents and step parents.  more > Gaeltacht areas Thursday, September 24, 2009 WE are calling on Kerry parents from all Gaeltacht areas to write to the Minister for Education, Batt O 'Keeffe, to ensure Comhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta is not shut down by An Bord Snip.  more > Irish neutrality Thursday, September 24, 2009 THE Irish Anti War Move-ment and the Peace and Neutrality Alliance have worked closely together since 2003 when we helped organise the massive demonstration against the Iraq war.  more > Economic crisis Thursday, September 24, 2009 THE Construction Industry Federation must not given a consultative role in the formation of the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), despite the recent request by developers the CIF and its director general Tom Parlon.  more > Start talking to save the eagles Thursday, September 17, 2009 ARE we farmers being equipped with the right information on the alleged eagle poisoning issue in Kerry?  more > Illness warning Thursday, September 17, 2009 THE Meningitis Trust is issuing a warning to the people of Kerry about the dangers of meningitis as students in Ireland return to school, college or university.  more > Saving millions Thursday, September 17, 2009 THE people of Israel have, perhaps, the greatest reason to be cynical about the conduct of those who defeated Nazism. I suggest that they are 100 per cent justified in not taking any chances where the very survival of their nation is concerned.  more > Youth angered Thursday, September 17, 2009 RECENT changes to policy and a number of proposals outlined in the McCarthy and other reports by the government have angered and frustrated young people.  more > School reunion Thursday, September 17, 2009 MARY Immaculate College in Limerick, is organising two reunion celebrations in September and they may be of interest to past pupils from Kerry.  more > The sheer terror of awful silence Thursday, September 10, 2009 THERE is a story told of a gifted Renaissance painter who bought a very expensive container of paint. For safekeeping he stored it in a cubby and proceeded with his work in the chapel.  more > Instant message Thursday, September 10, 2009 BEING able to send an instant message to parents on their mobile phones in the event of a school closure will prove critical in the fight to prevent the spread of swine flu in schools.  more > Severe sanctions Thursday, September 10, 2009 THE news that the former President of Zambia, Frederick Chiluba, has been exonerated on charges of corruption comes as another devastating blow for all right-thinking members of society.  more > Workers’ champs Thursday, September 10, 2009 I FIND it strange that Joe Higgins and Mary Lou McDonald, who purport to represent ordinary decent working men and women, should persist in objecting to the Lisbon Treaty and the EU in general.  more > Positive message Thursday, September 10, 2009 THE value of the EU’s legal guarantees is that it clears the confusion. Given the fragmented nature of the European institutions, it can be extremely difficult for EU politicians to communicate the valuable work they are doing.  more > Hospital saved a mother’s life Thursday, September 03, 2009 MAY I, through The Kingdom, convey my family’s eternal gratitude to the wonderful doctors, nurses and general staff of your fine hospital in Tralee.  more > Fleadh success Thursday, September 03, 2009 IN recent weeks the Kerry Fleadh Cheoil took place in Killarney and it was a resounding success. Much of that is due to the hard-working committee who worked for a year to make it all happen.  more > Super sculpture Thursday, September 03, 2009 KILLARNEY Chamber of Tourism and Commerce welcomes the arrival of the whitetailed eagle into Main Street and congratulates both Killarney Town Council and sculptor Joe Neeson on commissioning and creating such a superb piece of public art.  more > Service charges Thursday, September 03, 2009 THE European Court of Justice has handed down a decision requiring local authorities to charge VAT on the services they provide.  more > Free education Thursday, September 03, 2009 FAMILIES around the country are being asked to take an active part in the fight for free third level education.  more > Homeless crisis Thursday, September 03, 2009 THE figures on homelessness released by the Department of Environment underestimate the problem of by more than half.  more > Services needed more than ever Thursday, August 27, 2009 WE are writing to you on behalf of the five family resource centres based in South Kerry to make your readers aware of the potential consequences of a recommendation in the McCarthy report.  more > Sworn inquiry Thursday, August 27, 2009 THE Irish Rural Dwellers Association has published a report calling for a sworn inquiry into the appointment of two senior planning inspectors to An Bord Pleanála in 2001 by then Minister Noel Dempsey.  more > Bank scandal Thursday, August 27, 2009 IRISH banks may be distorting the property market and there is concern that some banks may not be lending below certain levels in order to maintain higher house prices.  more > Quiet support Thursday, August 27, 2009 I FIND it a little amazing - and more than a little amusing - that the so-called fans that were queuing up to criticise the Kerry management and players after the games against Cork, Longford, Sligo and Antrim have been so quiet since the same team ensured the demolition of the Dubs.  more > Festival success Thursday, August 27, 2009 WELL done to the organisers of the Rose of Tralee for putting such a great festival together and for putting the town back on the map and in the public eye.  more > Saving the bear and the hare Thursday, August 13, 2009 IT’S decision time for hare coursing. This is the time when, traditionally, the Minister for the Environment decides whether or not to allow another season of this legalised cruelty.  more > Legal loophole Thursday, August 13, 2009 I REFER to a letter from MEP Brian Crowley published in The Kingdom issue of July 28.  more > Taxing debate Thursday, August 13, 2009 THERE has been much talk in recent days about the Irish government proposing new taxes like property taxes and water charges. It is right that these things are rigorously debated in public before they are implemented.  more > Charity cycle Thursday, August 13, 2009 THE Meningitis Research Foundation is calling on all keen cyclists in Kerry to sign up and take part in the Big Pedal challenge to support the work of the charity.  more > Minister’s sums Thursday, August 13, 2009 IN an opinion piece written by Education Minister, Batt O’Keeffe and published in The Kingdom, the minister said that the minimum number of pupils required to retain mild general learning disability classes was nine.  more > Street fouling Thursday, August 13, 2009 I HAVE been visiting Killarney for over 20 years and I am intrigued by the story of horse fouling. It appears to me that there is a much greater issue for Killarney as a tourist destination and that is the appalling state of the sidewalks.  more > Bull running sparks debate Thursday, August 06, 2009 THE recent description by Gerry Ryan of Pamplona's bull-running festival as "just fantastic" is unlikely to be echoed by those carried away paralysed after being drawn to the event by romanticised media homages.  more > Stay active Thursday, August 06, 2009 WITH the summer finally here, there is no better time to make sure we are getting plenty of physical activity.  more > Meningitis issue Thursday, August 06, 2009 WE, at the Meningitis Trust, are urging everybody not to mistake the signs and symptoms of meningitis with that of swine flu.  more > Animal welfare Thursday, August 06, 2009 FOLLOWING recent public debate on RTÉ’s Liveline regarding circus animal welfare, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is calling for the urgent introduction of legislation regarding the use and importation of wild animals in Ireland.  more > Stammering help Thursday, August 06, 2009 THE Kerry self-help group for stammerers had a successful launch in The Malton Hotel in Killarney on June 25, with old friends and new faces meeting up.  more > Rain fails to dampen charity champs’ spirits Thursday, July 30, 2009 THE charity Kingdom Care would like to thank everybody who took the time to dig out their old recyclables and donate them to us.  more > Treaty issue Thursday, July 30, 2009 THE idea that the Lisbon Treaty could open the door to abortion in Ireland is a complete fabrication.  more > Big thanks Thursday, July 30, 2009 I WOULD like to thank The Kingdom for sponsoring the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation during the recent Run Up The Hill event in Kenmare. Without the support of friends such as The Kingdom, we would have been unable to make the event as successful and as enjoyable as it was.  more > Alcohol issues Thursday, July 30, 2009 ALCOHOL Action Ireland, the national charity for alcohol-related issues, calls on the Minister for Justice to ensure that the forthcoming Sale of Alcohol Bill contains provisions for enforcing age ID after it emerged that young people in trouble with the law had no problems accessing alcohol.  more > Cruel cuts Thursday, July 30, 2009 THE cruellest cuts of all have been to the overseas development assistance budget. If the Minister for Finance and Taoiseach take the advice of An Bord Snip Nua and implement further cuts they will literally be severing a lifeline to the world’s poor.  more > Jarveys: time for change? Thursday, July 23, 2009 I HAVE been following the story of horse fouling on the streets and in the environs of Killarney with some interest, and would like to just lend some words of support for the brave stance former Killarney Town Council member, Sheila Casey, adopted regarding this matter.  more > Bandit slurs Thursday, July 23, 2009 I HAVE read the "offensive" Sunday Times article referring to the Irish tourism industry as Bandit Country, I've read The Kingdom’s front-page story on the subject in (7 July) and I have also read your editorial in the same edition on the same subject.  more > Street abuse Thursday, July 23, 2009 WHY don’t you just go back to where you came from? Just go back to your own country!  more > Tree worship Thursday, July 23, 2009 THE virgin in the tree stump controversy intrigues me. It has brought forth the predictable howls of ridicule to match the intense religious devotion of those who believe in the reality of a divine presence in the tree.  more > Crushing cars would be a lesson Thursday, July 16, 2009 HAVING spent the last hour cutting hedges around the entrance to my house, I was amazed at the speed of the passing traffic. The speed limit in the area is 60kph and the speed of the vehicles must have been up to 90kph and, perhaps, even more.  more > Ladder shape Thursday, July 16, 2009 IN early May you published a number of articles relating to an alleged "massive landslide" on the MacGillycuddy Reeks and the subsequent danger to people using this route.  more > Bull fighting Thursday, July 16, 2009 THE Irish Council Against Blood Sports commends Aer Lingus for recently removing a matador from an online graphic promoting flights to Europe.  more > Euro website Thursday, July 16, 2009 I HAVE launched a new web-site - www.eumatters.ie - to provide factual information about Ireland's membership of the European Union.  more > Ferry travel Thursday, July 16, 2009 I HAVE called for measures to support the elderly people on Valentia Island by seeking an extension from the Department of Social and Family Affairs of the free travel entitlement for all old age pensioners travelling on the ferry service from Knightstown to Renard Point.  more > Yours truly from Kerry’s farmers Thursday, July 09, 2009 WHEN it comes to innovation there is nothing to compete with Kerry farmers and this month they have taken the bull - or should that be the pig - by the horns to launch their own new brand of quality rashers and sausages.  more > Vigilance down on the farm Thursday, July 09, 2009 AS schools finish for the summer, Irish Rural Link, the national organisation campaigning for sustainable rural communities, reminds parents to talk to their children about the risks farm machinery and working farms present over the summer months.  more > Kerry heritage Thursday, July 09, 2009 IRELAND’S national heritage officer programme is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. In 1999, the Heritage Council established a three-year pilot heritage officer programme which sought to place heritage expertise within local authorities.  more > Cheaper calls Thursday, July 09, 2009 KERRY people heading for holiday resorts in Europe can now enjoy cheaper mobile phone calls and texts thanks to the EU.  more > Democracy bid Thursday, July 09, 2009 AFTER the Irish political elite was defeated when the Irish people voted to reject the Nice Treaty, the Fianna Fail government was forced to establish the National Forum on Europe which provided space for democratic debate on the future of Europe.  more > Concern event Thursday, July 09, 2009 CONCERN Worldwide is organising a seminar on Sunday, July 12, to give top class advice to those now preparing to run the Dublin Marathon in October in aid of Concern.  more > Trade website Thursday, July 09, 2009 THE recession is putting a strain on thousands of people all over Ireland but a new website, gobarterireland.ie, can be of some help.  more > Young blood needed to help festival Thursday, July 02, 2009 TWO years ago we called an emergency meeting to try to rescue the street events for the Rose of Tralee festival when the Rose of Tralee Company stepped away. We had a tremendous turnout at that meeting and the Festival of Kerry Support Group was established.  more > Valuable service Thursday, July 02, 2009 I WRITE with regard to the BreastCheck screening programme which is now available in Kerry. Since May 2009 the screening has commenced from a mobile unit located in the grounds of Kerry General Hospital.  more > People’s rights Thursday, July 02, 2009 THE Irish Anti War move-ment condemns the killing of innocent demonstrators and the violent suppression of protests on the streets of Tehran, Shiraz and other cities and notes with concern the escalation of the abuse of human rights in Iran.  more > Happy families Thursday, July 02, 2009 WITH reference to Labour’s education spokesman Ruairi Quinn’s mention of Opus Dei as a secret society, could I, for the sake of accuracy, point out that Opus Dei is not a secret society.  more > Poorest hurting Thursday, July 02, 2009 IF proof were needed that the global economic slowdown is hitting the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest, it has been borne out by latest figures from the United Nations which show that over one billion people face hunger and starvation this year.  more > World welcome Thursday, July 02, 2009 RTÉ's multicultural travel series, Welcome to my World, is currently looking for international people living in Ireland to travel back to their home countries bringing a significant other with them - be it a wife, a husband, mother-in-law, friend or work-mate.  more > Listowel festival an example for all Thursday, June 25, 2009 I HAD, for quite some time, been promising myself a visit to Listowel Writers’ Week but, due to one thing or another, I kept putting it off. This year, however, I was determined to go.  more > Lisbon chance Thursday, June 25, 2009 A SECOND rejection of the Lisbon Treaty will lead to negative consequences for Ireland.  more > Mumps danger Thursday, June 25, 2009 I AM writing on behalf of the Meningitis Trust in response to news that the number of cases of mumps reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre this year has increased five-fold.  more > Child fairness Thursday, June 25, 2009 IT is possible to protect children from exploitation in a more robust manner than under the current law, without trampling upon fundamental principles of justice and fairness.  more > Funds success Thursday, June 25, 2009 I AM writing to thank The Kingdom for the amazing donation of ¤3,347.05 that we received from the newspaper as proceeds from the newspaper’s car giveaway race night promotion.  more > Poster crux solution in Euro model Thursday, June 18, 2009 I WOULD like to respond to Rory O'Sullivan's piece on election posters which was published in The Kingdom.  more > Major abuse Thursday, June 18, 2009 THE Ryan Report revealed sexual and physical abuse on a monstrous scale in Ireland in the labour camps that were the industrial and reform schools.  more > Book interest Thursday, June 18, 2009 SOMETHING that might interest your readers is that Kerry-born, Kilkenny-based therapist Christina Holt, writing as Chris Barry, had a novel published a few months ago in the USA that foreshadowed and anticipated, in a chilling narrative, the findings of the shattering Ryan Report on institutional abuse.  more > Waiting risks Thursday, June 18, 2009 I AM writing on behalf of the Meningitis Trust in response to news from the HSE that patients are waiting longer in Accident and Emergency units.  more > Direct debits Thursday, June 18, 2009 THE Irish Heart Foundation wishes to tell your readers, our donors and friends, that our charity has no connection to an organisation calling door-to-door for donations for the Irish Heart Research Institute or Heart Research Institute.  more > Fight against hospital cutbacks Thursday, June 11, 2009 KERRY people need to oppose any proposed cutbacks to health services in our county and in Kerry General Hospital.  more > Hare coursing Thursday, June 11, 2009 THE finding of mutilated greyhound carcasses at a popular seaside resort shows just how expendable these animals are deemed by their owners once their performance days are over.  more > Budget cuts Thursday, June 11, 2009 CUTS in the overseas aid budget of almost 22 per cent in the past four months represent an appalling dereliction of our national duty to the poor.  more > Planet’s poor Thursday, June 11, 2009 THE World Bank is the latest institution to switch on its siren and blue flashing light to draw attention to the emergency facing the planet’s poor. More must be done by the international community to help.  more > People awards Thursday, June 11, 2009 THE organisers of the People of the Year Awards are urging The Kingdom readers to nominate their heroes of the past year to join the ranks of previous People of the Year award winners at this year’s glittering awards ceremony on Saturday, September 12.  more > Bishop: Abuse a terrible breach of trust Friday, June 05, 2009 I WELCOME the publication of the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse by Judge Seán Ryan.  more > Traumatic time Friday, June 05, 2009 WE, Sisters of Mercy, welcome the publication of the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and we extend our gratitude to Judge Seán Ryan and the Commission on the completion of its work.  more > Healing process Friday, June 05, 2009 AS I write this letter to you, I am sitting here in tears over what I have read, seen and heard during the last week about those poor, vulnerable little children being treated in such an appalling way.  more > Report disgust Friday, June 05, 2009 I FEEL the need to write to you to express my disgust on reading a match report that appeared in your newspaper, The Kingdom, on Tuesday, May 19.  more > Bank health Friday, June 05, 2009 THE banks urgently need a clean bill of health with their balance sheets strengthened and uncertainty about bad debts removed.  more > Strong case for more councillors Thursday, May 28, 2009 I NOTICED my friend Donal Hickey took me to task in his column in The Kingdom because I called for an increase in the number of councillors for Killarney town.  more > Costly outing Thursday, May 28, 2009 KILLARNEY Camera Club recently held a very successful outing to the Beara Peninsula which took in many sights such as Derreen Gardens, mountains and lakes. The photographers also got to capture scenic images of Glengariff.  more > People awards Thursday, May 28, 2009 THE organising committee of the People of the Year Awards are urging readers of The Kingdom to nominate their heroes of the past year to join the ranks of previous People of the Year Award winners.  more > Abortion rules Thursday, May 28, 2009 THE European Union and its institutions have no power to legislate in the area of abortion and anyone who claims otherwise is misleading the Irish electorate.  more > Support sought Thursday, May 28, 2009 ON behalf of the Meningitis Research Foundation, I am writing to ask if there are any ladies in the Kerry area who are taking part in the 2009 Flora Women’s Mini Marathon, to run on our behalf.  more > Make rally an election issue Thursday, May 21, 2009 ANOTHER Rally of the Lakes is over, thank God. Do we really have to suffer this abomination every year?  more > Register points Thursday, May 21, 2009 IN response to your article in The Kingdom, issue dated 5 May, entitled "Kerry register worst ever insists dual role hopeful", I would like to make the following points.  more > London calling Thursday, May 21, 2009 THE promotion of Ireland abroad for the coming tourist season gives the impression that the island is united and that the name of Londonderry is fully accepted by all the people here  more > Grave injustice Thursday, May 21, 2009 A FALSE allegation of a crime that results in a conviction is a grave injustice.  more > Hospital threat is shameful Thursday, May 14, 2009 I WISH to make known my very strong support for the staff of Killarney Community Hospital in their fight against downgrade.  more > Rubbish saga Thursday, May 14, 2009 DESPITE several education campaigns by community councils, notices in the media and information on radio for people not to dump rubbish illegally in public places, this heinous act is still continuing wholesale.  more > Efficient care Thursday, May 14, 2009 MEDICAL and nursing professions warn that any moratorium on recruitment in the health service will place health care workers and their patients in an unsafe care environment which would be unacceptable.  more > Europe support Thursday, May 14, 2009 WE all know that we face unprecedented economic problems at this time of global recession. But we are in a much stronger position to address these challenges as a committed and key member of both the European Union and of the Eurozone.  more > Marathon funds Thursday, May 14, 2009 I AM writing on behalf of the Meningitis Research Foundation to ask if there are any Kerry ladies who are taking part in the 2009 Flora Women’s Mini Marathon willing to run on our behalf.  more > Cancer warning Thursday, May 14, 2009 A RECENT survey has revealed that many of us still do not know how our lifestyle affects our chances of developing cancer later in life.  more > A horrendous blow for a town Thursday, May 07, 2009 WE have seen the government fail Tralee on the jobs front with the loss of 210 jobs at Amann. What a horrendous blow to the employees, their families and our town.  more > Planning crux Thursday, May 07, 2009 I WOULD like to commend Donal Hickey for his article titled Kerry suffering from urban blight.  more > Band memories Thursday, May 07, 2009 MY wife and I were on vacation in Ireland on March 11-18. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing beautiful Ireland, its scenery and its historic sites, but nothing surpassed the wonderful, friendly people that we met along the way.  more > College reunion Thursday, May 07, 2009 MARY Immaculate College in Limerick is organising two special reunion celebrations for past students in September.  more > Marathon man Thursday, May 07, 2009 JUST a quick note to touch base with your readers about some activities that we are planning around the Dublin Marathon which may be of interest.  more > Golf can save tourism trade Thursday, April 30, 2009 TOURISM figures recently released highlight the challenges facing our tourism sector in 2009. Visitors from Britain, our biggest market, accounted for most of the 8.4 per cent drop in overseas trips to Ireland.  more > Ethics worries Thursday, April 30, 2009 I WRITE to represent a number of concerned citizens to comment on the recent actions of a group of people calling themselves the Cork University Hospital Ethics Forum who had invited an English professor to deliver an interactive lecture at the hospital on why euthanasia should be legalised.  more > Golden circle Thursday, April 30, 2009 I HAD to check the calendar to make sure it was not April 1 when I heard that the government is set to reward sacked junior ministers with a golden handshake of ¤53,000.  more > Virus warning Thursday, April 30, 2009 I AM writing on behalf of national charity, the Meningitis Trust, in response to the devastating news that a 21-year old woman died from meningitis last week. Our thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.  more > Safer crossing Thursday, April 30, 2009 I HAVE asked Kerry County Council to develop a controlled pedestrian crossing on the N22 national secondary road adjacent to Dennehy’s Corner in the town of Rathmore.  more > Jessie fits in with top stars Thursday, April 23, 2009 WHILE attending the Best of Britain and Ireland Travel Show in London, I saw that Stephen Sondheim’s major hit musical, A Little Night Music, was about to open at London’s West End Garrick Theatre.  more > Boxer reports Thursday, April 23, 2009 WHILE recently searching the web for articles about the birthplace of boxer John L Sullivan's father, I came across a report posted from The Kingdom dated 6 November 2008.  more > Second jobs Thursday, April 23, 2009 PAT Kenny announced on The Late Late Show on Friday, March 27 that he is vacating his seat as presenter in eight weeks.  more > Bunny bashed Thursday, April 23, 2009 AS the nation munched on scrumptious chocolate eggs and celebrations to mark the great patriotic uprising were held countrywide, I mused upon the chilling reality that our government is no friend of the Easter Bunny.  more > Tobacco price Thursday, April 23, 2009 I AM very disappointed with the 25 cent increase in the price of tobacco in the emergency budget. This approach to price runs totally contrary to the government’s stated policy of creating a tobacco-free society.  more > GAA commitment comes at a price Thursday, April 16, 2009 WITH the issue of player burnout very much in the news at the moment, one has to raise the question: who cares?  more > Complete failure Thursday, April 16, 2009 HAS regulation in this country been a success or a failure? I think time has proven it to be a complete failure and now the question must be asked why that is?  more > Human error Thursday, April 16, 2009 TO err is human is indeed one of the special privileges of being human but, on certain occasions, it is important to issue a gentle correction, particularly when the error has been published in a widely read and reputable newspaper.  more > Carers happy Thursday, April 16, 2009 THE Kerry carers welcome the government’s decision not to cut carers’ payments in the emergency budget.  more > Proud Scrooge Thursday, April 16, 2009 I WAS shocked and horrified to hear our latest budget unfold. The savage cuts imposed by our Minister for Finance have left most ordinary people reeling in shock and anger at the extent that Fianna Fail has ruined our economy.  more > Taoiseach is bullied by media Thursday, April 09, 2009 I FOUND the caricature portrait of Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, highlighted in the media to be distasteful, not simply because of the personal and insulting depiction of Mr Cowen’s apparent physical appearance, but because of the message that it sends out.  more > Sunday trading Thursday, April 09, 2009 WHO was Tom Murphy of SIPTU trying to cod in his letter to The Kingdom regarding Sunday trading and staff costs?  more > Medical cards Thursday, April 09, 2009 WITH reference to medical cards, I can recall a time when the county council was the health authority, in conjunction with the Department of Health. Anyone could apply for a medical card, regardless of age.  more > Cousins sought Thursday, April 09, 2009 QUITE a few years ago a distant cousin of mine visited Kilgarvan searching for our family. As she was leaving, she stopped at a statue to take a picture and a gentleman approached her and began to speak to her.  more > Poor suffering Thursday, April 09, 2009 EVERYONE is feeling the pinch to a greater or lesser degree in these days of worldwide economic crisis. As always though, it is the poor and the vulnerable who suffer most.  more > Animal cruelty Thursday, April 09, 2009 LISTENERS to RTÉ’s Liveline will have been shocked by the graphic account of animal cruelty given by a caller who witnessed blooding of greyhounds with live rabbits.  more > Blaming political rivals is comical Thursday, April 02, 2009 I WRITE to congratulate Jackie Healy-Rae on his Houdini act. In his recent letter to your newspaper he said if he cannot properly represent the people of Kerry and his own area then he lays the blame squarely at the door of the opposition members in the Dáil.  more > Bitter media Thursday, April 02, 2009 I MUST object strongly to the over-the-top reaction of some journalists, columnists, and broadcasters to the jailing of Shell to Sea campaigner, Maura Harrington.  more > Budget blues Thursday, April 02, 2009 I CALL on the government not to target those who find themselves out of work by cutting social welfare payments in the upcoming mini-budget.  more > Thrill seekers Thursday, April 02, 2009 WE in the Meningitis Research Foundation are inviting all Kerry thrill seekers to set themselves a challenge and sign up for a 10,000 feet sponsored sky-dive.  more > Drink culture Thursday, April 02, 2009 YOUNG people are being subjected to massive marketing campaigns for alcohol.  more > Killarney mayor must be commended Wednesday, March 25, 2009 THE South West Counselling Centre in Killarney has seen a doubling in numbers in its waiting list for affordable counselling in recent months.  more > False argument Wednesday, March 25, 2009 HUMANS, by definition, are social beings who are meant to live in and through social interaction. It is in terms of other people that each finds one’s identity and develops one’s personality.  more > Financial plight Wednesday, March 25, 2009 THE imposition of even more financial hardship on decent law abiding men and women will turn them into criminals in order to provide for their children.  more > Children dying Wednesday, March 25, 2009 EVERYONE is feeling the pinch, to a greater or lesser degree, in these days of worldwide economic crisis. As always though, it is the poor and the vulnerable who suffer most.  more > Root and branch reform needed Tuesday, March 17, 2009 ANSWERS given by the Governor of the Central Bank, John Hurley, at a meeting of the Economic Regulatory Affairs Joint Oireachtas Committee, were proof, if proof were needed, that a fundamental root and branch reform of the Irish financial regulatory system is required without delay.  more > Money wasted Tuesday, March 17, 2009 THE role played by the statutory Referendum Commission during the Lisbon Treaty referendum will surely be found shocking by future historians.  more > Mayor’s horse Tuesday, March 17, 2009 I WRITE in response to Donal Hickey’s Kerry View in The Kingdom last Tuesday.  more > Show Concern Tuesday, March 17, 2009 BY simply signing a form, with no strings attached, people in Kerry have the opportunity to add ¤94,703.56 to the donations they have already made to Concern Worldwide.  more > Big challenge Tuesday, March 17, 2009 OXFAM Ireland is calling on the people of Kerry to participate in the international Oxfam Trailtrekker which is one of the world’s toughest team challenges and one of the most rewarding.  more > Cracking the case of coffee costs Thursday, March 12, 2009 PLEASE allow me to comment on and attempt to correct some misinformation contained in Deputy Tom Sheahan’s contribution to the debate in the Dáil on the proposal to give statutory rights to the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), as quoted in your newspaper of 24 February under the heading: "Dail told of plight of Killarney restaurant."  more > Laying blame Thursday, March 12, 2009 I AM totally disgusted at the way the opposition is carrying on in the Dáil, particularly when they were questioning the Taoiseach in regard to the deal the Independents have with the government.  more > Food pricing Thursday, March 12, 2009 THERE are greater discounts on alcohol than on basic food items in low-cost stores throughout the country and a survey clearly showed up the discrepancy.  more > Star searching Thursday, March 12, 2009 THE producers of Dragons Den, The Apprentice, You’re a Star and Popstars, are looking for the new faces of Irish TV and the search is underway in Kerry.  more > Psychics are unfairly tarnished Thursday, March 05, 2009 THE claim by psychic mediums to be able to communicate with the dead is controversial and bitterly contested worldwide.  more > Hospital crisis Thursday, March 05, 2009 THE unprecedented levels of job losses and the resultant increase in numbers of people relying on medical card cover is leading to a major cash crisis in our hospitals.  more > Obscene rises Thursday, March 05, 2009 THE ¤50 to ¤60,000 increase in medical consultant’s salary approved by the government is obscene.  more > Climate change Thursday, March 05, 2009 THE Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan’s announcement of measures to encourage people to generate their own electricity will help rural Ireland mitigate climate change.  more > Kerry vision Thursday, March 05, 2009 PEOPLE in Kerry who travel to the capital for work, college, sporting events, shopping or socialising are being urged to have their say on the future of travel links to the greater Dublin area.  more > Give more power to the communities Thursday, February 26, 2009 IT is my firm belief that a wider focus and better utilisation and development of our tourist resources could pay rich dividends for Kerry.  more > School cuts Thursday, February 26, 2009 THE government's cutbacks in education will have a drastic impact on primary schools in Tralee.  more > Phone worries Thursday, February 26, 2009 THE centre square of Listowel will be devoid of public phone boxes if a plan by Eircom to cut back on the service goes ahead.  more > World prayers Thursday, February 26, 2009 75 years ago, in 1934, two women named Caroline Lyle and Rosa Hudson gathered together women from different Christian backgrounds to pray on the World Day of Prayer organised by women.  more > Penny-pinching from the vulnerable Thursday, February 19, 2009 CUTS made to the Irish education system earlier are illegal and could be the source of a legal challenge.  more > Getting real Thursday, February 19, 2009 YOUR very interesting headline in a recent issue read: "McEllistrim seeks lab technicians for schools."  more > Vivid contrast Thursday, February 19, 2009 THE contrast could not have been more vivid. In Clonmel, at a cruelty festival sanctioned by a Green Party minister, people cheered as greyhounds chased terrified hares.  more > Book habits Thursday, February 19, 2009 WORLD Book Day, which is coming up on March 5, is Ireland’s biggest celebration of reading and promotion of literacy and it involves special promotions for children’s books and money-off vouchers.  more > Stay vigilant Thursday, February 19, 2009 I AM writing on behalf of national charity, the Meningitis Trust, in response to the devastating news that a three-year-old has died from meningitis. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.  more > Carers push Thursday, February 19, 2009 KERRY’S 5,892 family carers are being urged to join The Carers Association to help drive its advocacy campaign for justice and a better quality of living for carers in the home.  more > Now’s the time for new supports Thursday, February 12, 2009 THE Taoiseach’s speech in the Dáil, which outlined his priorities for the immediate future, concluded with a statement that the government will provide "the necessary hope and direction".  more > Poverty crisis Thursday, February 12, 2009 WHILE the number of people in poverty fell by 100,000 over a three-year period, the Celtic Tiger failed to deliver infrastructure, services and well-being on the scale required.  more > Unfair burden Thursday, February 12, 2009 THE way in which garda associations have been notified of the proposals to impose savage cuts in income for members is totally unfair and unjustifiable.  more > Meningitis alert Thursday, February 12, 2009 I AM writing on behalf of national charity, the Meningitis Trust, in response to news that a six-year-old boy from Cavan has died from meningitis. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.  more > Pure hypocrisy Thursday, February 12, 2009 THE declaration by the lead-ership of the Sinn Fein, that people should not be afraid to pass on information about crime to the police, when they really mean actions which are directed against the occupation forces, is pure hard core political hypocrisy.  more > Sport or a festival of cruelty? Thursday, February 05, 2009 THE National Coursing Meeting, which is being staged this week, will again, as in previous years, showcase one of the world’s most cruel and indefensible blood sports.  more > Animal travel Thursday, February 05, 2009 MEPs in Strasbourg have debated the issue of nonenforcement of rules to protect animals.  more > Farmer threat Thursday, February 05, 2009 DESPITE the financial climate we find ourselves in, I feel there are a lot of people who are still guilty of reckless trading.  more > Thrill seekers Thursday, February 05, 2009 THE Meningitis Research Foundation is looking for Kerry thrill seekers to take on the challenge of a lifetime, by climbing Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro.  more > Kerry’s helping to change lives Thursday, January 29, 2009 THE Kerry branch of Special Olympics Ireland would like to thank all of those who supported the launch of our 2009 fundraising campaign at the Killarney Outlet Centre.  more > Abuse scandal Thursday, January 29, 2009 I WISH to add my voice to the comments made by Alan Whelan from Beaufort in The Kingdom last week.  more > Be not afraid Thursday, January 29, 2009 I THINK it is disgraceful that the Bishop of Cloyne, John Magee, has not resigned from office for not adhering to established guidelines on child sex abuse.  more > Animal rights Thursday, January 29, 2009 I WOULD urge the people of Kerry to get active and stop animal abuse.  more > Housing needs Thursday, January 29, 2009 THE European Commission has confirmed that it is investigating allegations made in a large number of complaints in relation to the Irish government's recent budget provision, Home Choice Loan.  more > Kerry’s opposes war in Gaza Thursday, January 22, 2009 AS a member of the Tralee Anti War Group, I wish to respond to MEP Colm Burke’s letter on the situation in Gaza published in last week’s issue of The Kingdom.  more > War victims Thursday, January 22, 2009 THE Irish Red Cross calls on all parties to the conflict in Gaza to ensure access for wounded civilians, especially children, who need help.  more > True fidelity Thursday, January 22, 2009 WHEN recently Cardinal Brady visited Killarney, I had the good fortune to hear his very eloquent lecture on The Church in Contemporary Ireland, including its passing reference to the scandals that have bedevilled the Irish Catholic Church.  more > Mart money Thursday, January 22, 2009 AS one of the original shareholders of the Kingdom Coop Livestock Mart, I offer my good wishes for its future. I regret not being present at a recent social function  more > Service flaws Thursday, January 22, 2009 DESPITE government promises of new ambulances being provided, it seems to me that no new ambulances are on their way, because even if they were, there is nobody there to drive them.  more > Time to respect human rights Thursday, January 15, 2009 BOTH sides involved in the conflict in Gaza must respect international humanitarian law and the rights of civilians in the region.  more > Stop slaughter Thursday, January 15, 2009 WHAT is happening in Gaza is nothing less than collective punishment of a civilian population.  more > Help overseas Thursday, January 15, 2009 IN the first few weeks of January, many Kerry people are making resolutions and planning career changes for 2009.  more > Store rip-off Thursday, January 15, 2009 THE British based multi-national food and clothing companies now operating in Ireland are ripping off consumers by not reducing their prices in line with the fall of sterling.  more > FÁS support Thursday, January 15, 2009 FÁS wishes to assure Dell employees living in the Kerry area that we can assist them with a full range of employment and training options.  more > Dell disgrace Thursday, January 15, 2009 IT has been revealed that directors in Dell have been refusing talks to save jobs in Limerick for some months.  more > We’ve no right to torment animals Thursday, January 08, 2009 THE array of colourful hunting scenes in the newspapers over Christmas gave the impression that live animal baiting - fox and stag hunting - is a harmless, life-enhancing activity, with everyone involved having a lovely time in a festive wonderland atmosphere.  more > Remain vigilant Thursday, January 08, 2009 I AM writing to say thank you to everyone in Ireland who supported the Meningitis Trust during 2008.  more > Help overseas Thursday, January 08, 2009 READERS of The Kingdom can take the opportunity to revitalise their careers or feed their adventurous souls with an exciting new experience in 2009, courtesy of Voluntary Service Overseas.  more > Concern thanks Thursday, January 08, 2009 CONCERN Worlwide, Ireland’s largest aid agency, wishes to thank readers of The Kingdom for their generosity during 2008.  more > Iceland calling Thursday, January 08, 2009 THE Irish charity Fighting Blindness is planning an exciting trek to Iceland from 2-8 August 2009 and it will be the perfect adventure.  more > Funding boost Thursday, January 08, 2009 THE total funding delivered to Kerry County Council in 2008 of ¤1.482.280 for recycling projects was important for the environment in a county where environmental issues are always a high priority.  more > Stroke politics ruining the country Tuesday, December 30, 2008 WE are in the worst economic crisis that the country has ever faced and all the time we are listening to politicians score points off each other.  more > Help at hand Tuesday, December 30, 2008 THE days leading up to the new year can be a difficult time for even the most robust. There can be high expectations to have a good time which can make it a difficult time for many.  more > Garda plans Tuesday, December 30, 2008 AN Garda Síochána has published its annual Policing Plan for 2009 and it includes the priorities of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.  more > Business ideas Tuesday, December 30, 2008 ALTHOUGH we need to be even more cost conscious than ever now, we must not take our eye off our long-term strategic goals.  more > Stay Connected Tuesday, December 30, 2008 CONNECT, which is a free and confidential counselling service for adults who were abused in childhood, is to extend its hours to open every day this week.  more > Help MS to reach for the stars Monday, December 22, 2008 THIS year Multiple Sclerosis Ireland is launching a big gift brochure as part of our Reach For A Star Christmas campaign which aims to raise over €250,000 for services and resources for families living with MS.  more > Heavy-handed Monday, December 22, 2008 IN the aftermath of the pig meat crisis, can I make a comment? Much has been said about why and how it happened in an effort to understand the meltdown, to prevent a future one and as human nature would have it to find someone to blame.  more > Letter writing Monday, December 22, 2008 I WRITE on behalf of the only trade association in this country representing the fashion, footwear and household textiles, retail, wholesale and agencies sector in this country.  more > Court appeal Monday, December 22, 2008 I REFER to the report in The Kingdom concerning an order by consent made by Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill providing for the establishment of a new division of the Garda Appeals Board to consider an appeal concerning Garda Thomas Noonan.  more > No beds closed in Killarney unit Thursday, December 18, 2008 I REFER to an article titled "Key beds are left empty despite pleas for respite" which appeared in last week’s edition of The Kingdom.  more > Poppy insult Thursday, December 18, 2008 IT seems now to be an annual crusade by certain sections of the media to try and promote the wearing of the British poppy in Ireland.  more > Health matters Thursday, December 18, 2008 MANY people in Kerry will have a recent episode of the TV programme, The Clinic, covering the topic of meningitis.  more > Great support Thursday, December 18, 2008 I WOULD be grateful if, through your letters page, you would permit me to express my thanks on behalf of Self Help Africa, to all of our supporters in Kerry for the generous support and backing that they provided to our work during 2008.  more > Woman taken Thursday, December 18, 2008 ON 3 December Jestina Mukoko, a journalist and leading Zimbabwean human rights activist, was abducted from her home in Harare by men suspected to be government officials.  more > Politicans lose touch with reality Thursday, December 11, 2008 THE recent controvercy regarding the use of expenses in high places may well be the straw that broke the camel’s back or is it just the tip of the iceberg?  more > Power prices Thursday, December 11, 2008 THE indication that Bord Gáis and the ESB are abandoning their planned price increases shows that the reality of the current economic climate is starting to become a factor in state energy providers’ decisions.  more > Holiday horror Thursday, December 11, 2008 THE speed and severity of the current downturn has surprised even the most experienced economists but the government’s determination to protect the big boys while the ordinary investors pay the price is exemplified in the ¤200 charge on holiday homes introduced in the recent budget.  more > Single agency Thursday, December 11, 2008 THE government is risking long-term damage to farming instead of seeking savings through efficiencies and the minister is failing to recognise the potential of the agriculture industry to play a part in regenerating the economy.  more > Charity causes Thursday, December 11, 2008 I READ every week about young men and women from Kerry and elsewhere seeking contributions from local people to help pay for them to go off on their travels and help those in need in far-flung parts of the world?  more > Mon moments Thursday, December 11, 2008 THANK you so much to The Kingdom for the fantastic support and coverage of our recent 50th anniversary celebrations.  more > Pop song should not get air time Thursday, December 04, 2008 THE playing of a pop song glorifying the activities of the British Army in Afghanistan and Iraq on Irish radio stations, including Radio Kerry, must be questioned.  more > Price paying Thursday, December 04, 2008 I FIND it difficult to under-stand how the country is now in recession after such prosperity just a short time ago.  more > Farmer anger Thursday, December 04, 2008 IRISH farmers, in recent years, have turned their ire against the EU and the most frequent scapegoat for their continuing woes has been so-called "faceless Brussels bureaucrats".  more > Child dangers Thursday, December 04, 2008 PAMELA Izevbekhai and her two daughters Naomi and Jemima have been living in Sligo since January 2005.  more > Garda systems Thursday, December 04, 2008 IMMEDIATE practical steps need to be taken to deal with the situation in Limerick and action is needed to reassure people and not ill thought out waffle about legislation.  more > Vaccine issues Thursday, December 04, 2008 I AM writing on behalf of the Meningitis Trust in response to the news that cases of mumps reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre have increased significantly over the last year.  more > Think local Thursday, November 27, 2008 THE Kerry branch of the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland is lending its support to a campaign that aims to promote the importance and value of supporting local businesses, produce and services and encourages active participation in local community groups.  more > Kerry support Thursday, November 27, 2008 THE Meningitis Trust is calling for people in Kerry to help us run meningitis out of Ireland by taking part in the 2009 Connemarathon next March on our behalf.  more > Hospital crux Thursday, November 27, 2008 THE Health Service Executive is effectively misleading public representatives and the public by not publishing the various reports into hospital's acute services.  more > Waiting game Thursday, November 27, 2008 THERE are some things worth protesting about. Recently, I took to the streets to retain the medical card for the over 70s, to stop the education cuts and to highlight the reduction in assistance to persons with disabilities.  more > Santa letters Thursday, November 27, 2008 IT’S that time of the year again! We are all very busy up here in the North Pole, working hard to make this Christmas special for all the boys and girls.  more > Real generosity of spirit in Killarney Thursday, November 27, 2008 YES we can: that was the response from Geert Maes of the world renowned Gaby’s Restaurant when the South West Counselling Centre asked for his support.  more > Minister, leave the kids alone Thursday, November 20, 2008 THE national Community Games organisation, at its foundation, understood well the reality of life when it adopted as its motto the ancient Roman dictum: Mens sana in corpore sano.  more > Farm damage Thursday, November 20, 2008 THE foxhunters are active again since November 1 and farmers up and down the country can expect the usual bad behaviour from some of these people who think nothing of invading land where they're not welcome.  more > Cancer cuts Thursday, November 20, 2008 UP to 70-80 women die each year from cervical cancer in Ireland. The vaccine initially proposed and now scrapped by the government had the potential to significantly reduce the incidence of this type of cancer in the future.  more > Bulbs saga Thursday, November 20, 2008 LAST Friday, November 14, was the last official day for protests against the ban of the type of light bulbs we have been using for years. Ironically, there are no worries about the safety of light bulbs themselves, unlike with fluorescent energy saving lights.  more > Charity work Thursday, November 20, 2008 THE staff and children of our partner organisation in India and Kenya are looking for teams of enthusiastic volunteers to work with them next summer.  more > Bookies are backing a real loser Thursday, November 13, 2008 KERRY bookmakers will be forced to close following the irrational and disastrous decision to double the rate of betting duty to two per cent in the budget.  more > Bitter blow Thursday, November 13, 2008 THE government’s failure to deliver meaningful assistance to the county’s 5,892 family carers in is a bitter blow.  more > College reunion Thursday, November 13, 2008 NUI Galway alumni from the classes of 1978 and 1979 have been asked to upload their photographs and memories to a new website ahead of a reunion on Saturday, 22 November.  more > Euro funding Thursday, November 13, 2008 I ORGANISED a recent conference in Brussels on how best can Ireland draw down funding and maximise opportunities that are available under the 7th EU Programme for Research and Technological Development.  more > Killarney House is an Irish tragedy Thursday, November 06, 2008 HERITAGE, if it counts for anything, is strong in Killarney. Two families dominate its modern history: Herbert and Kenmare.  more > Planning crux Thursday, November 06, 2008 I RECALL an article in The Kingdom about the owner of the West End House Restaurant in Killarney, Josef Fassbender, being refused permission to develop his property.  more > Schools hurt Thursday, November 06, 2008 THE cuts for education, as proposed in the budget, are mean spirited and misguided and they will affect every young person in second-level education.  more > Charge danger Thursday, November 06, 2008 I AM writing on behalf of the Meningitis Trust in response to the news that the charge for emergency care has risen from ¤66 to ¤100.  more > Airport shock Thursday, November 06, 2008 KILLARNEY Chamber of Tourism and Commerce wishes to express shock and disappointment at the recently announced decision by government to shelve its promised ¤18 million development support for Kerry Airport.  more > Service success Thursday, October 30, 2008 JUST a note to sincerely thank you and your staff for the great coverage of our conference and the positive message about our life education service that you continue to put out.  more > God and PDs Thursday, October 30, 2008 IT is said that God works in mysterious ways. Whether you believe in him, her, or it, you have to wonder sometimes if what goes around in life really does come around - in an ethical sort of way.  more > Total disgust Thursday, October 30, 2008 AS an Independent member of Kerry County Council, I write to express my total disgust and objection at the government’s savage budget attack on the most vulnerable people in our society.  more > Greens should pull the plug on FF Thursday, October 30, 2008 DESPITE the govern-ment’s climbdown, the measures introduced in Budget 2009 benefited the rich while hammering the poor.  more > Rape of our wildlife heritage Thursday, October 23, 2008 IRELAND'S appalling record on safeguarding endangered wildlife species has come into the spotlight again, with the Environmental Protection Agency reminding us that key habitats requiring special attention are being neglected by the present government.  more > Workshop ideas Thursday, October 23, 2008 THE highs and lows and the immense sense of achievement and personal satisfaction in getting your fledgling business off the ground, together with accessing supports available, will be two of the many areas highlighted at a forthcoming workshop hosted by Enterprise Ireland in Caherciveen.  more > Charity race Thursday, October 23, 2008 AN Riocht AC, in association with Kerry Autism Action, will be staging a four-mile road race in Castleisland on November 2 and we appeal to readers of The Kingdom to support the important fundraiser.  more > Cousin search Thursday, October 23, 2008 I AM a semi-retired educational film-maker living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.  more > Budget bonus Thursday, October 23, 2008 THERE are a number of initiatives in the Budget aimed at maintaining employment in construction while at the same time providing opportunities for potential home buyers in Kerry.  more > Rail service is not first class Thursday, October 16, 2008 I REFER to the letter from Cllr Michael Gleeson, of my native Killarney, concerning the under-used rail infrastructure in Ireland.  more > Banks crisis Thursday, October 16, 2008 EVERY single commentator one has listened to in recent times regarding the deep unrest in the financial markets continues to refer to the steep decline in the construction sector.  more > Animal needs Thursday, October 16, 2008 RIGHT throughout the history of human conflicts, animals have been victims of war.  more > College costs Thursday, October 16, 2008 EDUCATION Minister Batt O’Keeffe is gambling with the future of an entire generation.  more > Children care Thursday, October 16, 2008 I INTEND to call on the Belarusian authorities for an exemption for Ireland to allow children to travel to Ireland in time for the Christmas period.  more > Suckler prices must be reviewed Thursday, October 09, 2008 THE future of suckler farming is in danger after the findings of the latest Teagasc Profit Monitor report.  more > Cancer call Thursday, October 09, 2008 THE situation whereby women got the all-clear only to be told later that they had cancer is horrendous.  more > Sponsors thanked Thursday, October 09, 2008 THE organising committee of the recently held fundraising night in aid of the Retired Greyhound Trust (RGT) at Kingdom Greyhound Stadium, Tralee, is very appreciative of the work carried out by those who helped out in staging this event.  more > Nominees sought Thursday, October 09, 2008 THE people of Kerry have been urged to log-on to www.mamaawards.com and nominate entrants for this year’s Media and Multicultural Awards (MAMAs).  more > Bank standards Thursday, October 09, 2008 A MORE watchful eye must be cast over the quality of bank management and corporate governance in Ireland from now on.  more > Now is the time to back our footballers Thursday, October 02, 2008 IT’S late September and all is not well in the Kingdom of Kerry. A very familiar friend (Sam Maguire) is gone North for the winter and for the thousands and thousands of Kerry fans that were in Croke Park last Sunday, it was a long journey back home.  more > Narrow bridge Thursday, October 02, 2008 I AM writing in response to recent articles regarding the narrow bridge at Listry Cross.  more > Busy schools Thursday, October 02, 2008 I WOULD like to congratulate all those who took part in the 2007/2008 Schools’ Business Partnership scheme (SBP).  more > No cream for farmers in milk pricing set up Thursday, September 25, 2008 MY own milk cheque this month compared to the same month last year shows that I got almost the identical amount of money for both months although I supplied an extra 942 litres to my co-op this year.  more > Funeral eulogies Thursday, September 25, 2008 I REFER to the letter by Michael Flynn, Co Waterford on church eulogies (The Kingdom, September 16). Mr Flynn expresses his disappointment at hearing that the Church is trying to get rid of eulogies at the funeral mass of a loved one.  more > Famine tragedy Thursday, September 25, 2008 THE RTÉ programme of September 8, Where was your family during the Famine? Didn’t in our view do full justice to the memory of the victims of the Irish Holocaust.  more > Help remove disability barriers Thursday, September 18, 2008 ENABLE Ireland would like to ask members of the public to consider the small things that they can do for people with disabilities in the community.  more > Health service Thursday, September 18, 2008 I agree with the article by John O’Mahony re centres of excellence as proposed by Minister Mary Harney.  more > Church eulogies Thursday, September 18, 2008 I am very disappointed to hear the church who are trying to get rid of Eulogies when we lose a loved one at their funeral mass.  more > Irish cheese Thursday, September 18, 2008 IRISH people going abroad are being fooled into thinking that they are bringing Irish made food products to friends and relations.  more > Farmers can help to save the hare Thursday, September 11, 2008 THE Irish Council Against Blood Sports makes an urgent appeal to farmers and other landowners to refuse permission to coursing clubs to net hares from their lands for use as live lures before greyhounds at enclosed coursing meetings.  more > Ballad offence Thursday, September 11, 2008 I REFER to the powerful article by John O’Mahony headlined "Offensive ballad hits a low note" which appeared in The Kingdom on 26 August.  more > Freedom fight Thursday, September 11, 2008 WE don’t agree with the disgraceful comment in The Kingdom about the republican ballads being performed in pubs and I congratulate those who are keeping our great traditions alive.  more > Kerry recipes Thursday, September 11, 2008 RTÉ Cork is embarking on a new series called Recipe for Success which will be six-part series that will see 15 home cooks battle it out to have their own gastronomic creations stocked on the shelves of one of Ireland’s leading supermarkets.  more > Kerry seminar Thursday, September 11, 2008 OVER 20,000 people in Kerry could be suffering from migraine which is a debilitating, neurological condition ranked by the World Health Organisation, as one of the top 20 leading causes of disability worldwide.  more > Cancer action Thursday, September 11, 2008 THE British Journal of Cancer recently reported a study showing a big improvement in cancer survival rates among people aged 13 to 24.  more > Kerry landslide was a warning Thursday, September 04, 2008 THE landslides that hit parts of North Kerry is a warning that the development of wind farms could have a detrimental effect on the landscape.  more > Ferry service Thursday, September 04, 2008 I FIND it interesting to see efforts being made now to restore the Cork-Swansea ferry service. I can recall how that service was in operation some years ago and Kerry County Council had a share in it, along with Cork County Council and Cork Corporation.  more > Rail potential Thursday, September 04, 2008 ONE of the great achievements of 19th century Ireland, despite the oppression and poverty, was the construction of a wonderful railway network.  more > Treaty impact Thursday, September 04, 2008 IT is refreshing to see Fine Gael’s Lucinda Creighton admit that the Lisbon Treaty was lost in part because voters had concerns about moral and social issues.  more > Concern event Thursday, September 04, 2008 THE RTÉ series, The Road to Croker, is proving popular and successful in highlighting the GAA championship tussle.  more > Poverty risk Thursday, September 04, 2008 AGE Action Ireland welcomes the Combat Poverty Agency’s highlighting the twin threats of the rise in the cost of living and in the cost of fuel to those living on social welfare payments.  more > Flooding must be tackled Thursday, August 28, 2008 THE government should immediately put in place a three-year plan to implement the terms of an EU directive on the assessment and management of flood risks.  more > Pubs searching Thursday, August 28, 2008 THE search is on to find Kerry’s best neighbour with the launch of the 2008 Vintners’ Federation of Ireland Good Neighbour Award.  more > Hunt horrors Thursday, August 28, 2008 THE Irish Council Against Blood Sports welcomes the decision by IFA leaders to stay away from a pro-hunting seminar in Dublin last week.  more > Stories sought Thursday, August 28, 2008 I AM writing a book on an important military and historical moment in Irish history - the Civil War. In the minds of many Irish people, the Civil War is still charged with passion and emotion.  more > Paul bashing Thursday, August 28, 2008 I WOULD like to thank Kerry journalists for standing by Kerry team captain Paul Galvin when he most needed support.  more > Eagle release day a happy one Thursday, August 14, 2008 I AM delighted to welcome the release of a further batch of white-tailed sea eagles into the skies of Kerry.  more > Eagles praise Thursday, August 14, 2008 AS a result of so many of the white-tailed sea eagles being found dead in the very recent past, I wrote this small verse which might diminish the use of poison which is thought to be killing these beautiful birds:  more > Lisbon debate Thursday, August 14, 2008 A CALL on the government to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, regardless of the 12 June referendum result, proposes a profoundly unconstitutional and undemocratic course on our political leaders.  more > Cancer survey Thursday, August 14, 2008 A RECENT survey commissioned by World Cancer Research Fund has revealed that many people are still unaware how they can reduce their cance risk.  more > Children hurt Thursday, August 14, 2008 ON Sunday, August 3, three children were severely wounded by an unexploded ordnance device they found close to the airstrip in Goz Beida, eastern Chad.  more > Staff thanks Thursday, August 14, 2008 WE, the former employees of the Department of Social and Family Affairs office at St Anthony’s Place, Killarney, would like to thank all those who offered their support during the past few weeks as we fought to save our jobs.  more > Midnight walks Thursday, August 14, 2008 THE second and last Midnight Culture Walk of 2008 in Killarney is scheduled to start at midnight on Friday, August 22 and it will finish in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, August 23.  more > Galvin saga like a botched execution Thursday, July 31, 2008 THE agonisingly prolonged administration of discipline in the case of Kerry Footballer, Paul Galvin, is in itself an additional sentence being served by the defendant.  more > Local councils Thursday, July 31, 2008 WITH the local elections just over one year away I am calling on the Minister of the Environment John Gormley to re-examine the powers extended to local councils so as they can play a more proactive role in local government.  more > Drugs in Kerry Thursday, July 31, 2008 I AM writing as a young person of Kerry, who feels very concerned about the drug issue in our county.  more > Kerry to Dublin Thursday, July 31, 2008 IT IS with regret that the Department of Transport did not successfully consider the Aer Arann bid for the provision of the service between Kerry Airport and Dublin and instead awarded it to Ryanair on the basis of costs.  more > Enable Ireland Thursday, July 31, 2008 THE parents, children and staff at Enable Ireland Kerry Services would like to thank everyone in Kerry who voted for the organisation in the recent AIB Better Ireland Programme 2008.  more > Let’s not fail our wild animals Thursday, July 24, 2008 THE new Animal Health and Welfare Bill, currently being drafted by Department of Agriculture officials, has the potential to greatly enhance the status of animal protection in Ireland.  more > Muckross Farms Thursday, July 24, 2008 I recently had the pleasure of visiting Muckross Traditional Farms and was hugely impressed by the experience.  more > Committee report Thursday, July 24, 2008 AS many people are aware, the west of Ireland is suffering a death by a thousand cuts - be it the loss of traditional farming, fishing or manufacturing jobs, the closure and running down of public services such as health and education, the withdrawal of public transport and the closure of rural schools, shops, post offices and Garda stations.  more > Sudan warrant Thursday, July 24, 2008 I WELCOME the announcement by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.  more > Jobs threat at Kerry Airport Thursday, July 17, 2008 A DUTY free proposal from the European Commission could cause job losses in Kerry Airport, as well as at the airports at Cork, Shannon, Knock, Waterford and Galway.  more > Clinton’s appeal Thursday, July 17, 2008 PRESIDENT Clinton was non impeached, as stated by TP O’Mahony in his column of June 17.  more > Alcohol problem Thursday, July 17, 2008 THE government has reneged on its promise to tackle problem alcohol use in Ireland by bowing to pressure from the business sector.  more > Westlife appeal Thursday, July 17, 2008 WHEN one reflects on the development of Killarney SummerFest thus far, one cannot help but think that some ventures do not improve with age.  more > Fighting cancer Thursday, July 17, 2008 CANCER - the very word strikes fear into our hearts and souls and a shiver up our spines. We all know someone who has come into contact with this terrible and often fatal disease.  more > Little sympathy Thursday, July 17, 2008 IF Kerry get to the all-Ireland final this year it could well be that the 15 players we send out will not only playing against the opposition of the day but they will be pitted against everybody from 31 other counties.  more > Strict code needed in booze control Thursday, July 10, 2008 THE revised voluntary code on alcohol advertising launched by the Department of Health and Children fails to protect children and young people from being exposed to a barrage of alcohol advertising.  more > School costs Thursday, July 10, 2008 FAMILIES across the county already struggling with the costs of sending their children back to school should apply for allowances to help with the burden.  more > Carer burden Thursday, July 10, 2008 THE imposition of a means test to determine the level of payments to people who act as carers for family members is well past its sell by date.  more > Closure anger Thursday, July 10, 2008 THE closing of Dicksgrove Creamery Store in Currow village is a savage blow and will have serious consequences for the surrounding farming community and also for the local shops and services.  more > Retail wages Thursday, July 10, 2008 GIVEN the general feeling amongst other trade unions, it would be impossible to reach an agreement in the current social part-nership talks without addressing the issue of low pay.  more > Second treaty vote would be farcical Thursday, July 03, 2008 THE European Union needs a new direction, not a rehashed treaty which would ignore the underlying problems with the democratic deficit in Europe.  more > Better future Thursday, July 03, 2008 As a 20-year-old voter, the referendum on Lisbon was the first time I had made my mark on a ballot concerning an EU treaty.  more > Major insult Thursday, July 03, 2008 THE refusal of a Sinn Fein councillor to attend the conferring of the Freedom of Cork on former British Prime Minister, John Major, on the grounds that British troops still occupy part of Ireland, was sickening political hypocrisy.  more > Pheasant crux Thursday, July 03, 2008 HEALTHY eating is a hot topic at the moment. In the wake of their exposé of the cruelty of factory-farmed chicken, Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whit-tingstall have trumpeted pheasant meat as an ethical and natural alternative.  more > Great service Thursday, July 03, 2008 I WONDER if I might make a brief intrusion into your columns to seek your readers’ help with a unique service for blind and partially sighted children and adults in Ireland that I, and many of my colleagues, are pleased to lend our voices to.  more > Farmer crux Thursday, July 03, 2008 WHEN the consumer is paying higher prices while our farmers’ take is being cut, it is obvious that there is extreme profiteering going on further up the food chain at the expense of the consumer and farmers.  more > Human export Thursday, June 26, 2008 THE agency charged with training Irish workers is now engaged in shipping them to foreign countries to work.  more > Chinese in Killarney say thank you Thursday, June 26, 2008 ON behalf of the Chinese community in Killarney, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who supported us by way of donation during our recent street collection for the victims of the 5.12 Sichuan earthquake in China.  more > Unsung heroes getting message out Thursday, June 12, 2008 WE ought to be grateful to our unsung heroes who sacrifice their time, energy and family life to get the message out to the Irish people that this vote on June 12 is guaranteed to be the last meaningful one that they will vote on regarding the EU if they are gullible enough to believe the shrieking mantra emanating from Brian, Enda and Eamon and other elitists in their social circle.  more > Youth voting Thursday, June 12, 2008 ON Thursday, 12 June, many young people will be given the opportunity to vote for the first time.  more > Clear message Thursday, June 12, 2008 IN regard to the forthcoming Lisbon Treaty Referendum, I would sincerely hope that the electorate sends a clear No message to the government/FG/Lab alliance.  more > Martin’s vision Thursday, June 12, 2008 A MAN had a vision in 1986. He went off to buy a couple of sacks of organic brown rice and some grains, selling the produce around Kerry to the “hippies” that would have it.  more > Haulier anger Thursday, June 12, 2008 Over 300 hauliers from Kerry and other parts of Munster have come together to address urgent and vital industry issues.  more > Fishing crisis Thursday, June 12, 2008 I WISH to pledge support for action by fishermen around the country highlighting the current crisis facing the sector.  more > Exams support Thursday, June 12, 2008 AS the Leaving Certificate examinations continue in Kerry, we would like to inform students in the county that there are people there to support them at all times.  more > Banshee stories Thursday, June 12, 2008 I’M doing a university research project on the banshee and I’m looking for people who can tell stories about hearing or witnessing her.  more > Escorts need a touch of the devil Thursday, June 05, 2008 THE deadline for the search for Ireland’s 30 most eligible bachelors to act as escorts in the Escort of the Year competition, which is taking place at the 2008 Rose of Tralee international festival, is fast approaching.  more > Wildlife worry Thursday, June 05, 2008 A RECENT report issued by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, revealed shocking and stark news about the state of our wildlife and their habitats.  more > House delay Thursday, June 05, 2008 FOLLOWING exchanges in the Seanad with the Minister of State at the Office of Public Works, Minister Martin Mansergh, I want to express my extreme disappointment that…  more > Naming names Thursday, June 05, 2008 I WAS delighted to learn that there is a proposal to name a new road in Killarney after Mackey O’Shea who was one of greatest entrepreneurs the town and indeed the whole county has even seen.  more > Concern pleased Thursday, June 05, 2008 WHILE Concern is not advocating a yes or a no vote on the Lisbon Treaty, we are pleased that many of the principles and policy measures Concern worldwide has advocated for in recent years, to the Irish government and the European institutions, are given expression in the Treaty text.  more > Famine victims are not forgotten Thursday, May 29, 2008 I AM happy to confirm that the government has agreed to commemorate the Great Famine with an annual memorial day and that I will be setting up a committee to decide on the most appropriate way to mark the event.  more > Treaty times Thursday, May 29, 2008 I WOULD ask the farmers of Kerry to please differentiate between the debate on the Lisbon treaty and the current world trade negotiations. Both are distinctly different and but are of huge importance in themselves.  more > Post grabbing Thursday, May 29, 2008 IF No to Lisbon voters or potential No voters believed politicians and big business were collaborating in a power grab of freedoms from us via the Lisbon Treaty, their beliefs in this union were confirmed by the new frenzied poster campaign.  more > Burma disaster Thursday, May 29, 2008 HOW many more people will have to die before the Burmese military junta allows aid into the stricken country?  more > Keeping Status Thursday, May 29, 2008 TWO years ago, with my husband, I managed to go to every Status Quo concert on the UK winter tour, a total of 31 concerts in six weeks.  more > Rural alliance making moves Thursday, May 22, 2008 IT is welcoming news to read that an alliance of social organisations is been set up in order to jointly lobby the government to safe guard the future of rural post offices.  more > Festival funds Thursday, May 22, 2008 HOLIDAY Tralee and Tralee Vintners will again host street entertainment for the Festival of Kerry in 2008.  more > Garda offences Thursday, May 22, 2008 In its two-year report, published this month, the Garda Ombudsman Commission proposes 10 legislative changes to the Garda Síochána Act 2005.  more > Serious concern Thursday, May 22, 2008 THE fact that most of the young men living in deprived areas who were interviewed for a social study had gone through the school system with undiagnosed learning difficulties is a serious cause for concern.  more > Positive change Thursday, May 22, 2008 LAST week was designated Cancer Prevention Week during which the World Cancer Research Fund raised awareness that, far from being a matter of fate, cancer is a largely preventable disease.  more > Safety at work Thursday, May 22, 2008 THE Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Safety Authority, Martin O’Halloran, has today (Wednesday 14th) called on all employers and employees to take extra steps to ensure that good health and safety practices are followed in their workplaces.  more > New minister Thursday, May 22, 2008 I WISH to welcome the appointment of Brendan Smith, TD, as the new Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.  more > Help save rural post offices Thursday, May 15, 2008 THE local post office is a vital link between the citizen and the state and in many places it is the only link left.  more > Arbour Hill move wrong Thursday, May 15, 2008 I CONDEMN the use of historic Arbour Hill and the graves of those who led the 1916 Rising by the outgoing leader of Fianna Fail to promote the normalisation of British rule in Ireland.  more > Children in need of aid Thursday, May 15, 2008 OVER 180,000 children have been left orphaned, often in danger and in extreme poverty with no one to care for them, because of the severe toll HIV/Aids has taken on Lesotho, in Southern Africa.  more > Booze threat to be curbed Thursday, May 15, 2008 THE same stringent health regulations and warnings that apply to the promotion of cigarettes must be extended to cover the sale of alcohol.  more > Road danger after funerals Thursday, May 15, 2008 I RECENTLY asked that Kerry County Council would examine the feasibility of providing a much needed car-park adjacent to Muckross Catholic Church in Killarney.  more > Farm maps are released Thursday, May 15, 2008 SECTORAL road maps for all the main agriculture enterprises, including dairy, beef, tillage, pigs, sheep horticulture and forestry, have been produced.  more > Mayor’s job very serious Thursday, May 15, 2008 THE post of mayors of towns hould be taken seriously and that is why I feel it is necessary to express the lack of confidence I have for the current selection process.  more > Secret deals are unlawful Thursday, May 15, 2008 NOW that the new Taoiseach has been appointed, can we expect to see the content of the secret deal which was made by the former Taoiseach with a limited number of TDs?  more > Mask was a symbolic statement Thursday, May 08, 2008 I REFER to your comment under the heading ‘Rural decline is a very poor joke’ in The Kingdom issue dated 22 April.  more > Death casts a very long shadow Wednesday, April 30, 2008 I SALUTE Nuala Ó Faolain’s courage in breaking the taboo about death that still casts a long shadow over the lives of people in every country and all cultures.  more > Concern goes to the movies Wednesday, April 30, 2008 IF any of your readers have been involved with aspects of film-making for Concern or knows someone who over the years has been, then they might prove of great assistance to Ireland’s largest aid agency.  more > Giving victims a strong voice Wednesday, April 30, 2008 I AM a PhD student in the Department of Psychology at NUI Maynooth. My research is investigating the psychosocial impact of rape and sexual assault on Irish women.  more > Olympics and a China crisis Wednesday, April 30, 2008 IRELAND has a moral dilemma on its hands over its lack of policy towards China and the Olympics.  more > Standards can be maintained Wednesday, April 30, 2008 I REFER to the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court in the Fyffes DCC case which laid downthe law with regard to insider dealing and the holding of price sensitive information.  more > Ruling was anti fathers Thursday, April 24, 2008 THE decision of the High Court to deny a man guardianship and access rights to his child is both anti-child and anti-father.  more > Treaty has to be a contract Thursday, April 24, 2008 I AM a student in Tralee IT and I have very serious reservations about the content of the Lisbon Treaty and about the lack of debate and information coming from the Yes side parties, particularly the government.  more > Poor excuse on brutality Thursday, April 24, 2008 FOREIGN Minister Dermot Ahern’s refusal to take a tough stance on China’s brutal repression of Tibet is a dis-grace to the government and to Ireland.  more > Park life essential in Killarney Thursday, April 24, 2008 I HAVE asked Killarney Town Council to invite officials from the National Parks and Wildlife Service to enter into creative dialogue for the purpose of agreeing the development of the land adjacent to Killarney House into an aesthetically superb park or garden.  more > Helping to pick up the pieces Thursday, April 17, 2008 I EXTEND my sincere gratitude on behalf of the people here in Kisumu/Kenya, the Mill Hill Missionaries and the team here for the giant and overwhelming donation we received from the proceeds of a golf classic held in my native Killarney.  more > Fishermen can enlist for navy Thursday, April 17, 2008 FISHERMEN who have become victims of the decline in the fishing industry throughout the country should be re-trained to serve in the merchant navy.  more > Lifestyles can lead to cancer Thursday, April 17, 2008 DESPITE the recent news coverage about the link between lifestyle and cancer, research shows there is still a lack of awareness about how we can make positive choices to reduce our cancer risk.  more > Making money from the dying Thursday, April 17, 2008 OVER one third of all public patient beds in Ireland are set to close over the next six years. Filling these craters will enable private investors to make money from the sick and the dying.  more > Nursing homes seek a fair deal Thursday, April 17, 2008 NURSING Homes Ireland, the representative organisation for the private and voluntary nursing home sector, wishes to express its serious concern at reports that the proposed Fair Deal legislation, designed to reform the funding of long-term nursing home care, has run into major legal and constitutional difficulties.  more > Crotty action ahead of time Thursday, April 17, 2008 IRISH people have the right to vote in the Lisbon Treaty because of the constitutional case taken before the Supreme Court by the late Raymond Crotty in 1987.  more > Bertie has more guts than rivals Thursday, April 10, 2008 IT was with extreme shock and sadness that I heard of Bertie Ahern’s departure as Taoiseach of the country and as leader of Fianna Fail.  more > Hounding of the Taoiseach Thursday, April 10, 2008 YOUR columnist Rory O’Sullivan must be mightily proud of himself this week having helped hound Bertie Ahern out of office and having been a part of the media pack that hunted down and eventually wore down such a good man.  more > Clever foxes outwit hunts Thursday, April 10, 2008 THE fox is a clever animal and rarely gets caught. The saying ‘as clever as a fox’ is truly justified as this animal uses many methods to avoid capture.  more > Ragworth is being tackled Thursday, April 10, 2008 EVER since the detested childhood chore pulling ragwort and its poisoning of our only horse, I have had a deep antipathy towards the golden flowered, vile juiced weed.  more > Real division in health care Thursday, April 10, 2008 IF the controversial Patients Rights Directive continues to be promoted in the EU, we could face a real division of healthcare along economic lines where the have-nots are not only unable to access the best treatment but also face cuts in current health provision.  more > Delighted to welcome the Queen Thursday, April 03, 2008 RESPONDING to the state-ment by Sinn Fein spokesperson Martin Ferris, TD, that he is opposed to a visit to any part of Ireland by any member of the British Royal family, the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce wishes to state its position on the proposal and on Sinn Fein's statement.  more > Nursing home reform needed Thursday, April 03, 2008 NURSING Homes Ireland, the representative organisation for the private and voluntary nursing home sector in Ireland, wishes to express its serious concern at reports that the proposed fair deal legislation, designed to reform the funding of long-term nursing home care, has run into major legal and constitutional difficulties.  more > Patrick wasn’t a hunt backer Thursday, April 03, 2008 I NOTED with interest that the so-called sports of stag and fox hunting were represented on the floats of various St Patrick’s Day parades around the country.  more > White Boys to be honoured Thursday, April 03, 2008 THE National Graves Association of Ireland is to re-erect the memorial to the White Boys at Shinnagh Cross, Rathmore, in coming months.  more > Fruity Friday to raise cash Thursday, April 03, 2008 I AM writing to let your readers know that this year’s Fruity Friday will be held on May 16 and to urge them to get involved.  more > Nurses working under serious strain Thursday, March 27, 2008 I REFER to an article by Mary Murphy (The Kingdom, March 11) about surgeries being cut back at Kerry General Hospital to allow nursing staff to take part in a refresher course.  more > Special needs in the schools Thursday, March 27, 2008 THE government is failing to meet the educational needs of thousands of young people with special education needs in our second-level schools.  more > Funds appeal for suffering Thursday, March 27, 2008 DUE to a prolonged period of drought, GOAL has been forced to implement an emergency intervention in three areas of Southern Ethiopia.  more > No Olympics blood needed Thursday, March 27, 2008 THE Chinese dictatorship’s continued brutal repression of occupied Tibet greatly strengthens the case for a boycott of the upcoming Olympics.  more > No shame for fight of 1916 Thursday, March 27, 2008 THE Irish people should not be made feel ashamed of the 1916 Easter Rising because they have an age-old right to national self-determination.  more > Sexual issues on an agenda Thursday, March 27, 2008 THERE is a need for a conference to take place in Ireland to address the many issues surrounding sex that we don't have answers to.  more > Learning lessons from Deerpark saga Thursday, March 20, 2008 TREE Week was a great reminder of the value of trees, whether environmental, economic or spiritual.  more > Building heights must be tackled Thursday, March 20, 2008 I SHARE the concerns of An Bord Pleanala chairman, John O’Connor, about the lack of local authority policies regarding building heights in new town and city developments.  more > A huge insult to the people Thursday, March 20, 2008 I FEEL I must respond to Councillor Seán O’Grady’s letter in response to my challenge in relation to the Lisbon Treaty.  more > Blame those at top table Thursday, March 20, 2008 THE buck must stop somewhere. We have had a litany of problems over the past number of years in our health service such as long waiting lists, patients of trolleys and misdiagnosis and on and on.  more > Farrell plans are an insult Thursday, March 20, 2008 A PLAN by Westminster MP and Stormont Assembly member Gerry Adams to hold a commemoration for an IRA woman in the Long Gallery at Parliament Buildings could be viewed as an insult to her memory.  more > Health meetings became talking shops Thursday, March 06, 2008 AS Ireland is one of the rich countries, I find it hard to understand how our health service is faulty while we have a very high number of public representatives, at great cost.  more > Kerry nature under attack Thursday, March 06, 2008 THE poisoning of two white-tailed sea eagles in Kerry was an act of environmental terrorism.  more > Fishermen to pay the price Thursday, March 06, 2008 THE drastic reduction in the Irish fishing fleet leaves hundreds of crewmen without any form of redundancy payment.  more > Exotic trips from school Thursday, March 06, 2008 TRIPS to foreign climes are increasingly part of school life and can see students leave home for exotic destinations that even their parents might never experience.  more > Animal Aid seeking art Thursday, March 06, 2008 ANIMAL Aid, an organisation campaigning on behalf of animals, is looking for young, creative and imagi-native people to enter its nationwide youth art and poetry competition.  more > Let justice be seen to be done Thursday, February 28, 2008 THE old adage that justice must be seen to be done is one that the United States appears to be casting aside, with the planned show trials of the alleged September 11 terrorists.  more > Buskers can enter festival Thursday, February 28, 2008 THE Samhlaíocht Easter Arts Festival in Tralee is issuing a call for entries for the annual busking and street entertainment competition which will take place from March 22-24.  more > Thrills await daring locals Thursday, February 28, 2008 THE Meningitis Research Foundation is inviting all thrill seekers in Kerry to set themselves an autumn challenge and sign up for a 10,000ft sponsored skydive.  more > Stop killing the badgers Thursday, February 28, 2008 BOVINE TB has increased by 13 per cent in just one year in the Republic of Ireland, despite the most sustained programme of badger extermination ever undertaken in Western Europe.  more > Veggies go on a March Thursday, February 28, 2008 MARCH is Animal Aid's Veggie Month and a time when people are encouraged to find out more about the many benefits of switching to a meat-free diet.  more > Goodwill needed to save Killarney House Thursday, February 21, 2008 A LONG with many natives of Killarney I am shocked and dismayed by the appalling neglect and utter deterioration of Killarney House as depicted in news reports recently.  more > ABA schools are required Thursday, February 21, 2008 THE Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, is being extremely arrogant in her defence of the government’s position on ABA provision for children with autistic spectrum disorder.  more > Campaign far too simplistic Thursday, February 21, 2008 ALTHOUGH we have become used to the anti hunt organisations promoting their views in a rather subjective and emotive manner, in an effort to mislead wider society into supporting their narrow rather simplistic campaign, a recent letter against foxhunting, printed in The Kingdom, is one of the most outrageous pieces of inaccurate fantasy published on the issue of hunting.  more > Gardaí should target parents Thursday, February 21, 2008 I REFER to your front page story on 12 February which dealt with the issue of out of control teenagers running wild on the streets of Killarney.  more > Minister plays fast and loose Thursday, February 21, 2008 THE Agriculture Minister is playing fast and loose with farmers’ livelihoods by failing to oppose changes to the REPS payment system.  more > Extensive coverage of Christie’s funeral Wednesday, February 13, 2008 I WRITE in connection with the letter from John O’Connell (The Kingdom, 1 January) criticising RTÉ's coverage of the funeral of Christie Hennessy.  more > SHAG week to push safer sex Wednesday, February 13, 2008 THE Union of Students in Ireland has celebrated an important partial victory after the government reduced VAT on condoms from 21% to 13.5% in the Finance Bill.  more > Nod and wink culture prevails Wednesday, February 13, 2008 THE National Coursing event is a testament to the survival, not just of deliberate state-sponsored cruelty to animals in Ireland, but to the continued prevalence of the cute hoor nod and wink political culture.  more > Going veggie to help save planet Wednesday, February 13, 2008 WE call ourselves a nation of animal lovers yet every year around 1,000 million animals are bred and slaughtered to end up as food on our plates.  more > Nursing homes must be shamed Wednesday, February 13, 2008 THE row that followed revelations of poor treatment of elderly patients in some nursing homes is yet another example of how out of touch the HSE is with public opinion.  more > Killarney House saga is sabotage Thursday, February 07, 2008 I WISH to express my deep concern that such a significant state property as Killarney House, at the heart of Killarney and in the National Park, which was listed in the National Park Management Plan 2005/2009 for refurbishment and restoration in 2006, today continues to lie idle, closed and deteriorating rapidly.  more > Europe’s eyes are on Ireland Thursday, February 07, 2008 THE eyes of Europe and much of the world will be on Ireland when we vote on the new EU Treaty, the Treaty of Lisbon, and particularly so, as it now seems that we will be the only Member State to have a referendum on it.  more > Family facing massive costs Thursday, February 07, 2008 THE parents of Seán Ó Cuanachain have been dealt the devastating news that they now face massive legal bills.  more > HSE decision raises queries Thursday, February 07, 2008 I REFER to the failure of the HSE in the south west to send representatives to a meeting arranged by Kerry County Council to discuss problems within the health services in the county.  more > Provo word out of order Thursday, February 07, 2008 I WISH to complain about the wording of the headline and The Kingdom comment on the 29 January.  more > Plans give real cause for concern Thursday, January 31, 2008 AS vice president of the European Parliament Petitions Committee, I have been closely following the oral hearing to determine the future of an LNG Terminal planned for the Shannon Estuary and I was honoured to host a petition submitted by the Kilcogan Residents Group to the European Parliament.  more > Time to save a dying town Thursday, January 31, 2008 I BELIEVE that the town of Caherciveen is dying on its feet and that too many people drive through it without actually stopping.  more > No excuses in water scandal Thursday, January 31, 2008 A REPORT from the Environmental Protection Agency which found that over one third of water supplies pose a potential health hazard is an indictment of the Department of the Environment and of successive Ministers.  more > Don’t keep on blaming youth Thursday, January 31, 2008 WHILE the establishment of an alcohol advisory group by Minister Brian Lenihan is welcomed, the misuse of alcohol in Ireland related to binge drinking and public order offences should not be solely attributed to young people.  more > Oxfam campaign a great success Thursday, January 31, 2008 I AM writing to thank your readers for their very generous support of Oxfam Ireland’s Unwrapped campaign.  more > Listry Council event a success Thursday, January 31, 2008 THE directors and members of Listry Community Council Ltd would like to express their sincere gratitude to you all for the extensive coverage which we received from your newspaper for the official opening of the community centre on Saturday, January 19.  more > Blitz was a great success Thursday, January 31, 2008 ON behalf of St Mary’s Basketball Club, I would like to thank you most sincerely for your excellent coverage in The Kingdom of the 28th annual Christmas blitz.  more > PO closures cause rural isolation Thursday, January 24, 2008 THERE is a need for greater awareness of the impact of local post office closures which are continuing around the country.  more > Kerry Airport needs support Thursday, January 24, 2008 I THINK it is useful, from time to time, to remind the European Commission that Ireland is an island and that we have a complete dependence on airports to be part of Europe and part of the rest of the world.  more > Late movers on late show Thursday, January 24, 2008 HAVE fox and stag hunters something to hide? I think I have a right to pose this question after the abrupt cancellation of a planned Late Late Show debate on blood sports.  more > Major blow to hunting groups Thursday, January 24, 2008 OH dear! How the mighty have fallen. With the nobbling by regulation of stag hunts by John Gormley, Minister for the Environment, the Irish hunting community has been dealt a physiological blow.  more > Adopted twins grab headlines Thursday, January 24, 2008 MUCH media attention is being given to the case of adopted twins who married without knowing they were related and all the reports talk about the need for adopted children to be given thedetails of their biological parents.  more > When the good becomes bad Thursday, January 17, 2008 THERE comes a time, when one looks at all the legislation that exists in Ireland regarding road vehicles, that one can only come to the conclusion that too many rights make a wrong.  more > Leave Kerry’s airport alone Thursday, January 17, 2008 ALL I can say about the article featured in The Kingdom by Kieran O’Mahony, regarding the possibility of re-naming Kerry Airport, is to just leave it be.  more > Preserve the Tara heritage Thursday, January 17, 2008 THE Tara landscape is one of Ireland’s and Europe’s most precious historical archaeological sites which is currently in the process of being destroyed to facilitate the construction of a motorway.  more > Lone parents need support Thursday, January 17, 2008 THE new proposals being put forward by the Fianna Fail, PD and Green coalition to match single parent allowances to a work scheme outside the home is a shortsighted move that discriminates against women.  more > Eating up a healthy year Thursday, January 17, 2008 I AM writing to wish your readers a happy and a healthy new year on behalf of everyone at World Cancer Research Fund.  more > Time to clean up our act Thursday, January 10, 2008 LAST week, while filming for a forthcoming DVD film titled, Fishing Wild Ireland: Salmon, Sea Trout and Brown Trout, I was appalled to come across two black refuse sacks full of litter dumped in one of the tributaries of the Flesk River near Killarney.  more > Minister must rescue puppies Thursday, January 10, 2008 I NOTICE the country’s foxhunts are up in arms over the government’s proposed regulation of puppy farms.  more > Braille is still the way to go Thursday, January 10, 2008 JANUARY 4 was the birth date of Louis Braille, the inventor of braille and it marked international Braille day around the world.  more > Concern has a big thank you Thursday, January 10, 2008 CONCERN, Ireland’s largest aid agency, wishes to thank readers of The Kingdom for their generosity during 2007.  more > No thrill in a hunt chase Thursday, January 10, 2008 RFERRING to recent articles on the Stag Hunt, I’d like to comment on one master of the hunt’s quote that they were so deflated and that it’s "all about the thrill of the chase".  more > Kerry support was welcome Thursday, December 20, 2007 I WOULD be grateful if, through your letters page, you would permit me to express my thanks, on behalf of Self Help Development International, to all of our supporters in Kerry for the generous support and backing that they provided to our work during 2007.  more > It’s time to show they really care Thursday, December 20, 2007 THE Carers Association Kerry, representing 5,597 family carers, wish to express disappointment at government’s failure to deliver meaningful assistance to family carers in Budget 2008.  more > Feeling sorry for Kilcummin footballers Thursday, December 06, 2007 KERRY are All-Ireland senior football champions once again and we rejoice in a glorious campaign. We salute all involved with heartfelt gratitude and, yet, all is not as it should be.  more > Strike threats are shameful Thursday, December 06, 2007 WE should all appreciate the good medical science that is at our disposal. What is required is a reliable, sincere authority to make the best use of it for both public and private patients without fear or favour.  more > Santa’s appeal for Christmas Thursday, December 06, 2007 IT’S that time of the year again! Mrs Claus and I would like to ask The Kingdom for some help to make this Christmas even more exciting for all the boys and girls.  more > Cancer report worth heeding Thursday, December 06, 2007 WITH so many scientific studies being published all the time about what increases or reduces our cancer risk, it is sometimes difficult to know how seriously each one should be taken.  more > Conduct code being ignored Thursday, December 06, 2007 IN light of the media reports that a foxhunting club is under investigation, it would be helpful to put in context the organisation of foxhunting in Ireland.  more > Roll-out in breast screening needed Thursday, November 29, 2007 I WRITE in connection with the recent revelations with regard to the incorrect readings of breast scans for a number of women and the very distressing situation that this creates for the families involved.  more > Mayhem for festive season Thursday, November 29, 2007 WE, the farmers of this country, are eagerly awaiting an announcement by Minister, John Gormley, banning the activities of a stag hunt.  more > Grinds school issues debated Thursday, November 29, 2007 RESPONDING to the recent media report on grinds and fee-paying schools, the ASTI reiterates that there is not a scrap of evidence that pupils of a given academic ability will do better if they attend a grinds schools rather than an ordinary second-level school.  more > Focus week on travellers Thursday, November 29, 2007 TRAVELLERS Focus Week takes place from December 3-7 and is a nationwide campaign to celebrate traveller culture among the community itself and to raise aware -ness of it among the settled community.  more > Safety of toys is so essential Thursday, November 29, 2007 AS a member of the Internal Market and Consumer Affairs Committee in the European Parliament, I have urged the Consumer Protection Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva, to concentrate on implementation of existing safeguards and to strengthen the current surveillance system for detecting dangerous substances in toys, rather than rushing forward with knee-jerk legislation.  more > No bridge too far at Ballinagar Thursday, November 22, 2007 I AM writing to you in relation to the article which appeared on page 28 of The Kingdom on 6th November 2007 headlined ‘€1million needed for Ballinagar Bridge’.  more > Angling clubs back motion Thursday, November 22, 2007 AT a meeting of the Kerry Anglers’ Federation, held in the Grand Hotel in Tralee, I proposed the following motion which was seconded by Dan Joy, chairman of the Finuge and Killocrim Angling Club:  more > Sharp decline in US visitors Thursday, November 22, 2007 I WISH to express concern at the drop of 8,900 in the number of trips from North America to Ireland in September 2007 as revealed by the CSO.  more > Cash worries on the farms Thursday, November 22, 2007 WITH around 90,000 cows being dried off on Kerry farms over the coming weeks, dairy farmers are advised not to throw away the price gains of recent months.  more > Youth backing one world week Thursday, November 22, 2007 TO kick off One World Week a number of organisations have come together to highlight this year’s theme of global power and justice.  more > High standard for new songs Thursday, November 22, 2007 I WISH to thank The Kingdom for highlighting details of the second series of Deis Róc which is to be broadcast on TG4 from January to March 2008.  more > I won’t be threatened by Fianna Fail Thursday, November 15, 2007 I REQUEST the right to reply to a letter from Michael O’Mahony, East End, Rathmore, which was published on October 30 in your paper.  more > Final furlong worth reading Thursday, November 15, 2007 I WISH to congratulate Christina Holt, a native of Caherciveen, on her recently launched book Life's Final Furlong.  more > Total freedom for MI5 agents Thursday, November 15, 2007 THE culture of cover up and silence and secrecy and never acknowledging that the police are wrong, so clearly seen in the court hearing into the death of Jean Charles Menezies in London, is being imported into Ireland by the opening of new M15 offices in Belfast.  more > Young drivers pay high price Thursday, November 15, 2007 THE National Youth Council of Ireland is appalled to learn that insurers continue to charge young drivers, especially males, to pay exorbitant prices for motor insurance.  more > Marriage is soon replaced Thursday, November 15, 2007 THE socialists are at it again, pushing their Marxist ideology which abhors marriage, by seeking to introduce civil unions, as they have done in the UK, in an attempt to replace marriage.  more > A Celtic Tiger for the undertakers Thursday, November 08, 2007 WHILST people have serious concerns regarding the health service with the recent announcement regarding the embargo on recruitment of what can only be described as frontline staff i.e. Doctors, nurses within the hospitals throughout the country, we can only salute, with the greatest of admiration, the wonderful and dedicated work that goes on in our hospitals throughout Ireland on a daily basis by doctors and nurses.  more > Support for the Special Olympics Thursday, November 08, 2007 I WOULD like to thank you most sincerely for your support of Special Olympics Ireland in the lead up to the 2007 World Summer Games.  more > Road safety and better transport Thursday, November 08, 2007 THE welcome emphasis on improving road safety must be matched by wholesale improvements to public transport, funding for accredited driving instructors, and the introduction of driving tests on demand around the county.  more > Ministers should end carted hunt Thursday, November 08, 2007 THE Ward Union Staghunt is the only such 'Carted stag hunt' in Ireland.  more > EU justice has a big role in Ireland Friday, October 26, 2007 IRELAND is centrally involved as a key player in Europe on a range of important policy matters in the field of justice and home affairs.  more > 46 per cent need eye test Friday, October 26, 2007 IN one of the largest-ever surveys conducted on driver vision in Ireland, Specsavers and the Road Safety Authority, over the past month and a half, carried out vision screening at three major events and discovered that 46 per cent of people required a full eye examination.  more > Big threat to fishing trade Friday, October 26, 2007 I GIVE a guarded welcome to a new report from the EU Commission on combating the threat of illegal fishing.  more > Too late to avert crisis Friday, October 26, 2007 WE in the Atlantic Connectivity Alliance wish to express grave disappointment over the revelation that Department of Transport officials were aware of the Aer Lingus decision to abandon the Shannon Heathrow route six weeks prior to it being made public.  more > Killarney is just priceless Friday, October 26, 2007 AS a native of Killarney, I wish to pass on a word of congratulations to everybody associated with the success in the tidy towns competition and the European floral and environment competition.  more > Time to lay off Staunton Friday, October 26, 2007 I THINK the treatment of Steve Staunton by the media is a disgrace. He is one of the greatest heroes in Irish soccer and he has played more times for his country than any other player. That fact, alone, deserves respect.  more > Drop in numbers in residential care Thursday, October 18, 2007 THE HSE welcomes the publication by the Health Information and Quality Authority of the report of the investigation of its Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) into the placement of children aged 12 and under in residential care in Ireland.  more > Going wild for circuses Thursday, October 18, 2007 THE Alliance for Animal Rights and Circus Watch Ireland welcomes the landmark decision by Fingal County Council that circuses which use wild animals are prohibited from performing in any part of the local authority area.  more > Health cuts hurt elderly Thursday, October 18, 2007 I WISH to publicly condemn the Health Service Executive for sanctioning widespread home help cutbacks for 2,300 elderly people in Kerry who benefit from this vitally important scheme.  more > Hunt on for trivia experts Thursday, October 18, 2007 EVERY pub has one - the trivia expert who seems to know the answer to the most bizarre general knowledge questions. Now’s it’s their time to shine and to bring glory to their team, their pub and their county.  more > Final stages of planning Thursday, October 18, 2007 ON behalf of the Christmas in Killarney committee, we would like to sincerely thank you for your support of the 2006 festival.  more > A tribute to the boys of the Kingdom Thursday, October 11, 2007 Let us honour the boys of the Kingdom who brought us great fame and renown our boys from the Kingdom of Kerry who brought home the great football crown.  more > God’s designs stand the test Thursday, October 11, 2007 AS a follow-up to the science-religion argument, for and against the existence of God, may I offer the following contribution:  more > Walking for a good cause Thursday, October 11, 2007 GREETINGS from Grenada. I have just returned to the West Indies after a vacation in my home county of Kerry.  more > Rural life is still positive Thursday, October 11, 2007 A MAJOR report - A Charter for Rural Communities -recommends that, if the challenges of declining agriculture, an older population and poor infrastructure are to be overcome in rural areas, government policy needs to focus on empowering rural communities.  more > Bad news for €3m golf course plan Thursday, October 04, 2007 KERRY tourism will suffer now that it is clear that the Aer Lingus Shannon-Heathrow Route will close.  more > Kerry’s link with Boston Thursday, October 04, 2007 I IMAGINE that you get bombarded with similar requests and they represent an annoyance for you, so I appreciate you forbearance.  more > Research on Irish language Thursday, October 04, 2007 THE Irish language and its community of speakers have made great strides in recent years through legislation, Irish medium education, broadcasting, etc.  more > Thanks for signing on Thursday, October 04, 2007 I WISH to congratulate all those in Kerry who helped to collect signatures since I launched the campaign with People With Disabilities in Ireland and Down Syndrome Ireland in March last.  more > Thanks to the Kerry players Thursday, October 04, 2007 I WOULD like to congratulate and thank the Kerry players and the management for bringing so much glory to the county and to Kerry people living overseas with their victory in this year’s All-Ireland final.  more > Fitness levels hit a new low Thursday, October 04, 2007 I WAS concerned to hear on the news about a survey that has found our fitness levels are at an all-time low.  more > Pushed aside by bulging wallet brigade Thursday, September 27, 2007 AS we bask in the glory of another victory by those who don the green and gold, we reflect that once again supporters who wished to support their team in Croke Park were faced with the same old problem.  more > Sticks to beat ourselves with Thursday, September 27, 2007 ON behalf of the River Maine and Brown Flesk Anglers Association, I would like to respond to the letter from the Owneycree Angling Club published in The Kingdom on September 18.  more > 50,000 people on their knees Thursday, September 27, 2007 SEVENTY years ago, in 1937, two major events took place in the then one-year-old Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney and each was attended by an estimated 50,000 people.  more > Motto says if it flies it dies Thursday, September 27, 2007 THE recent shooting dead of a Red Kite in Co Wicklow proves the point that Irish firearm owners operate via the motto, “if it flies, it dies”.  more > Burial site of murder victim Thursday, September 27, 2007 I AM trying to find out the name of the cemetery in which my great-grandfather could possibly be buried.  more > Stop silence on Kerry angling crisis Thursday, September 20, 2007 ON behalf of the Owneycree Angling Club I thank you sincerely for your coverage of our youth training programme and angling competition for national schools.  more > Gardaí must be compliant Thursday, September 20, 2007 WHILE new levels of transparency in An Garda Síoch·na are to be welcomed, the Irish Human Rights Commission believes the organisation is still some distance from it being fully human-rights compliant.  more > Thanks to all hospital staff Thursday, September 20, 2007 I WOULD like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the dedicated members of staff at Kerry General Hospital, the community nurses and the home care team.  more > Liam Higgins memorial walk Thursday, September 20, 2007 THE Irish Cancer Society is delighted to announce the sixth annual Walk for the Cure on Mount Brandon in the spectacular West Kerry Gaeltacht.  more > High spirits for a book Thursday, September 20, 2007 THIS is a little note to thank you for your recent coverage of our forthcoming book, Low Field High Spirits.  more > Kerry Labour TDs delivered goods Thursday, September 13, 2007 I REFER to The Kingdom of August 28 and Rory O’Sullivan’s analysis in of the Labour Party following Pat Rabbitte’s decision to step down as Labour leader.  more > Shannon move puts rural Kerry at risk Thursday, August 23, 2007 AS founder and chairman of Rural Resettlement Ireland, I wish to express our total solidarity with all those who are striving to retain the vital Aer Lingus connections with Heathrow.  more > Pope’ visit a happy day Thursday, August 23, 2007 IT was a truly historic day when Pope John Paul II touched down at Shannon Airport, on an Aer Lingus flight, during his memorable visit to Ireland in 1979.  more > Help to reduce risks of cancer Thursday, August 23, 2007 I AM writing to let your readers know how they can find out more information about reducing their cancer risk.  more > Young people can seek help Thursday, August 23, 2007 I WISH to advise young people in Kerry that they can now access a range of helplines and support services by texting the word "Headsup" to 50424, a free 24-hour text service provided by Rehab.  more > Old photograph of local church Thursday, August 23, 2007 I'VE recently come to know that my Sheahan-Healy roots are firmly established in Flemby, Ballymacelligott, Co Kerry.  more > Complete failure in animal problem Thursday, August 23, 2007 THE recent move by Minister Mary Coughlan to get agreement from the EU Commission to raise the age at which healthy slaughtered animals are tested for BSE from its current 30-month level has been a complete failure.  more > Mutilation threat must be tackled Thursday, August 23, 2007 WEAK laws in Ireland are leaving young immigrant girls vulnerable to female genital mutilation.  more > Chernobyl children thank the people of Killarney Thursday, August 16, 2007 ON behalf of the “Friends of the Children of Chernobyl” we want to thank all the people of Killarney and the outlying districts for all they did for our Chernobyl children during the month of July.  more > Oxfam Ireland thank readers Thursday, August 16, 2007 I AM writing to thank your readers for their very generous support of Oxfam Ire -land’s Darfur Emergency Appeal. This has enabled us to raise a total of €173,345 so far.  more > When summer means lonely Thursday, August 16, 2007 THEY say a change is as good as a rest, but for many older people and their families the changes involved in achieving that much-needed summer rest can often be upsetting for all concerned.  more > Action needed on Shannon Thursday, August 16, 2007 THE Irish Government must explore the option of new Heathrow slots for the proposed Aer Lingus flights schedule from Belfast with its London and Belfast counterparts.  more > Action needed on school transport Thursday, August 09, 2007 PROBLEMS with the current school transport system present a significant obstacle to many parents supporting their children's Constitutional right to education, particularly in rural areas.  more > Collection to heat a church Thursday, August 09, 2007 ON Saturday and Sunday next, August 11 and 12, a church door collection will be taken up at all Masses outside the Franciscan Friary in Killarney in aid of the central heating fund for the church.  more > No to college tuition fees Thursday, August 09, 2007 THE Union of Students in Ireland (USI) denounces a proposal to resuscitate student tuition fees.  more > Who judges the Judges? Thursday, August 09, 2007 THE Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is calling for the introduction of a Judicial Council to strengthen the accountability of the Irish judiciary.  more > Bridge too far in Kerry Thursday, August 02, 2007 SO another bridge has gone and the Beauty Queen of Leenane is unable to reach her home. We grieve for her plight but realise that the people of Beaufort have pre-dated her in their isolation following the collapse of the Gaddagh Bridge.  more > Ascot of Ireland making great strides Friday, July 27, 2007 IN July 2006, just over one year ago, the annual Killarney races reached a milestone in terms of continuity but it’s a fact that seems to have passed by without notice.  more > Lifting the lid on family law Friday, July 27, 2007 IN a well-argued piece in the London Times, David Pannick, a QC and family law practitioner in the UK, sets out the need for openness in the reporting of family law matters that come before the courts and which affect, profoundly, the lives of the family members involved.  more > Minister silent on food scare Friday, July 27, 2007 THE Minister for Food, Trevor Sargent, is strangely silent in the face of damning evidence on the low standards prevailing in the production of Brazilian beef and its continued importation into Ireland.  more > Meningitis is a summer threat Friday, July 27, 2007 MANY people think that meningitis and septicaemia – the blood poisoning form of the disease – only occur during winter, but they can strike anyone, of any age, at any time of the year.  more > Snapshots from Ballymac church Friday, July 27, 2007 I'VE recently come to know that my Sheahan-Healy roots are firmly established in Flemby, Ballymacelligott, Co Kerry.  more > Life goes from womb to tomb Friday, July 27, 2007 WARMEST congratulations to Youth Defence and the other pro-life organisations involved on the great success of that wonderful pro-life demonstration in central Dublin earlier this month.  more > Kerry passengers stuck on prices Thursday, July 19, 2007 RYANAIR, Europe’s largest low fares airline, notices that it’s not just passengers who are complaining about Aer Arann’s high fares - it is the airports too.  more > Family support for monument Thursday, July 19, 2007 WITH the support of the family of Volunteer J O’Sullivan, who was killed by Free State forces outside Spa village in Tralee in 1923, the National Graves Association of Ireland will be erecting a white cross to replace the original monument on a temporary basis.  more > Respect wishes of the people Thursday, July 19, 2007 I ATTENDED the Celebrate Life rally and events on Saturday, July 7 in Dublin. They were organised by the pro-life organisation, Youth Defence. I was with over 2,000, mostly young people and families with small children.  more > Corrupt leaders causing misery Thursday, July 19, 2007 THE proceedings against Indonesia’s gluttonous Suharto are to be welcomed, and they should have come a lot earlier.  more > Stop stalling on the reform Thursday, July 19, 2007 THE Union of Students in Ireland (USI) calls for an end to government stalling on Seanad reform - including regularisation of the right of graduates to vote for higher education senators whose right to vote should be extended to graduates of all recognised third-level colleges and Institutes of Technology.  more > Lack of action leads to saga Thursday, July 19, 2007 THE government could end up before the European Court of Justice if it fails to act on a formal request by the European Commission to fully implement EU rules banning discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin.  more > Taxing cars out of range Thursday, July 19, 2007 THE Tanaiste and Minister for Finance is currently finalising a review of the VRT system from a climate change viewpoint.  more > Going home to the land of our fathers Wednesday, July 11, 2007 THE recent landmark decision of the European Union to seek clarification from the Department of the Environment and 22 Irish local authorities on their controversial "locals only" planning stipulation in their respective county development plans comes as welcome news.  more > Primary care starting point Wednesday, July 11, 2007 ON the implications of possible privatisation for health services in the community, it is important to start by looking at services in the community, including general practice, mental health services and care for the elderly.  more > The gender gap shows disparity Wednesday, July 11, 2007 THE Civil Public and Sevices Union calls on the ICTU to prioritise the issue of low pay in any new national agreement talks.  more > Dr Eamonn got a poor reward Wednesday, July 04, 2007 THROUGH the medium of your widely read newspaper, I wish to sincerely congratulate Weeshie Fogarty and Wolfhound Press on the excellent production entitled Dr Eamonn O’Sullivan: A man before his time.  more > Abuse from the terraces Wednesday, July 04, 2007 I ENJOY reading The Kingdom, especially the sporting articles written by Se·n Counihan. His analysis, on and off the field, is second to none.  more > A great site for children Wednesday, July 04, 2007 I AM writing to let your readers know about World Cancer Research Fund’s new healthy lifestyle web-site for children aged four to seven.  more > The saints march on Wednesday, July 04, 2007 IT is now over 50 years since the St Mary’s club in Caherciven was honoured with the captaincy of the Kerry senior football team.  more > Getting set for judging Wednesday, July 04, 2007 THIS Wednesday, July 4, is judging day for Entente Florale in Killarney. The Chamber of Tourism and Commerce makes one last appeal to its members to have a critical look at their premises and do whatever is possible to enhance the exterior and surrounds.  more > The eagle eye is watching Wednesday, June 27, 2007 THE farmer-led opposition to the reintroduction of the white-tailed sea eagle to the Irish countryside exposes the farming lobby to the claim that they are anti-conservation.  more > Protect victims of trafficking Wednesday, June 27, 2007 THE incoming government must act quickly to criminalise human trafficking and to protect the victims of this trade.  more > Effort to save Tarbert future Wednesday, June 27, 2007 EFFORTS should be made to ensure that there will be power generated on the site of the existing Tarbert Power Station after it closes.  more > Soccer section very important Wednesday, June 27, 2007 EVERYONE involved in the Kerry schoolboys and girls league would like to express our thanks to The Kingdom's sports department for its coverage of underage soccer in the county during the just finished 2006/07 season.  more > Seeking new talent for TV Wednesday, June 27, 2007 IF any of your readers ever fancied themselves as the next Diarmuid Gavin or Nigella Lawson, or even the next Eddie Hobbs, this could be the chance of a lifetime.  more > Putting human life before scenery Thursday, June 21, 2007 AN Bord Plean·la recently published a report detailing why the erection of a 27m mast on top of Looscaunagh Hill was refused. Parts of the report indicate that the scenery in this area is more important than human lives.  more > Ghettos must get eyes open Thursday, June 21, 2007 THE largest politically generated ghettos in Ireland have been established in the vacuum of lawlessness that has followed political abdication of responsibility over the last 10 years.  more > Success with getting fruity Thursday, June 21, 2007 I AM writing to say a big thank you to all your readers who took part in this year’s Fruity Friday campaign on May 25.  more > Get a lawyer to find proof Thursday, June 21, 2007 WITH regard to the land attached to St Finan’s Hospital in Killarney, due to close shortly, I ask that it should be used to provide accommodation for those worthy voluntary bodies that need premises to carry out their functions for the public good.  more > Passing of a great writer Thursday, June 21, 2007 IT was with great sadness and regret that I learnt of the death of my fellow Kerry-man, writer and philosopher John Moriarty.  more > Keep an eye out for mother duck Thursday, June 14, 2007 I JUST read the article in The Kingdom about the ducklings found at a supermarket car park and, to be quite honest, I found it quite disturbing.  more > Health care at new crossroads Thursday, June 14, 2007 THE building of private hospitals on the grounds of public hospitals would entrench the existing two-tier system of hospital care and make it all the more difficult in the future to bring about change in that system.  more > Using nature’s own repair kit Thursday, June 14, 2007 I WOULD like to bring to the attention of readers the most recent development in diabetes research.  more > Support for Post strikers Thursday, June 14, 2007 I WISH to express support for the one-hour stoppage by Kerry postal workers in opposition to EU proposals to privatise postal deliveries.  more > Media should offer apology Thursday, June 14, 2007 I FEEL I have to right an injustice that I believe is being done to Tracey Piggott's boyfriend as a farmer who cares for livestock every day.  more > Tracking down missing animals Thursday, June 14, 2007 I AM a volunteer for the Animal Care Society in Cork and I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to include this notice in your paper.  more > On the road of broken promises Thursday, May 17, 2007 NOW that the inevitable major archaeological site has been unearthed at Lismullin in the Tara-Skryne Valley, it is most certainly time, albeit belated, that the NRA/Department of the Environment re-examined the viability of the new road from Dublin to Navan.  more > Poll research into planning Thursday, May 17, 2007 SURELY it is time for the media or Kerry County Council to do thorough research into planning in Kerry.  more > Single vote can matter Thursday, May 17, 2007 A GROUP comprised of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, the Vincentian Congregation, the Daughters of Charity and the Sisters of the Holy Faith is calling for a higher voter turnout at this month’s general election to reverse recent trends and to help ensure that voters get the government they really want.  more > Using centres for dispensing Thursday, May 17, 2007 I WRITE in reference to The Kingdom’s report on the claim by the Irish Pharmaceutical Union that it is losing money dispensing drugs for medical card holders, those on drug payment schemes and those with long-term ill-ness cards.  more > Funding for extra gardaí Thursday, May 17, 2007 FINE Gael must explain why they have promised 2,000 gardaí but have only provided the funding for 1,000. This promise is a fundamental part of Enda Kenny's contract and it doesn't stand up to even the most basic scrutiny.  more > Content with book review Thursday, May 17, 2007 I WANT to thank Eve Kelliher for her piece on Bibeanna: Memories from a Corner of Ireland (The Kingdom, May 8).  more > Take the less travelled road Thursday, May 17, 2007 I REFER to Rory O’Sullivan’s article in The Kingdom on 8 May headlined ‘Goldfish bowl lifestyle has become a massive turnoff’.  more > Sour grapes and poor eyesight Thursday, May 10, 2007 INEVER saw a more biased report of a football match than that in The Kingdom (April 3) following the All-Ireland Club Championship final replay.  more > No wonder the cuckoo was singing Thursday, May 03, 2007 THE cuckoo sang at 7.10 on the morning of Tuesday, April 24.  more > Votes should be used well Thursday, May 03, 2007 WE are just weeks away from an election and the party marketing gurus are in full flow with a lot of glossy portfolios being delivered through every door.  more > One of Kerry’s own helped build peace Wednesday, April 25, 2007 I COULD not help but think of the great effort, skill and amount of work it must have taken to get things to where they are as I watched the media scramble for the historic photograph of Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams together at the Northern Assembly. It was indeed a momentous occasion.  more > Don’t forget the rod war Wednesday, April 25, 2007 THE Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers has pledged the support of its members to the National Association of Regional Game Councils in opposing the government’s proposal to apply a massive increase in firearms licence fees.  more > Tuosist GAA got no funds Wednesday, April 25, 2007 I’VE seen the list of GAA clubs who received grants handed out by John O’Donoghue, the minister with responsibility for sports.  more > Insight into club history Wednesday, April 25, 2007 I HAVE managed to get my hands on the souvenir edition of your newspaper which marked the meeting of Killarney’s Dr Crokes and my own club, Crossmaglen Rangers, in the All-Ireland Club final.  more > Best wishes from Crokes Wednesday, April 25, 2007 ON my own behalf and on behalf of the Dr Crokes GAA club, I wish to congratulate The Kingdom on a wonderful publication for the All-Ireland Club final.  more > Great pride from Gillian Wednesday, April 25, 2007 I WISH to pay tribute to one of Ireland’s finest ever athletes, race-walker Gillian O’Sullivan, who has announced her retirement from competitive athletics at the age of 30.  more > Giving cash to the GAA Wednesday, April 25, 2007 I AGREE with TP O’Mahony’s view on the idea of using taxpayers’ money to fund the GAA.  more > Make animal rights a doorstep issue Thursday, April 19, 2007 AN Irish hunting organisation has recently claimed that Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, has given a commitment that if his party gets into government, it will not restrict or ban hunting.  more > Please help end the pain Thursday, April 19, 2007 SWAZILAND, struggling with the twin problems of drought and HIV/AIDS, now has the highest rate of HIV infection in the world. It is estimated that every second pregnant women is HIV positive.  more > Friends glad with support Thursday, April 19, 2007 WE in the Friends of the Children of Chernobyl wish to thank, most sincerely, all those who attended our fundraising coffee morning in Killarney Golf Club on Friday, March 30.  more > High Court help needed Thursday, April 19, 2007 AS you are aware, the conclusion given in the High Court in the ” Cuanachain case was unfavourable.  more > Climate tops youth agenda Thursday, April 19, 2007 WE are determined to keep climate change at the top of the political agenda ahead of the upcoming general election. The campaign is endorsed by Friends of the Earth.  more > Kerry special school crux is a disgrace Thursday, April 05, 2007 I STRONGLY disagree with the ruling of the High Court in the case of autistic Wicklow boy Se·n Ó Cuanach·in.  more > Walk events go new route Thursday, April 05, 2007 A NEW and interesting feature has been added to the 2007 Walk Killarney and Kerry programme.  more > Coming away from the fog Thursday, April 05, 2007 ON 20 December last while travelling as a passenger on the Cork to Killarney road, after dark and in continuous fog, I carried out a little survey on a stretch of our journey between Cork and Ballyvourney.  more > Euro leaders falling short Thursday, April 05, 2007 BY threatening to impose sanctions on Sudan’s political leaders over their failure to bring an end to the suffering in the Darfur region, European Union leaders are falling far short of their responsibility to protect the world’s most vulnerable.  more > Sweden will show the way Thursday, April 05, 2007 THE Irish government needs to look to Sweden for transport tips if we are ever to reduce our pollution on a national level.  more > Time to follow the yellow-lined road Thursday, March 29, 2007 OUT walking around the town of Killarney recently, I was struck by the number of vehicles parked on double yellow lines.  more > Graham shows no experience Thursday, March 29, 2007 ONE of our national dailies recently carried an article entitled “TDs are too old and out of touch”, an opinion expressed by Fine Gael Meath West candidate Graham Geraghty.  more > Lourdes calling quiz supporters Thursday, March 29, 2007 TO help send handicapped children and young adults to Lourdes, we are holding a fundraising table quiz in the Gleneagle Hotel on Wednesday, April 4 (8.00pm).  more > Starting afresh for television Thursday, March 29, 2007 MIDAS Productions, one of Ireland’s leading TV production companies is producing a new lifestyle programme for RTÉ and we are currently seeking participants from Kerry to take part.  more > Big House can be epicentre of community activity in Killarney Thursday, March 22, 2007 ST Finan’s Hospital has a long and distinguished psychiatric and economic history in the greater Killarney area. For many years it was the principal employer in the area.  more > Binge boozing cans deal threat Thursday, March 22, 2007 A DRINKS promotion advertised by a leading supermarket in the national media with a “Buy 12 Cans, Get 12 Free” offer is totally irresponsible and is encouraging binge drinking.  more > Retirement age a private choice Thursday, March 22, 2007 THE German lower house of parliament recently voted to increase their national retirement age from 65 to 67. The matter is yet to be voted on by the upper house but it is expected to be passed with little difficulty.  more > Reform of laws needed in US Thursday, March 22, 2007 UP to 60,000 Irish people are working illegally in America. They do not have biometric passports.  more > The last post sounds for rural areas Thursday, March 15, 2007 RECENT reports that An Post may close up to 500 post offices have sent shock waves throughout Ireland.  more > Banning of blood sports Thursday, March 15, 2007 THE Green Party has pledged to ban blood sports in Ireland if it succeeds in getting into government after the next general election.  more > Talking time is long over Thursday, March 15, 2007 MORE than a year has passed since I and others met with local people in the Black Valley with a view to securing a proper telephone service for the people living there.  more > Double fine for parking Thursday, March 15, 2007 I TOTALLY agree with Rory O’Sullivan’s article in The Kingdom about disabled parking spaces.  more > Legal status for women Thursday, March 15, 2007 ONE of the key issues affecting women worldwide is their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS in the developing world due to their unequal social, economic and legal status.  more > Figures are not a stick Thursday, March 15, 2007 THE fact that there was a 5.4 per cent increase in sales of new cars in February 2007 compared to February 2006 underlines steady growth in the market, although it is still too early to draw serious conclusions.  more > Faithful abusing disabled parking system Thursday, March 08, 2007 THE members of the Killarney Access Group would like to thank, most sincerely, Canon Declan O’Connor, and his fellow priests and work colleagues in the Killarney parish for the excellent work they have undertaken to make St Mary’s Cathedral accessible to as many parishioners as possible.  more > Fighting for child’s rights Thursday, March 08, 2007 FOR a record breaking 68 days last year, the Ministers for Health and Children and for Education and the HSE fought a five-year-old boy with special needs in the High Court.  more > Blood from gay donors Thursday, March 08, 2007 WE are calling on the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, to review the ban on gay men wishing to donate blood and to order the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) to rethink its unconditional rejection of gay men.  more > Debate offer is accepted Thursday, March 08, 2007 I REFER to the letter from Deputy Martin Ferris which appeared in your newspaper dated Tuesday, February 13.  more > News about old passions Thursday, March 08, 2007 I AM currently researching a series for television called Consuming Passions. The series focuses on individuals and groups who are passionate about a pastime, an activity, or a hobby.  more > The time has come to embrace Casey Thursday, March 01, 2007 I WISH to express my views on the current situation regarding the former Bishop of Kerry, Eamonn Casey.  more > Casey didn’t stand ground Thursday, March 01, 2007 AFTER reading The Kingdom this week, I would like to contribute a few brief thoughts, hopefully for publication, on the whole debate on the future of former Bishop Eamonn Casey.  more > Digging the terrible dirt Thursday, March 01, 2007 I WAS disgusted by the front page story in The Kingdom last Tuesday and I want to make my views known.  more > Casey picked right airline Thursday, March 01, 2007 SO Eamonn Casey, the disgraced former Bishop of Kerry, was afforded VIP treatment and upgraded to first class when he boarded the plan to flee from the chasing media pack after it was revealed that he was a father in more ways than one in 1992.  more > Outrage over work remarks Thursday, March 01, 2007 I AM a 44 year old woman. For over 20 years I have worked in the same building with different employers.  more > Black Valley phone crux Thursday, March 01, 2007 I WISH to outline the up-to-date position with regard to improving the telephone service in the Black Valley.  more > I’m willing to be judged on my record Thursday, February 22, 2007 AT a HSE meeting on Thursday, February 8, it was stated that the Kenmare Hospital extension was put forward for funding. This is the normal procedure followed by all HSE areas.  more > ESB setting bad example Thursday, February 22, 2007 WRITING about this socalled waste generation, author Bill Bryson once observed that it takes the equivalent of five nuclear power plants to feed all the appliances unnecessarily left running.  more > Make voices heard in Dáil Thursday, February 22, 2007 I HAVE just been reading a government document which proudly proclaims that it is proposed to spend €125 million per moth on Ireland’s national roads during 2,007.  more > Avoiding a real disaster Thursday, February 22, 2007 TWO issues that should be priority for the Minister for the Environment are climate change and the need for increased energy production.  more > Casey back in spotlight Thursday, February 22, 2007 IT was with interest that I heard that Eamonn Casey, the disgraced former Bishop of Kerry who ran away after fathering a child, had agreed to tell all, in the best tabloid tradition, for a radio interview.  more > The rights of the child Thursday, February 22, 2007 NO doubt the promoters of children’s rights in a referendum have given due prominence to the first and inviolable human right of every child - the right to be born.  more > Concern voiced over Sellafield Thursday, February 15, 2007 AT a meeting with Alistair Darling, MP, Secretary of State for the Department of Trade and Industry, I once again impressed on the UK government the extent of Ireland’s concerns about the dangers of Sellafield.  more > Minister in debate offer Thursday, February 15, 2007 MINISTER John O’Donoghue accused me of saying that gardaí were colluding with drug dealers in order to get lenient sentences. This is not accurate.  more > It’s time to scrap agency Thursday, February 15, 2007 THE National Consumer Agency should be scrapped for not standing up for consumers and doing nothing to prevent Ireland becoming the most expensive country in Europe.  more > So much for never again Thursday, February 15, 2007 AFTER the Holocaust, the leaders of the world said never again, but the 20th century proved that never again became again and again.  more > Legal advice for property Thursday, February 15, 2007 I WANT to warn Irish purchasers of property abroad to take strong legal advice before they buy such properties.  more > A civil war over soccer Thursday, February 15, 2007 I AM currently researching material for a television documentary on the near civil war we had in this country in May 2002 when Roy Keane was sent home from the World Cup.  more > Keeping hospital land for the public good Thursday, February 08, 2007 I HAVE called on the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney, to ensure that the when St Finan’s Hospital in Killarney closes, the lands are used for social and affordable housing, as well as for voluntary social care and sporting purposes.  more > It’s over to you minister Thursday, February 08, 2007 FOLLOWING a meeting with local public representatives and direct and indirect representations to An Taoiseach, we are disappointed that Mr Ahern has declined a request to meet with the group to discuss the St Finan’s Hospital issue due to pressure of existing engagements.  more > Being held to ransom Thursday, February 08, 2007 IN the aftermath of the serious safety risk to children, the terror and ultimate death of a hunted stag, the property damage and disruption of a small village due to stag hunting, which was witnessed during the past week, stag hunting must be ended permanently now.  more > Justice for the people Thursday, February 08, 2007 I WAS shocked to learn from Kerry County Council’s senior roads engineer that the National Roads Authority has failed to make available money for the provision of a roundabout at Lissivigeen Cross in Killarney during 2008.  more > Rory writes with insight Thursday, February 08, 2007 I WOULD like to congratulate Rory O’Sullivan on his analysis of the new children’s hospital site saga (The Kingdom, January 20).  more > Attack on Enda was not fair Thursday, February 01, 2007 I WAS surprised to read Rory O’Sullivan’s article in The Kingdom regarding Fine Gael and I was very disappointed to read such an intemperate piece.  more > Please help save Kenmare hospital Thursday, February 01, 2007 I WAS shocked to find out on a website that Kenmare Hospital is going to be bulldozed by a developer to make way for a superstore. Why hasn't this been major news?  more > The truth about animals in sport Thursday, February 01, 2007 FOLLOWING the vast acreage of newsprint devoted to eulogising the persecution of animals for sport, permit me to publicise some unpleasant truths.  more > Holocaust over and over again Thursday, February 01, 2007 JANUARY 27 is the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. After the Holocaust, the leaders of the world said never again, but the 20th century proved that never again became again and again.  more > Getting home safely at night Friday, January 26, 2007 PROPOSALS to introduce public transport in some rural areas, for the benefit of people travelling to and from their local pub, should be backed.  more > Band seeking cash support Friday, January 26, 2007 THE Gleneagle Concert Band is a non-profit, voluntary organisation which has performed at various events throughout the country and abroad for over 20 years.  more > Sports helps with diversity Friday, January 26, 2007 THE National Action Plan Against Racism has granted funding of ¤27,070 to Kerry Local Sports Partnership, as part of its support for local sports programmes to develop schemes to encourage diversity and integration through sport.  more > Victims must have priority Friday, January 26, 2007 VICTIMS of crime must have absolute power for they would never have been victims without an action by the perpetrator of the crime. Judges must protect the victim absolutely.  more > Travelling on the right road Friday, January 26, 2007 THE funding announcement for the Ballyvourney-Macroom CPO process is very welcome. When this stretch of road is complete, Cork Airport will be a much shorter run for tourists and locals.  more > Event was a huge success Friday, January 26, 2007 ON behalf of St Mary’s Basketball Club, I would like to thank The Kingdom most sincerely for the excellent coverage of the 37th annual basketball blitz in Castleisland.  more > It’s fairly cool when the leader calls Thursday, January 18, 2007 POLITICAL campaigning and electioneering can sometimes be a difficult and trying experience. For individual candidates, election campaigns can be quite lonesome and personally demanding.  more > Drinks firms must pay up Thursday, January 18, 2007 MAJOR drinks companies must row in behind government plans to extend the operating hours of state-subsidised transport schemes to help people living in isolated areas get to and from the local pub.  more > Drugs hitting rural regions Thursday, January 18, 2007 NEW findings in relation to substance abuse in Kerry further reinforce the fact that illicit drug use is no longer a problem confined exclusively to urban areas.  more > Thanks for Fair support Thursday, January 18, 2007 I AM writing, on behalf of the Listowel Food Fair committee, to thank The Kingdom for your support of and participation in this year’s event and, in particular, the paper’s sponsorship of the Kerry Restaurant of the Year competition.  more > No fair trial for travellers Thursday, January 11, 2007 WE are deeply concerned at the implications of the acquittal of farmer Padraig Nally in the retrial for the manslaughter of John Ward.  more > Nally fund cash to go to charity Thursday, January 11, 2007 FOLLOWING the acquittal of Padraig Nally on Thursday, December 14, the support group would like to thank all of those in Kerry who conveyed their good wishes to Padraig during his recent ordeal.  more > Political spoofing won’t get results Thursday, January 11, 2007 THE government is on target to honour its pledge to provide a breast screening service to women in Kerry in 2007 and opposition-driven petitions and protest marches are just sideshows in a process that was already taking place.  more > Bin’s the place for Labour bill Thursday, January 11, 2007 LABOUR leaders are claiming that the Irish are “mature enough” by now to accept same sex couples as being on a par with the natural family.  more > Go onLine to rate instructors Thursday, January 11, 2007 I WOULD like to take this opportunity to make your readers aware of our website, www.Lireland.com, which is a driving instruction website, containing a full directory of all the driving schools in Ireland as well as other drivingrelated facilities.  more > Seeking stamps for good causes Thursday, January 11, 2007 AS part of a local project I am currently collecting used postage stamps for charity.  more > Deer danger on roads must be tackled Thursday, January 04, 2007 THE following is an account of a death witnessed by me when going to work.  more > Listening to God’s squad Thursday, January 04, 2007 RICHARD Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, stated in this interview on The Late Late Show that he would believe in the existence of God if he was given proof of that fact.  more > Minister’s stance causing surprise Thursday, January 04, 2007 I REFER to an article that appeared in The Kingdom on December 19 titled “Save PO campaign gets minister’s backing”.  more > Arts Council’s big top funding Thursday, January 04, 2007 BY providing funding for circuses, to the tune of nearly half a million euros in the past two years, it is my contention that the Arts Council of Ireland, is doing little to stop animal cruelty.  more > Nursing homes provide good service Thursday, December 21, 2006 I REFER to Rory O’Sullivan’s column (The Kingdom, December 5) entitled "I’d rather die young than end my days in a home."  more > Festive spirit in the banks Thursday, December 21, 2006 I VISITED my bank last week as my overdraft facility was up for review. As it has been pretty quiet in the motor trade for the past three months, I was right on my overdraft limit and I needed to get a loan to cover the overdraft, plus an extension of the overdraft facility for another year.  more > Minister could put people first Thursday, December 21, 2006 AS a contribution to the recent discussion that has taken place in The Kingdom on Exxon Mobil's operation off the Kerry coast, I would like to point out a few facts.  more > Animals have rights as well Thursday, December 21, 2006 IS it a right to take life for the most trivial of reasons - recreation? It is a right to enjoy inflicting suffering on an animal so that you can feel good about yourself?  more > Worthy goals to be shared Thursday, December 14, 2006 THE approach of the National Men’s Council of Ireland to domestic violence is that of all caring organisations who wish to remove any violence from disturbing the harmony between loving couples.  more > Time pressure still mounting Thursday, December 14, 2006 THE oft-cited Celtic Tiger, which has improved Irish life in innumerable ways, has also changed the way Irish people view their place in society.  more > Credit where credit is due Thursday, December 14, 2006 IT is not often that a letter is written to praise the Irish government - but this is one such letter.  more > Very excited about services Thursday, December 14, 2006 I SAW your recent article on orthodontics. I can reassure the public that there are 34 Irish training as orthodontists in UK alone. There is no shortage of staff.  more > New strategy for volunteers Thursday, December 14, 2006 VOLUNTEERS have contributed to the development of Irish Wheelchair Association, in Kerry and elsewhere, since its foundation in1960.  more > Hospital did not refuse admission Thursday, December 14, 2006 FURTHER to the statement from Pat Rabbitte, TD, in relation to Mrs Breda O’ Gorman of Ballybunion:  more > Kerry still at the top Thursday, December 07, 2006 HOPEFULLY you will print my very belated message of congratulations to the Kerry team for delivering another All-Ireland to the Kingdom.  more > Vandals hit the cemetery Thursday, December 07, 2006 THE National Graves Association of Ireland wants to let readers of The Kingdom know that small-minded criminals have interfered with a number of plots at the Rath burial ground in Tralee.  more > Giving a gift that matters Thursday, December 07, 2006 IN the run up to Christmas, we invite the people of Kerry to consider a more creative and meaningful gift for their loved ones.  more > Judging men the right way Thursday, December 07, 2006 IN the unnecessarily acrimonious family law system, false allegations of domestic abuse are now commonplace, especially in cases of separation and divorce.  more > Silence from the ribbon-cutting TDs Thursday, December 07, 2006 I WOULD like to comment on Se·n Moraghan’s excellent article in last week’s soapbox in The Kingdom.  more > Kerry fans can’t be silenced Thursday, November 30, 2006 AS a proud Kerryman and a passionate Kerry GAA supporter for more years that I care to remember - or admit - it was with great interest that I listened to those at the top of the GAA in our county complaining that they were getting rough treatment from some supporters.  more > Time to read and apologise Thursday, November 30, 2006 I WOULD recommend that journalists and commentators should actually read the judgments made by the five Supreme Court Justices in the hearing described by the media as the "Baby Ann Adoption" case.  more > OAPs are left out in the cold Thursday, November 30, 2006 THE government should be condemned for its refusal to raise the income levels for social welfare fuel allowances, despite almost 210,000 pensioners being left out in the cold.  more > Progress with waiting lists Thursday, November 30, 2006 IT is heartening to see that Kerry General Hospital is making real progress in cutting out-patient waiting lists, with 167 patients referred to private hospital care under the National Treatment Purchase Fund.  more > Minister should stop defending himself Friday, November 24, 2006 I WOULD like to take this opportunity to clarify a statement made by Minister John O’Donoghue, in an interview he gave to The Kingdom’s Helen Walsh, in which he lashed back at his critics who accused him on not doing enough to secure a long-promised 14-bed extension for Kenmare Community Hospital.  more > A real death ground danger Friday, November 24, 2006 “I HOPE that Muckross will be made a real garden of friendship and that it will be the greatest playground in the world,” declared Senator Arthur Vincent, the great man who presented Muck-ross and its 11,000 acres to the people of Ireland in 1932.  more > No limit to right to life Friday, November 24, 2006 I STRONGLY criticise the High Court’s ruling that three human embryos were not “unborn” as defined under the Irish constitution.  more > The real cost of cigarettes Friday, November 24, 2006 THE government has not increased the price of cigarettes in the last two budgets. This has resulted in a reversal of the decline in smoking that we saw following the introduction of the workplace smoking ban in March 2004.  more > Rescue team lives put at risk Friday, November 17, 2006 IN recent weeks over 30 members of the local Kerry Mountain Rescue crew put their lives on hold and, indeed, at risk by attending three separate call-outs.  more > Kenmare hospital requires funding Friday, November 17, 2006 WHEN I suffered a ruptured blood vessel in my leg, I called for an ambulance but a garda from Kenmare arrived before the ambulance. He stopped the bleeding with a bandage and belts.  more > Rory’s role was always valuable Friday, November 17, 2006 I NOTE that Fr Rory O’Sullivan’s recent decision to step away from his duties as a priest, to consider his future and plan for the rest of his life, made news headlines.  more > Garda reform badly needed Friday, November 17, 2006 I WOULD give a qualified welcome to two reports calling for top-level reform of garda management.  more > Counselling for teachers in need Friday, November 17, 2006 THE roll-out of the long awaited employee assistance scheme for teachers will give teachers and their families easy access to confidential counselling services and will help in coping with personal and work issues.  more > Congratulations on salmon net ban Thursday, November 09, 2006 I WISH to congratulate the Minister For the Environment Mr. Noel Dempsey TD on his recent decision to ban drift netting for salmon.  more > Media’s negative coverage of nurses Thursday, November 09, 2006 I AM writing on behalf of the Irish Nursing Homes Organisation’s Nurses Committee who represents nurses and health care teams working in private nursing homes across the country.  more > Vincent De Paul calls for budget justice now Thursday, November 09, 2006 THE Society of St. Vincent de Paul is launching its Pre Budget Submission with a clear call for Government to take critical budgetary actions to deal more effectively with the poverty and disadvantage still blighting many communities around Ireland.  more > Press distorts Shell to Sea campaign Thursday, November 09, 2006 A disturbing feature of the Corrib Basin dispute has been the gross misrepresentation of the Shell to Sea campaign by the Irish sensationalist press.  more > Time to ban speeding L-plate drivers Friday, November 03, 2006 IT is vital to highlight the importance of safe driving for young people in rural areas in Kerry and across the country. And we in Macra na Feirme would like to put forward a number of key road safety proposals.  more > Kerry’s success bad for the GAA Friday, November 03, 2006 KERRY’S demolition of Mayo in the All-Ireland final prompts me to write. It was very sad to see a great GAA county like Mayo being humiliated.  more > Kerry families should get certs Friday, November 03, 2006 THE families of patriotic Kerry veterans whose 1916 Rising and War of Independence medals have been lost of destroyed should claim new official certificates issued by the Department of Defence.  more > Nothing to fear in postal plans Friday, November 03, 2006 THE people of Ireland have nothing to fear from proposals being put forward by the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Charlie McCreevy, to reform the postal services market in Europe.  more > Urgent appeal for midwives Friday, November 03, 2006 GOAL urgently needs midwives to volunteer for one year and help run our programmes in Sudan, the DRC, Sierra Leone and Niger.  more > Kerry towns heading down path of crime Thursday, October 26, 2006 IT is so sad to see how crime is on the increase here in our beautiful county of Kerry.  more > Kerry’s huge drugs problem Thursday, October 26, 2006 FIGURES released by the T·naiste and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell show that there are only seven personnel on the Garda Drugs Squad to cover the entire Kerry area.  more > Spend a penny action is needed Thursday, October 26, 2006 THE debate has raged for quite some time now as to the opening times for the public toilet at Killarney scenic spot Torc Waterfall.  more > Getting a very clear picture Thursday, October 26, 2006 THE Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, TD, marked World Sight Day for first time in Ireland by backing the National Council for the Blind of Ireland’s call for people to look after their eyesight.  more > The future for An Post staff Thursday, October 26, 2006 MOVES by the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Charlie McCreevy, could put An Post at risk if the Irish government does not exercise caution when further liberalising postal services.  more > Parking fees retreat a victory for people power Friday, October 20, 2006 THE campaign by residents of St John's Park, Tralee has so far been successful in halting the imposition of a charge by Tralee Town Council for parking their cars outside their homes.  more > State bodies jobs for boys Friday, October 20, 2006 IN the fallout from the recent crisis, I find it remarkable that the issue of public appointments to state bodies has largely been overlooked.  more > Paddy’s life not dramatic Friday, October 20, 2006 I AM pleased that Paddy Curran is happy in Kerry, as reported in a number of newspapers and on RTÉ, but I failed to see anything dramatic or extraordinary about his life in England.  more > Students votes there to be won Friday, October 20, 2006 THOUSANDS of general election votes could be won or lost over the issue of fees and grants for part-time courses and all parties are now challenged to set out their policies.  more > More tensions following death Friday, October 20, 2006 DUE to the growing tension within the Nigerian community, particularly with the death of Shukurah Williams, we issue this statement.  more > Cider not the only booze to blame Thursday, October 12, 2006 I AM writing on behalf of the Cider Industry Council regarding your article in the 12 September edition of The Kingdom entitled "Vandals on rampage after the ball is over."  more > Campaign for victims of rape Thursday, October 12, 2006 THE Kerry Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre is calling on the people of Kerry to support our campaign to reinstate the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in Kerry General Hospital.  more > Rights must be protected Thursday, October 12, 2006 THE Irish Council for Civil Liberties fully supports Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan in their High Court bid to secure legal recognition of their marriage.  more > House buyers at debts door Thursday, October 12, 2006 THE government must take immediate action to ease the financial pressure and debt burden on first-time buyers who are at debts door.  more > It is time to straighten up Thursday, October 12, 2006 STRAIGHTEN Up Ireland is new campaign aimed at straightening Irish backs through a simple three-minute exercise programme and it has been launched by the Chiropractic Association of Ireland to help promote World Spine Day on October 16.  more > Doctors can’t be scapegoats Thursday, October 12, 2006 THE individual performances of doctors should not be the scapegoat for system failings, especially where excessive demands are placed on those working within inadequate systems.  more > Stop terror on streets Thursday, October 05, 2006 I AM calling on the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner to allocate extra personnel to Tralee town.  more > Welcome for new countries Thursday, October 05, 2006 I WELCOME the very sensible decision of the European Commission to give the go-ahead for Bulgaria and Romania to join the European Union on January 1.  more > Cruel abuse has state aid Thursday, October 05, 2006 THE short summer reprieve is over for Ireland’s wildlife and a new season of terror has begun.  more > Darfur must be a priority Thursday, October 05, 2006 THE EU must work with the UN and the African Union Mission in Sudan to ensure that peacekeeping forces in Darfur have the capability to react rapidly to ceasefire violations or provocations by any party.  more > Play China trump card Thursday, October 05, 2006 WE are calling on the government to end all trading links with China as a mark of protest over China’s persistent use of the UN veto to block the deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur.  more > Giving with one hand, taking with the other Thursday, September 28, 2006 I MOVED to the country to avoid living the nightmare of being physically attacked and leaving behind the late-night, weekend antics of some of Kerry’s finest drunks, screaming, fighting, urinating, using abusive language and having sex on the streets of Killarney.  more > Ring fort is under threat Thursday, September 28, 2006 I WANT to protest at the destruction of a large ring fort beside the road on the main route between Milltown and Killorglin.  more > Short winter time in Kerry Thursday, September 28, 2006 LAST year I wrote to you with my thoughts on the All-Ireland football final. What a different story we have this year.  more > The blood of gay men Thursday, September 28, 2006 THE criteria used to determine who may give blood are logically flawed, as Dr William Murphy, national medical director of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, has recently pointed out.  more > Playing card Thursday, September 28, 2006 I AM calling on the government to end all trading links with China as a mark of protest over China’s persistent use of the UN veto to block the deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur.  more > Animal farm Thursday, September 28, 2006 FOR the second year in a row, a Kerry farmer has painted defenceless creatures on his farm green and yellow, to show his support for the Kerry football team.  more > GAA must play the loyalty ticket Wednesday, September 20, 2006 IT is time the GAA started rewarding loyalty and relaxed its fixation on cosying up to corporations.  more > Book on the Kerry Pony Wednesday, September 20, 2006 I AM carrying out research for a book on the Kerry Pony and the Kerry Bog Pony and I would be very interested in any information your readers could give me on the subject.  more > Enable making great progress Wednesday, September 20, 2006 I WOULD like to take this opportunity to thank your readers in Kerry for supporting the work of Enable Ireland.  more > Harney will not be missed Wednesday, September 20, 2006 THE departure of Mary Harney as leader of the Progressive Democrats was welcomed in many parts of the country, particularly in the many communities suffering under current government policies.  more > Great stay in Tralee Wednesday, September 20, 2006 I WOULD be obliged if you would print these few lines in your letters page, space permitting.  more > Walking for a good cause Wednesday, September 20, 2006 WE in the Irish Cancer Society are delighted to announce the Walk for a Cure on Mount Brandon in the West Kerry Gaeltacht.  more > Great help with cross Wednesday, September 20, 2006 THE National Graves Association wishes to thank Kerry County Council in the Castleisland area for assisting in the erection of a Celtic cross in memory of Vol Denis O’Connor who was killed in Knocknagoshel in 1923.  more > They have a lot to answer for Thursday, September 14, 2006 I am a resident of Quarryvale in Mounthawk, Tralee and, as you probably know, the new link road has just opened.  more > Tackling the China crisis Thursday, September 14, 2006 IF are to continue to develop our relationship with China then we must ask hard questions about forced labour camps and allegations of organ harvesting of unwilling donors.  more > Income limits are changing Thursday, September 14, 2006 THE decision to raise the off-farm income limit for transferees under the Early Retirement Scheme from €25,400 to €40,000 will help secure the future of rural areas across the county.  more > Getting class sizes reduced Thursday, September 14, 2006 IN September 2004, the INTO demanded the greater co-ordination of existing disadvantaged schemes, the better identification of disadvantaged pupils and disadvantaged schools, more teacher training and increased investment in the most disadvan -taged primary schools.  more > Garda must grasp nettle Thursday, September 14, 2006 I NOTE, with interest, the remarks made by Garda Commissioner, Noel Conroy, in response to three reports released by the Morris Tribunal of Inquiry.  more > Human cost of change in Tralee industry Thursday, September 07, 2006 HAVING been born and spent all of my adult life in Tralee, it was with great sadness that I learned that the Kerryman newspaper’s printing operation was to now be moved to Belfast.  more > The traveller housing debate Thursday, September 07, 2006 TRAVELLERS choosing traveller halting sites and group houses as their preferred choice of accommodation should be provided with a standard of accommodation on a par with other types of accommodation.  more > Anti war event plan Thursday, September 07, 2006 AT a public meeting in Tralee, on the recent Israeli military offensive in Lebanon, Joe Moore of the Socialist Workers Party argued that Hizbollah had the support of 70 per cent of Lebanon’s population and from people of all religions.  more > Teachers to check post Thursday, September 07, 2006 The Teaching Council, the body which promotes teaching as a profession and seeks to maintain and improve standards in teaching, advises new teachers and all post-primary teachers to check their post over the coming weeks for important correspondence on garda vetting.  more > UN name is at stake Thursday, September 07, 2006 THE credibility of the United Nations is now at stake. Either they send in troops to Sudan’s violent Darfur region, or they accept that the agency is nothing more than a talk shop.  more > Report the key to ending carnage Thursday, August 24, 2006 ON behalf of SIMI motor dealers in Kerry, I welcome the report on road safety published by the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business.  more > Don’t supress exams anxiety Thursday, August 24, 2006 THE publication of Leaving Cert results is the beginning of what can be a tense period for many young people.  more > Price cutting tightens grip Thursday, August 24, 2006 THE cut in the price paid to farmers by the Kerry Group, following the example of Glanbia, reflects the continuing decline of co-operatives and the tightening grip of large PLCs which dominate the market to the detriment of farmers.  more > A licence for killing Thursday, August 24, 2006 AS the spectre of swamp fev er threatens the Irish horse industry, the reaction of the Irish hunting community is to start the foxcub hunting season.  more > Thanks to the people Thursday, August 24, 2006 GOAL would like to once again thank the Irish people who supported our emergency response programme in Pakistan since last October.  more > Women go on the run Thursday, August 24, 2006 WE in Arthritis Ireland are now registering participants for the Cork Mini Marathon taking place on September 24 and the Limerick Mini Marathon on October 8.  more > Is body relevant without receiving the blood? Thursday, August 17, 2006 THE Castleisland Corpus Christi parish newsletter reminded us that Jesus said: "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you do not have life in you."  more > Benchmark for Tralee buildings Thursday, August 17, 2006 IN Tralee town at the moment we have new buildings that you would call monstrosities. Just look at the size of the buildings near the town centre which are now a benchmark for all buildings.  more > An industry in disrepute Thursday, August 17, 2006 IT’S not just infighting, doping of horses and tarnished Olympic gold that has dragged the Irish horse industry into disrepute.  more > Group making real difference Thursday, August 17, 2006 MARCH 2006 was an exciting month for special needs assistants when company called the SNA Group was established by women who recognise the vital role played by assistants in supporting children who have special education needs.  more > Rethink needed on grants issue Thursday, August 17, 2006 THE government has developed a grants system that fails the lion’s share of students.  more > Kerry knocking on the door of greatness Wednesday, August 09, 2006 WELL done to the Kerry management and players following their victory against Armagh on Saturday. It is surprising many people at how quickly the slight change to our system is working.  more > Hopping mad over big match Wednesday, August 09, 2006 I’M hopping mad. I am a dyed-in-the-wool Kerryman to the balls of my toes but I must comment on the fact that the Longford team and their supporters were obliged to travel to Killarney to see them playing Kerry in a qualifying round of the All Ireland championships.  more > Bomber tag very unfair Wednesday, August 09, 2006 HAIL the new Bomber screamed the newspaper headlines in the immediate aftermath of Kieran Donaghy's impressive performances against Longford and Armagh.  more > Potent medicines could cause harm Wednesday, August 09, 2006 I WRITE to express concern about the supply of potent medicines available from various retail outlets such as foodstores and newsagents.  more > Kerry students could drop out Wednesday, August 09, 2006 HUNDREDS of Kerry school leavers bound for college this autumn may be forced to drop out of their courses within months, as soaring rents for student accommodation put low income students under mounting pressure to make ends meet.  more > Help is needed for autism study Thursday, August 03, 2006 I HOPE you can help me. I am conducting a national study in the area of autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) and more specifically, on parents’ information needs as part of a PhD in the School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin.  more > Circus animals should be seized Thursday, August 03, 2006 THE Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS) is calling for the seizure of the animals being kept in Circus Sydney, following the admission of a circus spokesperson (Jan Erik Brenner on Matt Cooper’s The Last Word on Today FM) that a kangaroo escaped in Cork last weekend after children were allowed unsupervised access to its pen following one of its shows.  more > Time to deliver what people voted for Thursday, August 03, 2006 WHILE reading a book by the acclaimed Irish writer/journalist Tim Pat Coogan recently, I was reminded of the old saying “History is always repeating itself”.  more > Kerry fans should get behind the team Wednesday, July 26, 2006 AFTER witnessing the Munster final from the Heritage in Yonkers, NY, I was naturally disappointed that Kerry did not pull off a victory as I am a native of Tralee.  more > Ronaldo’s ad is disappointing Wednesday, July 26, 2006 HE MAY be considered one of the football greats and a World Cup superstar but Ronaldo’s latest performance will leave many fans sorely disappointed.  more > Fine Gael stance will dilute Irish Wednesday, July 26, 2006 AS AN Irish language activist, I would like to point out some ironies in the debate about Irish being a required subject for the Leaving Certificate.  more > Disabled not getting work Wednesday, July 26, 2006 THE unfair recruitment practices that exclude many people with disabilities from the workforce has to be brought to an end.  more > The end of legal limbo Wednesday, July 26, 2006 THE US announcement that detainees held at Guantanamo Bay are entitled to protection under the Geneva Convention is to be welcomed.  more > Workers needed for aid projects Wednesday, July 26, 2006 IRELAND’S booming economy and the rising cost of living has made it increasingly difficult to attract experienced individuals to give a year or so of their lives to work in the Developing World.  more > Handling of issues has gone to the dogs Thursday, July 20, 2006 ALTHOUGH the conclusions of the report are welcome, the government’s handling of the Dalton Report on recent controversies at Bord na gCon, has to be criticised.  more > A fig leaf to cover the spy Thursday, July 20, 2006 THE depiction by the Provisional IRA of murdered mother Jean McConville as an informer is obviously just another fig leaf to cover a senior spy in their ranks.  more > Help wanted for bat survey Thursday, July 20, 2006 A SURVEY of Daubenton’s bats - or water bats - is to be undertaken in county Clare next month.  more > Answer the Fatima call Thursday, July 20, 2006 I WISH to advise your readers that the award-winning film The Call to Fatima, which made its debut last year, has been reissued with a second DVD, which gives a new and unique insight on the Fatima message never disclosed before.  more > People on the street don’t want scare stories Thursday, July 13, 2006 TRALEE has been selected as a pilot area for new a policing committee aimed at bringing together gardaí, public representatives and community leaders to draw up measures to combat crime and anti-social behaviour.  more > People being treated badly Thursday, July 13, 2006 HAVING read in The Kingdom of 11 June the article headed ‘Work to start on key sewerage schemes’, I see no mention of Clóc·n (Cloghane) even though it is one of the limited number of areas in the country, and the only one in Kerry, selected as a pilot EU tourism eco labelling project.  more > Nonsense to punish clubs Thursday, July 13, 2006 THE medical profession and sporting/voluntary bodies are in unison believing that ready access to a defibrillator could be a life source.  more > Wear colours to raise cash Thursday, July 13, 2006 ON Friday, July 14 the ISPCC, Ireland’s best-known children’s charity, wants the people of Kerry to show pride in their county and have their workplace awash with colour.  more > It’s all about just one issue Thursday, July 13, 2006 I WANT to impress upon Minister Dermot Ahern that his meeting next month with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir must be about one issue alone:  more > Volunteers are playing a part Thursday, July 13, 2006 OUR organisation, Volunteering Ireland, is Ireland’s first volunteer centre to promote, support and facilitate voluntary action.  more > Little gain for public Thursday, July 13, 2006 OVER 30 people attended a public meeting in Tralee on the issues surrounding the exploitation of natural resources by huge corporations.  more > Sands had lessons for everyday life Wednesday, July 05, 2006 THE reaction to the erection of hunger strikers posters in Kerry by some folk, who felt that they promoted death and suicide, left me feeling sad. I believe their message was not of death, but of courage, endurance, life and hope.  more > Values and ideas differ Wednesday, July 05, 2006 A NATIONAL commentator recently argued that state policies should promote the extinction of the Irish language because teaching Irish is “expensive” and requires teaching time which could be spent in other ways.  more > Taking a big step forward Wednesday, July 05, 2006 THE new Partnership Agreement, Towards 2016, is a big step forward for rural Ireland and the regions.  more > No grant aid for Kenmare Wednesday, July 05, 2006 LOOKING at the grants allocated to sports clubs in Kerry by the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, John O’Donoghue, I learned, to my horror, that Tuosist and Kenmare GAA clubs got nothing.  more > Tourism industry suffering from years of neglect Thursday, June 29, 2006 A NEW report from the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation is a timely warning about Ireland’s competitiveness as a tourist destination.  more > Street signs must be clear Thursday, June 29, 2006 THE restoration of traditional place names in the Gaeltacht to sole official status is to be welcomed but communities outside the Gaeltacht must ensure that Irish and English place names are given equal prominence.  more > Bruton’s role to be clarified Thursday, June 29, 2006 MORNING Ireland, RTE’s flagship current affairs programme, has on several occasions, referred to John Bruton as the EU’s “ambassador” to Washington.  more > Farmers won’t face penalties Thursday, June 29, 2006 I WISH to conform that the Department of Agriculture and Food has agreed that any farmer who makes an effort to resolve CMMS problems will not be penalised under cross compliance.  more > Killarney toilets will not cause offence to God Thursday, June 22, 2006 A LOT of people are up in arms that public toilets are to be placed by the statue of Christ the King in Killarney.  more > Gardaí must respect Irish Thursday, June 22, 2006 THERE has to be stricter enforcement of standards in the Garda Siochana, following reports that guards in some cases are flouting their constitutional obligation to deal in Irish with people who indicate this preference.  more > Coursing is not hurling Thursday, June 22, 2006 THE recent National Country Fair has been hailed by a prominent hare coursing enthusiast as “the All-Ireland hurling final of the field sports community”. Some sport. And some community.  more > Sex fiasco is not resolved Thursday, June 22, 2006 A NUMBER of sex offenders could still be released from prison as a result of the underage sex fiasco, which has still not been fully resolved.  more > TP is spot on Thursday, June 22, 2006 I READ in The Kingdom three weeks ago that TP ” Conchuir from Ballydavid had predicted that we were in for a spell of mighty weather. How right he was.  more > There needs to be a people’s plan for Dingle Thursday, June 15, 2006 RECENT events in Dingle raise concerns about the power of a small number of landowners and developers and the failure of political representatives to look after the welfare of the people of Dingle.  more > Comment not from festival Thursday, June 15, 2006 I WANT to make it very clear that my email to The Kingdom on 6 June was on behalf of the Kerry Rose Centre and its sentiments have nothing to do with the Rose of Tralee International Festival, or the Festival of Kerry as it used to be known.  more > Serious reform urgently needed Thursday, June 15, 2006 I STRONGLY condemn the release of “Mr A” – and potentially others – following the decision by the Supreme Court overturning the law on statutory rape.  more > Inch looks really well Thursday, June 15, 2006 THE Inch Strand Action Group, the organisation recently established to keep Inch Strand clean and rubbish free, welcomes news that Inch has retained its blue flag beach status.  more > Backing for events centre Thursday, June 15, 2006 SHANNON Development fully endorses the call by ITIC for a major regional conference centre for the Shannon/Limerick area.  more > Crew lists at airports Thursday, June 15, 2006 THE Irish government should request passenger and crew lists for every privately chartered plane using Irish airports, and for the introduction of random spot checks of such planes.  more > Kennedy hunt Thursday, June 15, 2006 I AM seeking information about my great grandfather, John Kennedy.  more > Boy racers Thursday, June 15, 2006 IN a recent report in The Kingdom I was shocked to read a comment made by gardaí that so-called boy racers are not a big problem in Kerry.  more > Happy holiday Thursday, June 15, 2006 THANKS a million to The Kingdom for a wonderful holiday in Marbella which I won in a competition for readers.  more > No gain without pain in lakes dilemma Thursday, June 08, 2006 THE future of Lough Leane in Killarney looks brighter now than it has for a very long time. The Water Framework Directive will be the saviour of the famous Lakes of Killarney.  more > Making Irish voices heard Thursday, June 08, 2006 THE uncertainty over the future of the Ulster senior hurling final has brought home the urgent problems of the 50,000 illegal Irish people in the USA.  more > No binge drink shock Thursday, June 08, 2006 RESEARCH from the European Commission which shows that Irish people generally and Irish young people are the biggest binge drinkers in the EU should come as no surprise.  more > Beauty queen photo choice Thursday, June 08, 2006 I’D like to raise an objection about the photo you used on the front page of The Kingdom last week.  more > Support for youth service Thursday, June 08, 2006 WE wish to thank The Kingdom for its support in promoting the recent Brian Kennedy concert in aid of the Kerry Diocesan Youth Service.  more > E-card lobby now launched Thursday, June 01, 2006 TO protect infants and young children, the Meningitis Research Foundation has launched an e-card to lobby for the vaccine to protect against pneumococcal meningitis, the only form of preventable meningitis which Ireland does not vaccinate against.  more > Information on Killarney links Thursday, June 01, 2006 LIKE many others, I am currently researching my old folks, all of whom have passed away. But through the 1901 census returns, I have found out that my grandfather’s father came from Killarney and I would like to find out more about that side of the family.  more > No need for a scriptwriter Thursday, June 01, 2006 I REFER the feature on the success of basketball in St Brendan’s College, Killarney, written by Kieran McCarthy, in last week’s edition of The Kingdom. This was an interesting read but over-flattering to myself.  more > Hunters advised stay well away Thursday, June 01, 2006 WE in the Farmers Against Foxhunting organisation are deeply opposed to the newly formed IFA Country Side group, whereby foxhunters have been invited to join the IFA in large numbers.  more > Kerry’s good nature a great help to sick kids Thursday, June 01, 2006 ON behalf of the cardiac unit of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, I wish to thank the people of Kerry for their generous support of Padraig Weldon’s Kerry Karaoke Challenge 2006.  more > Muted response as concerts are axed Thursday, May 25, 2006 I AM more than a little surprised at the muted response to the announcement that there are to be no outdoor concerts at this year’s SummerFest in Killarney, given that they were the top attraction by far in previous years.  more > The gay and GAA agenda Thursday, May 25, 2006 I AM writing to you regarding the letter headed ‘Pushing the gay agenda’, published in The Kingdom on April 25.  more > Make your voice heard Thursday, May 25, 2006 I CANNOT understand the Irish people. We watched in horror as a Prime Time programme highlighted the appalling conditions in some of the country’s accident and emergency departments.  more > Crisis words were pathetic Thursday, May 25, 2006 COMMENTS by the T·naiste and Minister for Health and Children on the accident and emergency crisis in our hospitals were pathetic.  more > Rights for all couples Thursday, May 25, 2006 WE wish to express dismay that marriage equality has been sidestepped by the Irish Human Rights Commission in its new report on the rights of same-sex and opposite-sex couples.  more > Booze deal makes mockery of GAA concern Thursday, May 18, 2006 THE GAA deserves to be criticised for continuing its highly controversial link with drinks giant Diageo.  more > Sex slavery thriving here Thursday, May 18, 2006 WHILE the Prime Time Investigates programme on the trafficking of young girls into the sex industry in Ireland will shock many people who are unaware that this is happening, it is important that the media shines a light on this murky industry.  more > Women have the advantage Thursday, May 18, 2006 THERE is a sense of hopelessness affecting young men in working communities who, compared to young women, are more likely to leave school early and in turn face a significant risk of unemployment.  more > Seminar on pope’s words Thursday, May 18, 2006 I WISH to inform your read-ers that a seminar on the Papal Encyclical ‘Deus Caritas est’ (God is Love) is to be held on Saturday, May 27 from 10am to 1pm at St John’s Pastoral Centre. Tralee.  more > Help needed for the youth Thursday, May 18, 2006 THE government is failing young people who experience mental illness and long waiting lists for those accessing youth mental health services are unacceptable.  more > Foolish to discard Dingle name Thursday, May 11, 2006 AS an American who visits Ireland every year, and as one with deep roots in Ireland given that I’m a former hurler and footballer, I was astounded to hear of the effort of Minister ” Cuív to strike the name of Dingle from the map.  more > Gays rush to the altar Thursday, May 11, 2006 I WELCOME the publication of a new study revealing the number of gays and lesbians who have chosen to marry in countries that uphold marriage equality.  more > Keeping the people safe Thursday, May 11, 2006 IT is indeed gratifying to read recently of the govern-ment’s commitment to renewable energy projects and it is to be hoped that appropriate projects will proceed with all due haste.  more > Following the leaders Thursday, May 11, 2006 IT was staggering to learn that the two main opposition leaders condemned the government’s SSIA scheme before running to the banks to open an account themselves.  more > Gift is fit for a queen Thursday, May 11, 2006 THE Prophets tell us that when Christ comes back, he will host a great banquet in Jerusalem in honour of the ressurected saints and that the daughter of Tyre will be there with a gift.  more > Pretty as a postcard Thursday, May 11, 2006 TG4’s new summer series is on a quest to find people who were photographed for postcards of years gone by.  more > Benefits for older people Thursday, May 11, 2006 I WISH to notify the people of Kerry about a number of changes to the scheme of community support for older people, following a comprehensive review of the operation of the scheme.  more > Compiling a blacklist of Kerry’s greedy employers Thursday, May 04, 2006 I AM calling on the people of Kerry to help expose the actions of a number of greedy employers in the county.  more > Poor cover for foreign drivers Thursday, May 04, 2006 WE in the Irish Brokers Association wish to express concern at inadequate insurance cover of non-nationals driving in Ireland under insurance policies sourced in their home countries.  more > Action needed for rural areas Thursday, May 04, 2006 IRISH Rural Link, the national advocacy group for rural communities and social partner, challenges the lack of coherent action by both national and local government when dealing with providing key services such as broadband, health and caring services as well as employment opportunities in rural Ireland.  more > Feeling relaxed about sexuality Thursday, May 04, 2006 WE refer to your recent news report regarding gay students in Kerry who claim they find it difficult to confide in others and, instead, turn to drink and drugs.  more > Give schools the vouchers Thursday, April 27, 2006 I WOULD remind shoppers in Kerry that their last chance to boost their voucher collection for this year’s Tesco Ireland computers for schools scheme is fast approaching as the end of the in-store voucher scheme is looming.  more > Zero tolerance to help wildlife Thursday, April 27, 2006 EFFORTS to tackle the heinous activity of badger baiting are hampered by the fact that a legal bloodsport known as working terrier is allowed to take place.  more > Carers should check benefits Thursday, April 27, 2006 I WISH to advise Kerry carers to check to see if they are receiving their full entitlements as the changes announced in Budget 2006 come into force over the coming weeks.  more > Thanks for all the help Thursday, April 27, 2006 THROUGH The Kingdom I would like to thank the people of Killorglin for helping the National Graves Association to clean and restore the 1916 memorial at Ballykissane Pier.  more > Pushing the gay agenda Thursday, April 27, 2006 WITH reference to your front page article in The Kingdom on April 11, under the headline “Double life hell of married gay males” and a large Kingdom comment on the same subject matter, it is very clear that The Kingdom has a very gay agenda.  more > Randy Leprechaun is doing his bit for Kerry tourism Thursday, April 27, 2006 I WAS absolutely astonished to discover that the Randy Leprechaun pub in Annascaul has been ordered to remove three leprechaun murals from its walls by Kerry County Council.  more > Time for welfare to replace warfare Thursday, April 20, 2006 THOSE who took part in the 1916 rising unfurled a banner saying “We serve neither King nor Kaiser”. This was a statement that their revolt was part of the resistance to World War I, a war between the imperial powers of the day.  more > Please stamp out bullying Thursday, April 20, 2006 I AM writing to make a passionate plea on behalf of children whose lives are blighted and in some cases destroyed by bullying.  more > No funding from state Thursday, April 20, 2006 ON behalf of the Kerry branch of the Cystic Fibrosis Association I would like to thank all the staff of The Kingdom for their very generous donation of ¤24,050 from The Kingdom Charity Ball.  more > Few comforts for the elderly Thursday, April 20, 2006 WITH reference to your front page article on April 4, I have great sympathy for Julie Healy-Rae who was the victim of a mugging while on holiday in Spain.  more > Seeking some good memories Thursday, April 20, 2006 ST Muredach’s College, Ballina, Co Mayo will celebrate the centenary of its foundation on September 10.  more > Ireland’s independence is for all of her people Thursday, April 13, 2006 I HAVE asked the government to bid for the original copy of the national anthem when it is auctioned in Dublin this week so that the historic document can be kept in Ireland.  more > Homes can help in crisis Thursday, April 13, 2006 THE Irish Nursing Homes Organisation is relieved at the recent admission by the Tánaiste that the over-crowding crisis in acute hospitals is a national emergency and that all available resources will have to be mobilised.  more > Dog figures don’t add up Thursday, April 13, 2006 UP to 600 litters of dogs, on average, are advertised for sale in newspapers, periodicals and free advertising papers here in Ireland.  more > Farmers are pushed aside Thursday, April 13, 2006 AS the level of bureaucracy and red tape in farming continues to increase year on year, farmers are being pushed into a corner where they are expected to compete on a world market with farmers from countries that disobey every rule in the book.  more > Tax break cash could have helped Kerry’s sick Thursday, April 06, 2006 MINISTER Mary Harney’s statement that the situation in our accident and emergency departments is a national emergency is a final admission by the government that their policy to tackle the A&E crisis had failed.  more > Event changed Ireland forever Thursday, April 06, 2006 IN most countries which were colonised there was usually a tiny minority who longed for a return of the oppressor. Ireland is no exception.  more > Excessive cost of Kerry water Thursday, April 06, 2006 THE water charges being applied in Kerry are completely excessive by comparison with what is being charged in most other local authority areas.  more > Parents should share the blame Thursday, April 06, 2006 THE scourge of vandalism perpetrated by young people is one that needs to be addressed urgently and with unswerving ruthlessness.  more > Quiz to help local children Thursday, April 06, 2006 LAST year the annual table quiz in aid of the Irish Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust, held in the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, raised over €3,000.  more > Minister must find his voice at cabinet table Thursday, March 30, 2006 THE Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O’Donoghue, needs to find his voice at the cabinet table and demand action on the current crime crisis.  more > Anglers must catch real drift Thursday, March 30, 2006 I WISH to take issue with the protests of the driftnet fishermen regarding the ban on drift netting for salmon.  more > Hunters don’t block off roads Thursday, March 30, 2006 IN the March 7 edition of The Kingdom you published a letter from Mr Philip Kiernan headed ‘Get the hunters off the road’.  more > Overhaul of tests system Thursday, March 30, 2006 WHEN animal tests don’t consistently predict drug effects from one species of animal to another, why should anyone be surprised when they don’t predict effects in people?  more > Author facts quite scarce Thursday, March 30, 2006 I WONDER if any of your readers can help? I am a doctoral student writing on a 20th century Irish author, John O’Donoghue (1900-1964) and I wondered if anybody in Kerry might have any material pertaining to him?  more > Be on alert for badgers Thursday, March 30, 2006 RECENTLY two men who were engaging in a badger-dig were disturbed by the landowner who came upon the scene on a farm.  more > A tribute to Dara the great in verse Thursday, March 23, 2006 Ó Cinnéide now hangs up his boots A jewel in Kerry’s crown Who together with his team mates Brought the Kingdom such renown  more > Tracing precise family origins Thursday, March 23, 2006 I HAVE been working for several years on the question of exactly where my Kelleher and Linehan ancestors originated. They always said they were from Killarney or “the Lakes of Killarney”.  more > Fine Gael has to come clean Thursday, March 23, 2006 A NUMBER of Fine Gael MEPs are leaving themselves open to the accusation that they are using Brussels as a gravy train.  more > Cool as a hot day in summer Thursday, March 23, 2006 I SEE from recent media reports that cocaine has become the drug of choice for many young people, socialites, and students. It’s deemed to be the coolest thing going.  more > Charity seeking marathon runners Thursday, March 23, 2006 THE Meningitis Research Foundation is appealing for people in Kerry to support their vital work through participating in the Belfast City Marathon on Monday, May 1.  more > The free press is seeking it both ways Thursday, March 16, 2006 NOW that the dust has settled on the Mayor Toireasa Ferris saga and the outpouring of dubious indignation has subsided, perhaps the real issues that we as a society should face up to can be debated.  more > Stumbling block for farm scheme Thursday, March 16, 2006 THE newly improved grant rates in the farm waste management scheme, announced last July, looked likely to be available by the end of this month but the fact that this newly improved scheme is likely to be closed to all applicants at the end of 2006 is totally unacceptable.  more > Martial arts can sort out society Thursday, March 16, 2006 CHILDREN are exposed to so much negativity and unsuitable role models on TV these days that martial arts training has never been more important for them.  more > Stopping spread of HIV infection Thursday, March 16, 2006 WORLD Vision Ireland has already told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs that 700,000 new HIV infections could be prevented each year if all children received a complete primary education.  more > Where are the feminists when you need them? Wednesday, March 01, 2006 SINCE her participation on the Late Late Show, the Mayor of Kerry, Tioréasa Ferris, has suffered a barrage of abuse, not least because of her appearance.  more > SF point blank refusal is noted Wednesday, March 01, 2006 THE hysterical reaction of the Fine Gael Kerry county councillors to Mayor of Kerry Toiréasa Ní Fhearaíosa’s refusal to condemn the killing of Garda Jerry McCabe highlights their lack of understanding of the process of peace making.  more > Hotel could be flagship again Wednesday, March 01, 2006 I READ, with great interest, Michael Rosney’s suggestions for the future of the Killarney Great Southern Hotel hotel and grounds (The Kingdom, February 21).  more > It’s time to turn back to railroads Wednesday, March 01, 2006 WHILE reading the article in The Kingdom on 16 February, by your reporter Mary Murphy, about problems with heavy lorries on the Kilcummin to Killarney bypass road, the thought occurred to me that much of this freight should be on the railway.  more > Well done to Ardfert and Pat Wednesday, March 01, 2006 ON behalf of the Kerry exiles here in London, I want to congratulate Ardfert on winning the Junior Club All Ireland. Well done, in particular, to their manager, Pat Driscoll, who was here with us for a short while.  more > John Kelly has a good argument Wednesday, March 01, 2006 I WANT congratulate Mr John Kelly on his article which was published in The Kingdom dated 10 January, 2006 on the subject of why having a house in the country is now being considered a blight on the landscape.  more > Scartaglin residents need to reflect on their actions Thursday, February 23, 2006 I WAS saddened at the decision of some 40 Scartaglin residents to oust a recently arrived man who had in the past been on a sex offenders’ list.  more > Setting standards that are ruthless Thursday, February 23, 2006 DISCUSSION and debate over recent days sadly reflects a surreptitious panic to sell off the Great Southern group of hotels.  more > Landowners are under pressure Thursday, February 23, 2006 THE ongoing delay in processing land registry queries is putting undue hardship on farmers.  more > Trip for Elvis fans in Kerry Thursday, February 23, 2006 MUSIC fans in Kerry, particularly those with a weakness for Elvis Presley and country and western, are invited to travel to the USA on a forthcoming music holiday with a difference.  more > A tribute to the late Babe Collins Thursday, February 23, 2006 WE in the Kerry ICMSA wish to express our sadness upon hearing of the death of John ‘Babe’ Collins of Ardfert.  more > Hotel proposal unfair to the Killarney staff Thursday, February 16, 2006 THE by-now annual threat to sell off the Great Southern Hotels in its entirety is distressingly unfair to a dedicated staff and constant clientele.  more > Be careful of pyramid deals Thursday, February 16, 2006 THERE is evidence that the pyramid scheme that has been spreading through West Cork and parts of South Kerry is now spreading to other parts of Kerry.  more > Cartoon humour not that funny Thursday, February 16, 2006 OVER the past week or more we have had the civilised world telling Muslims to grow up and have a sense of humour with regard to the cartoons of the prophet Mohammad that have caused such a furore.  more > Caveman antics at the coursing Thursday, February 16, 2006 THE caveman mentality was much in evidence at the national finals of hare coursing in Clonmel, judging from the picture of men in grotesque animal skin head-gear published in a national newspaper.  more > Criticism that beggars belief Thursday, February 16, 2006 I WRITE in response to comments made by Denis Naughten in the letters page of The Kingdom on January 31.  more > The camera doesn’t lie on Kerry’s danger road Thursday, February 09, 2006 THE photograph that accompanies this letter was taken in recent days from the Currans flyover bridge, on the newly improved N22 at the turn off for Currans/Ballyfinane.  more > Pensions need to be protected Thursday, February 09, 2006 THE OECD recently issued a report on extending the retirement age beyond 65 years. This arose, we are advised, because of a projected futuristic doomsday pension crisis in this country.  more > Time to put children first Thursday, February 09, 2006 THERE was a flurry of controversy last week when Church of Ireland Archbishop Neill and then Rón·n Mullen set out their different interpretations of the Tilson case.  more > No more lip from Taoiseach Thursday, February 09, 2006 THE Taoiseach recently stated that he had not been asked about changes to the constitution regarding Article 41.1.2, 41.2.1, 41.2.2,  more > Sale of cards raised money Thursday, February 09, 2006 ON behalf of the Friends of the Children of Chernobyl, I would like to thank all those who helped in any way with the recent sale of our Christmas cards which was a great success.  more > Thousands of farmers going out of business Thursday, February 02, 2006 FIRST Minister Mary Coughlan tells farmers they can’t spread slurry and now they won’t be able to store it. What next?  more > Common good must win out Thursday, February 02, 2006 LAST January we changed our planning laws to facilitate the establishment of an IKEA store in Ireland. This involved lifting the cap on retail warehouses in certain designated areas.  more > Prisoners issue to be transparent Thursday, February 02, 2006 I ATTENDED the first meeting of the European Parliament’s new temporary committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners.  more > Seeking Killarney cemetery approval Thursday, February 02, 2006 I HAVE pressed Junior Environment Minister Batt O’Keeffe about moving ahead with acquiring burial-ground land in Killarney National Park.  more > Time to lighten up with news Thursday, February 02, 2006 WHY is it that newspapers always tend to concentrate on printing upsetting and bad news rather than good news that could give people a lift?  more > Hoteliers not short of bread Thursday, February 02, 2006 FOR years we have listened to hotel and big guesthouse owners in Kerry groaning and complaining that there are plenty of tourists around but they are not spending money.  more > Support ongoing for Rossport 5 Thursday, February 02, 2006 I WISH to reaffirm my support for the Rossport 5 campaign to have the gas pipeline moved offshore.  more > Kerry County Council is riddled with contradictions Thursday, January 26, 2006 KERRY County Council’s position on farming in Kerry is riddled with contradictions.  more > Time to target kerb-crawlers Thursday, January 26, 2006 I WISH to respond to the blatant political opportunism by Fianna Fail TD Denis O’Donovan who suggested that opposition parties may consider legalising small brothels to take prostitutes off the street.  more > Rip off when seeking service Thursday, January 26, 2006 FURTHER to the recent coverage in local papers about the town of Killarney being a rip off, I have lived in Killarney for the past 24 years and for the majority of that time I have been involved in the tourism industry and have always vehemently denied this accusation.  more > Creches in need of more funding Thursday, January 26, 2006 REPORTS that some creches have failed to comply with operating Health Service Executive regulations indicate that the sector needs more support from the government.  more > Nurses to get great backing Thursday, January 26, 2006 THE decision by nurses at Kerry General Hospital to vote in favour of industrial action was inevitable.  more > A happy man in New York Thursday, January 26, 2006 AT a meeting of the Kerry Association in New York, I met Tom Kennedy and he was absolutely delighted with the article published in The Kingdom last week regarding his upcoming honour on January 27 when he will be honoured by our Association.  more > Looking for answers in the treatment of autism Thursday, January 19, 2006 THE European Autism Information System project is a pan-European research initiative to ascertain how prevalent autism is in the EU.  more > O’Donoghue must protect neighbours Thursday, January 19, 2006 I WOULD firstly like extend my sympathies to the 70 workers and their families following the news that 70 jobs are to go at the Glen Dimplex company in Tralee.  more > Truly magical moments on children’s ward Thursday, January 19, 2006 I WISH to express our sincere thanks for the enormous efforts made by The Kingdom and Pat O’Connor in the annual Christmas Toy Appeal. It continues to be a marvellous reflection of community generosity.  more > The cow and the chicken Thursday, January 19, 2006 WHEN a chicken or cow escapes their slaughterhouse fate, witnesses cheer the animal and boo their pursuers.  more > Cost proving a huge burden Thursday, January 19, 2006 THERE is a lack of action by local authorities around the country in dealing with the issue of waste collection in rural areas, especially for the more vulnerable groups in society such as pensioners, lone parents and people with a disability.  more > Every child is entitled to a little magic Thursday, January 12, 2006 I WRITE to thank the management and all the staff of The Kingdom for making the 2005 Christmas Toy Appeal the most successful one ever.  more > Getting straight to the point of it Thursday, January 12, 2006 JANUARY sees the opening meeting of the six-month Irish point-to-point horseracing season. Some point-to-point fixtures are organised by local hunt committees to raise funds to keep the hunt functioning.  more > Drinks firms are winners Thursday, January 12, 2006 THE introduction of a voluntary code of practice on alcohol advertising is indicative of the government’s laissez faire attitude to Ireland’s drink problem and to under-age drinking in particular.  more > Suitable words spring to mind Thursday, January 12, 2006 IN the Letters to the Editor section of The Kingdom on January 3, it was good to see that, according to the former provisional director of communications, the republican base is adopting a “stoical” attitude towards more PIRA figures being outed as British agents.  more > A dark episode in Irish history Thursday, January 12, 2006 THE passing of former Northern Secretary Merlyn Rees should remind us that he was instrumental in the campaign to criminalise the republican struggle.  more > Setting Kerry’s record straight Thursday, January 12, 2006 I WOULD like to put the record straight - the constituency of Kerry South has done very well from the Fianna Fail led government.  more > Kind farmers Thursday, January 12, 2006 I WOULD like, through the medium of your newspaper, to express our extreme gratitude to the Mid Kerry Farmers and Friends Association for their recent generous donation to our worthy cause.  more > Big support Thursday, January 12, 2006 WE wish to sincerely thank all our friends for the genuine support and kindness shown towards us and our-family during 2005.  more > Provision of pub death rooms is big business Thursday, January 05, 2006 I AM concerned about the proliferation of smoking rooms in and attached to some Irish pubs.  more > Welcome back to the t-bones Thursday, January 05, 2006 I AM delighted to welcome back t-bone steaks onto Irish menus after an absence of nearly six years.  more > Kerry dug deep for tsunami aid Thursday, January 05, 2006 IN the aftermath of the tsunami, which struck Southeast Asia on December 26 last year, the people of Kerry raised €714,669.06 for Trócaire’s emergency appeal.  more > Huge generosity for charity cause Thursday, January 05, 2006 I WOULD like to express my profound thanks to the Kerry public for their extraordinary generosity to GOAL’s Pakistan Earthquake Appeal.  more > Charging for use of land Thursday, January 05, 2006 ALL farmers should charge for the use of their land for fox hunting, and possibly for shooting and fishing.  more > Appeal for used stamps Thursday, January 05, 2006 AS part of a local project, I am currently