A shortage of builders and construction skills in Kerry is preventing vacant properties from being done up, a county council meeting has been told.

People suffering from poor vision because of cataracts are waiting on public lists so long they are in danger of going blind, it has been claimed.

Boxers and those more used to bruising political debates will take part in the “Brawl in the Hall” to raise funds for the local GAA club.

The abundance of Japanese knotweed in Kerry may be due to the county’s wet coastal climate, the leader of the most extensive survey of the invading species has said.

If you can’t beat the pervasive Japanese knotweed, eat it. That was one of the solutions put forward at a meeting of Kerry County Council, which heard parts of the Kingdom are being overrun by the invasive species.

The €40,000 award of damages to hill walker Teresa Wall following a fall on the Wicklow Way is to be challenged in the High Court. Appeal papers are to be lodged within a matter of days, it was confirmed yesterday.

Killarney, Co Kerry, has so many twins that it takes two large signposts on the town’s outskirts to list their names. However, a review says these sister arrangements, some of which go back 30 years, need to be on a firmer footing.

The Kerry Mountain rescue Team is urging hill-walkers to heed weather warnings and not to venture out at this time.

Killarney Adventure Race 2015 will take place in the picturesque tourist town of Killarney on October 3rd.

A pact between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour yesterday ensured the election of FG Cllr Pat McCarthy as chairman of Kerry County Council.

The mayor of Kerry has backed a call for a “sting” operation to catch people who dump illegally.

Kerry County Council is in “active discussions” to acquire land which has the potential to provide 3,000 burial spaces in Killarney.

The new owners of one of Killarney’s oldest hotels plan to invest €500,000 in the five-star property over the next year-and-a-half.

Despite objections from environmentalists, councillors have voted unanimously in favour of a contentious new access road to Killarney National Park.

Kerry is unlikely to benefit from an upsurge in the tourism industry until major road schemes have been undertaken.

Councillors in Kerry have rejected a call by Sinn Féin to reduce next year’s property tax bill by the maximum 15% allowable following a plea by management that the council coffers would be under huge strain and services would have to be reduced.

The Atheist Ireland organisation has written to Kerry County Council, seeking an explanation for the erection of a Christian cross in the council chambers. (Comment on this story)

Singing legend Daniel O’Donnell is to be honoured for his contribution to the multi-million-euro tourism industry in Killarney, Co Kerry.

Final tallies from Killarney are in and the quota is likely to be 2,000.

As of 2.40pm 32 of the 54 boxes were open and the picture among the 16 Killarney candidates sees Independent Danny Healy-Rae topping the poll at 23.7 per cent with 2,548 votes.

Senior officials with the National Ambulance Service will next week meet with GPs, healthcare professionals, community leaders, and politicians amid warnings a restructured service will cost lives in Kerry.

A Fianna Fáil councillor, who is also an engineer, has supported new Government regulations to improve building standards.

A Fine Gael and a Labour councillor yesterday broke ranks by opposing a motion calling for support for gay marriage at a meeting of Kerry County Council.

A motion passed by Kerry County Council aimed at permitting people to drink and drive has been criticised today for dragging the country back to "darker days".

With two Kerry constituencies merging and the loss of one seat, all eyes will be on the fallen Fianna Fáil, writes Donal Hickey

GROWING concerns are being voiced about threats to public safety from the shooting and poaching of wild deer.

NIGHT patrols have been stepped up by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in the south-west in a bid to combat a rise in the poaching of red stags.

A FATHER and son yesterday sat side-by-side in a council chamber, ensuring the continuation of the Healy-Rae political dynasty into a third generation.