Tourists flock to Killarney for Ladbrokes.com Irish Poker Festival

This weekend (Friday, 2nd October to Sunday, 4th October 2009) Killarney, Co. Kerry is bracing itself for the influx of Europe’s biggest poker tour ranking event for poker pros. The Ladbrokes.com Irish Poker Festival main event, which will take place in the Irish National Events Centre (I.N.E.C.), has long-since been sold out through a series of online satellites (series of winner-stays-on mini games) and a limited number of direct buy-ins.

Patrick O’Donoghue, Managing Director of the Gleneagle Hotel Group which serves as the accommodation hub for the festival said that it brought a much needed boost to the Killarney Tourism Sector on a slow October weekend. “The Ladbrokes.com Irish Poker Festival is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the beauty and opportunity which Killarney has to offer to people across Ireland and internationally,” said Mr. O’Donoghue. “The festival is in its second year and has been a fantastic success – last year there were 832 high-rolling entrants in the main tournament alone, along with all their supporters. There was also a Cork winner in 2008, but we may have a home-grown one this year, after all 2009 seems to be Kerry’s year!”

With a guaranteed prize pool of €250,000 (which last year reached €416,000) and a top prize of €100,000, the festival will be hotly contested. There are also two side-tournaments on Saturday, 3rd October and Sunday, 4th October for €270 and €150 buy-ins respectively.

The town of Killarney will be awash with high rollers and celebrities alike as Ronnie Whelan, Ken Doherty, Jimmy White, Barry Murphy (Après Match), Shane Lynch and Roy ‘The Boy’ Brindley test their wits against other poker sharks. Live bands and entertainment will take Killarney by storm for the much anticipated weekend, providing a back-drop to the tournament for those who come along to support or who exit early!

Tralee Bypass gets planning nod

There’s been a major boost for plans to build a ring road to alleviate Tralee’s traffic congestion. An Bord Pleanala has given the go ahead to carry out the Compulsory Purchase Order and Environmental Impact Statement needed to allow work start. However, this is dependent on funding being approved and released by the National Roads Authority. A new ring road is badly needed in Tralee where long traffic tailbacks are a daily occurrence.

It’s planned to build an 8 km dual carriageway ring road around the eastern side of the town and a five and a half kilometre single carriageway joining the ring road to the N22 Killarney road at Baleagrelock.

Kerry County Council says it’s predicted that the bypass would reduce traffic in Tralee town centre by a quarter and would reduce all traffic times by a third. The CPO, that’s now been given approval, will affect 79 landowners

Ceann Comhairle issues full apology

Full statement by Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue, TD

Introduction

Two days ago Members of Dáil Éireann received a letter from me in relation to costs incurred by me as an office holder. As some Members have raised concerns about the matters addressed in that letter, I think it is appropriate that, today, I re-emphasise and clarify points intended to have been communicated by that letter. Before so doing, I want to make one observation.

The Framework

In the debate about Ministerial costs, context is everything. Some Ministers will incur greater costs than others by virtue of the nature of their portfolio. That is an unavoidable fact of life. But such costs are not incurred without controls. There is a statutory framework within which costs are incurred, paid and audited. There are a number of fundamental propositions that need to be repeated. They are as follows:

Cork Swansea ferry to be operational by March 2010

The Cork-Swansea ferry route will be launched next spring. West Cork Tourism Co-Operative Society Limited has announced that it has purchased the cruise ferry the MV Julia for €7.8 million. It’s hoped the reinstating of the service will create 500 jobs and bring thousands of tourists to Kerry and Cork.

In late 2006 the Swansea-Cork ferry company announced it was ceasing operations on the route that used to deliver some 140 thousand tourists to the south west each year. The axing of the ferry cost the region millions in lost tourism revenue. At the beginning of this year West Cork Tourism began their campaign to raise the €2.6 million need to get the route back up and running which included fundraising in Kerry.

The MV Julia has 10 decks with capacity for 440 cars and 30 freight vehicles and can hold 1860 passengers. The group must now raise €2.5 million to cover additional running costs. The ship, which was built in 1982, will arrive in Cork in the coming weeks and will then begin service in March 2010.

Taoiseach in Kerry this Saturday

The Taoiseach will be in Kerry this Saturday campaigning for a Yes vote in the forthcoming Lisbon Referendum.
Brian Cowen is due to visit Killarney as well as the Kerry Technology Park in Tralee.
He may also be campaigning in Listowel although this has yet to be confirmed.

700 Killarney job project now put on ice

A MASSIVE Killarney town centre retail project with the potential to create up to 700 jobs has been put on hold for at least 18 months as the dismal economic climate continues to hinder development in the county.

Development company BL Beara Ltd has been granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for the landmark development, which includes more than 17,000 sq metres of retail space, on the grounds of the Malton Hotel.

The approved BL Beara development will include the construction of a five-storey building creating 17,014 sq metres of retail floor space with three anchor retail units, 36 other retail units, financial service units and restaurants.

It will also feature 6,252 sq metres of new office space and a 121-bedroom extension to the Malton Hotel with a new leisure centre and banquet room.

55% increase in numbers driving while on mobile phone in Kerry

The number of people in Kerry driving while on a mobile phone has increased by 55% in the past year.
Figures from Road Safety Authority show that in July, 1,824 people were issued with penalty points for holding a phone while behind the wheel.
That’s an increase of 648 on the same time last year, for the offence which carries 2 penalty points.
Meanwhile there’s been a drop in the number of new cars registered in Kerry.
Official figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show there were 49 new car registrations in August, down from 103 the same time last year.

London Rose crowned Rose of Tralee

The London Rose, Charmaine Kenny, was crowned the Rose of Tralee at the Festival Dome last night. The 26-year-old, who is originally from Athy in Co Kildare, recently gave up work as a management consultant in London, and hopes to fulfill her ambition of becoming an entrepreneur.

She has a degree in Management Science and Information System Studies, and a Masters in Economics, both from Trinity College, Dublin, where she is also an elected Scholar.

She is also involved with the Irish charity Suas, and has spent time volunteering in Calcutta and Delhi.

Charmaine will spend the next 12 months travelling the world representing Ireland as the Golden Jubilee International Rose of Tralee.

Rose of Tralee 2009

The Rose of Tralee Festival got underway last night with the glamorous Rose Ball. More than 1,300 people attended the event at the Festvial Dome. In his opening address, managing director of the Festival Anthony O’Gara said Tralee should use the event as an opportunity to show the country what a wonderful town it is. 50 roses from across the world will battle it out for the title at this year’s Festival which is marking half a century in existence. The televised rose selection will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday with the 51st Rose of Tralee being announced on Wednesday night.

For further details and program of events, see roseoftralee.ie

Killarney to host major tourism conference in November

Over 650 travel agents from Germany and Austria will descend on Killarney later this year as part of a major tourism conference. DERTOUR is Germany’s largest tour operator and the Kerry town had to beat off stiff competition from the likes of Portugal to host the event in November. The company brings around 40 thousand German visitors to Ireland every year and it’s hoped the event will benefit the Kerry tourism industry. However Kevin Keogh, Vice President of Marketing and Sales of Der Tour, says German customers criticise the lack of Irish people working in the sector here.

via Radio Kerry News