Author Archives: Fergus Writes Things

VIDEO: Highlights Of Brandon Hotel Mental Health Exhibition

Posted in Kerry News, Mental Health, Tralee by
Mental Wellness

Social Box TV filmed the event on the day. 

THE TEAM over at Social Box TV have just uploaded a video with some of the highlights from the ‘Mental Wellness Exhibition’ that took place in the Brandon Hotel in late November.

The exhibition, which was well attended throughout the day, was focused on the theme of recovery and offering helping those who were suffering from mental health issues.

There were a large number of information stalls, workshops and public speakers on offer on the day with notable speakers including Cycle Against Suicide’s Jim Breen and popular Tralee entertainer Mark Leen.

The event also saw the launch of the ‘‘Minding Our Minds: A Guide to Supports and Services’ which is a comprehensive guide full of support services located throughout Kerry.

Free copies of this directory will now be distributed to thousands of homes throughout Kerry.

Check out Social Box TV’s video from the exhibition below…

Army Personnel Called In To Help Flooding Situation In Tralee

Posted in Tralee by
Storm Desmond

The flooding around Tralee has been extensive. 

ARMY PERSONNEL have been deployed to Tralee this evening to help with the extensive flooding that has occurred as a result of Storm Desmond.

A statement by the Defence Forces tonight read: “6X6 TCVs and soldiers have also been deployed to Kenmare, Tralee and Bantry and will be co-located with HSE medical teams to help them get to medical emergencies in flooded areas if required.”

Many areas of the town have suffered severe flooding Manor Village and Ballymullen being amongst the worst affected.

Tralee’s Randall Wharton Needs Your Votes In Prestigious Blog Award

Posted in Kerry News, Sport, Tralee by
Randall-Wharton-2

The man himself in action. 

A PROLIFIC TRALEE runner and writer has recently seen his two talents combine after it was announced that his ‘RandRuns’ blog had made it through to the finals of the prestigious RunUltra Blogger Awards.

Randall Wharton has fast become something of a household name in the wider running community and he will now join some of the biggest names in the sport as they battle to secure the title of the ‘2016 RunUltra Best Blogger Award’ when it is announced in London next year.

His ‘RandRuns’ blog is where Randall has been busy documenting his running life on the blog for the past year or so, where he consistently reports on all the races and events that he attends and always in the most entertaining manner.

“I’m absolutely thrilled! Christopher McDougall, who wrote the ‘Born To Run’ book, is in the final as well and that book was one of the things that inspired me to run in the first place. I’m just amazed I made it!” said Randall speaking to Fergus Dennehy earlier this week.

Having made it onto a list of the top 50 running bloggers from all corners of the world is an achievement in itself, but Randall would certainly like to go one step further than this and is looking for the help of the public in securing the much needed votes.

Voting has now opened for the awards and anyone wishing to vote for ‘RandRuns’ can do so through the voting page HERE while you can read Randall’s posts beforehand on his blog site HERE.

PHOTOS: Social Media Shows Full Extent Of Storm Desmond In Tralee

Posted in Tralee by

STORM Desmond has certainly been causing havoc up and down the country over the past day and judging by recent photos posted on social media, Tralee hasn’t gotten off lightly.

There’s flooding galore around the town with one witty local suggesting on his Twitter that we should consider a partnership with Venice at this stage.

The storm is set to stay in place again for tonight so as always, stay safe and let’s hope for no serious property damage when this is all over.

Scroll down to see the photos of the flooding in the town…

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IT Tralee Students Set To Host St Vincent De Paul Fashion Show

Posted in Charity, Tralee by
Fashion-Show

Students at the IT Tralee SVP society will hold their annual fashion show.

THE GENEROUS team over at the IT Tralee St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) are getting ready to hold their annual Fashion Show this coming Thursday December 3rd, in aid of the organisations ‘Christmas Hamper Appeal’ to help families in the local community.

The event will take place in the Ballyroe Heights Hotel at 7:30pm on Thursday evening with the entry fee on the night set at €5.

All the clothes showcased on the night will be from from SVP shops nationwide with one of the main aims being to show the wider community the ‘style’ that can be found in the shops, all at reasonable prices aswell.

There will be a bus leaving from Denny Street, at 18:45pm and again at 19:15pm, going straight to Ballyroe Heights Hotel.

The bus will then be coming back into town after the fashion show has ended, arriving back down at Denny Street.

A small charge to avail of the bus service will be € 1 per person, each way.

Tickets can also be purchased within the local SVP shop down Friary Lane and within the ITT Campus with tickets numbers being limited.

Any other queries please contact us through our Facebook page HERE or on mobile at (086) 2219921.

Famous Kerry Scenery Gets High Praise In New York Times Article

Posted in International, Kerry News, Scenery by
rsz_skellig_michael03js

The soon to be released ‘Star Wars’ film is expected to catapult Kerry tourism into new heights.

IN NEWS that will come as another huge boost for local tourism, Kerry has just received a wonderful new write up in one of the worlds most famous literary outlets, the New York Times.

For anyone that might not yet have heard, there is a certain film set to be released in just over two weeks that is set to feature one of Kerry’s most famous tourism sites.

That film is of course Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens and our very own Skellig Michael is set to play some sort of (hopefully) pivotal role in the film.

Hype for the film is at an all time high and one journalist from the New York Times took a trip out to Skellig Michael and its surrounding environs recently and this is what he had to say…

The appeal of Skellig

rsz_skellig_michael03js

Skellig is without doubt one of the most breathtaking and unique places you could visit. 

“Its remote location has kept the island, a Unesco site, under the radar — luring far fewer (and far more adventurous) souls than other Irish wonders with a high-wattage wow factor, such as the Cliffs of Moher.”

About Mark Hamill

Mark-Hamill-Star-Wars-pints

Mark Hamill pulling a pint of the ‘good stuff’ in the Bridge Bar in Portmagee earlier this year. 

“Like many in Portmagee, he (ferryman Declan O’Driscoll) had signed a nondisclosure agreement, giving up the right to dish details of the filming. But you’d sooner keep a Wookiee from roaring than an Irishman from regaling a willing audience, and soon Mr. O’Driscoll was dishing away. “A bunch of us boatmen were standing around, and Mark Hamill came over,” he recalled. “He said, ‘Any advice for climbing the stairs?’ We told him, ‘Just pace yourself, and don’t ever, ever look down,”

About the stunning scenery on offer

Kerry10skellig_south_peak

The scenery is something to behold.

“There was something mournful and beautiful about it all: the six beehive-shaped monastic cells huddled together, two boat-shaped oratories, as well as crude stone crosses, serving as grave markers, and the ruins of a medieval church. The views over the Atlantic were endless, and gulls and gannets soared and dived, their cries echoing with either anguished loneliness or triumphant salvation, possibly a bit of both,”

Check out the full New York Times article HERE.

Tralee Man Peader Cremin Has Passed Away

Posted in Personal, Tralee by
Peadar Cremin 2

Tralee’s Peadar Cremin sadly passed away earlier this week.

IT IS with great sadness that we have to announce the passing of Tralee’s Peadar Cremin who died following a battle with illness this past Monday November 30th.

Peadar was perhaps best known for the not so small part he played in the education system throughout the years.

He excelled and embraced the many challenges that the system brought, working as a teacher in Scoil Íosagáin, Farranree in Cork from 1969 to 1976 before moving on to lecture in various subjects the famous Mary Immaculate College.

In 1999, he was appointed as the first lay President of the College in 101 years and over the term of his presidency, the College community expanded dramatically with, by the time of his retirement in 2011, over 3,000 students enrolled on 30 different academic programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels.

While his professional side was rightfully praised, it is the human side that will most be remembered.

This writer had the good fortune to know Peadar in a very small way, having attended Mary Immaculate College as a teaching student during his last two years of his presidency.

My abiding memory of the man is when on an absolutely atrociously wet and miserable day, he saw me huddled in the doorway of the college, glanced at the rain plummeting to the ground outside and inquired if I had an umbrella with me.

When I told him that alas I didn’t, he told me to hop in his car and he’d drop me back to my apartment, never I have been more grateful for a lift home.

On the way there, he asked me about everything from college, assignments, family and to where I was from, before finally wishing me well in the rest of my assignments and playfully reminding me to purchase an umbrella for next time.

A simple gesture, but one that this writer feels is testament to the character of the man.

Rest in Peace, Peadar.

Tralee: Kindhearted Group Look For Donations In Christmas Collection

Posted in Charity, Kerry News, Tralee by
donations

Donations of clothes, toiletries and toys are welcome in this Christmas collection campaign

A GROUP of local kindhearted people are looking to help make this years Christmas a little easier and a little more special for those less fortunate among us by organising a donation campaign for clothes, toiletries and toys.

The ‘Caring For Christmas’ group is a collaborative effort by local people here in town and who are collecting the much needed items for three different local organisations:

  • Arlington Lodge Homeless Shelter
  • Baile Mhuire Daycare for the Elderly
  • Adapt Kerry Womens Refuge

They have so far organised a day of collection for this coming Wednesday December 2nd (9.30-5pm) at the Yummy Market Cafe and are in talks for another for this coming Friday December 4th, but this second day has yet to be confirmed.

Grainne Landers is one of the organisers behind the generously minded group and who is hoping that they might be be able to make some peoples Christmas just a little bit better through the collection.

“We just really wanted to do something that would help the most vulnerable, that they would have something for Christmas,” said Gráinne when speaking to Fergus Dennehy earlier today.

“We [Caring For Christmas] are just a group of individuals. Some of us knew each other, some of us didn’t and we just got together and thought about what we could do for Christmas for the more vulnerable organisations,” she continued.

“We just looked at the groups where we know the funding is very difficult for them and that they struggle all year round with that. Especially coming up to Christmas, some people mightn’t have families around them and that they might be very isolated,” she said.

The group are hoping that the generosity of the public will ring through and are looking for a number of specific, yet simple items.

“Toiletries would be a big thing [that we’re looking for] for all three organisations. The likes of shower gels, deodorants, razors, shaving creams and soap, all those kind of things,”

“The only clothing donations that we’re taking are hats, scarves, gloves and socks and finally we’ll be collecting toys for Adapt,” she continued.

“There’s a second entrance [to the Yummy Cafe] on the Bridge Street side and we’ll be collecting there. As we collect, people will come from our group and take the donated items as the day goes on and hopefully we’ll be able to hand them out to the three organisations on the Thursday and Friday,” she finished.

Song Of The Week #2: First Aid Kit: ‘My Silver Lining’

Posted in Music by
First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit and their song ‘ My Silver Lining’ is sure to lift your spirits on this winters day. 

IF YOU’RE on the look out for a new song or band to listen to on this very wet and dank day, then look no further than this, dare I say it, gem from the band, First Aid Kit.

This weeks ‘Song of the Week’ is ‘My Silver Lining’ which comes from the two Swedish sisters Johanna & Klara Söderberg that make up the band.

Most people will definitely have heard this song before, it was uploaded to YouTube in May of 2014 and has since garnered over 9 million views.

Not bad at all.

It is one that I happened to come across for the first time this past Saturday night when surfing through the radio in the car, and by Jove, I’m certainly delighted that I did.

I’m by no means an expert on music, but I just absolutely loved the upbeat feel of the song and the positive lyrics throughout, most notably the lines:

“Can’t worry ’bout what’s behind you or what’s coming for you further up the road.

I try not to hold on to what is gone, I try to do right what is wrong. I try to keep on keeping on, yeah I just keep on keeping on,”

Powerful and universal words right there and ones that stuck with me until I finally got home and had the chance to google them, my best decision of the week, I would argue.

They’re a band that you should check out more of, especially their songs ‘Wolf’ and ‘The Lions Roar’.

Enough rambling by me though, check out the song in the video below. 

KERRY: Annascaul To Celebrate New Year With Parade Through Village

Posted in Kerry News by
Anascaul

The people of Annascaul are planning on celebrating the arrival of 2016 in style. 

WHILE there’s still a few weeks to go yet, it might be wise to spend a little time thinking of how and where you’re going to be ringing in the new year celebrations.

If you’re someone that is open to suggestions, one idea might be to head out to the quaint and fantastic town/village that is Annascaul for the night.

The area has planned a celebratory march/walk/parade through the village on the coming 31st of December to celebrate the new year and are inviting as many people as possible to come down and attend.

The area is one that boasts a great number of pubs from where you can easily get into the celebratory mood, and an even better bunch of locals in which to celebrate with.

Close to midnight, all those gathered will follow the bell ringer and pipers on a walk up and down the village where they will give an enormous Annascaul welcome to 2016 and the new opportunities that it will bring.

Anyone wishing to take part is asked to assemble at the old bridge in the village at 11.45pm and to bring their country, county, parish or club flag along with them in a show of colour, welcome and unity.

It’d certainly be a very different way to ring in the new year, let’s just hope the weather holds up aswell.