‘I’d like to remind him Tralee is the capital of Kerry!’
THERE was a ‘clash of capitals’ at Monday’s meeting of Kerry County Council as Tralee Cllr Norma Foley and Killarney’s Cllr Donal Grady drew pistols in defence of their respective towns. The spat occurred following a motion by Cllr Foley regarding plans to introduce and promote an appropriate County Kerry Marketing Brand.
“This should be aggressively used by tourism operators across the county as it would give a strong, unified brand for tourism in the county,” said Cllr Foley.
However, Cllr Grady felt it necessary to remind the chamber that Killarney is the tourism capital of Kerry, citing the town’s international popularity for good measure.
However, Cllr Foley quickly rushed to defend her town: “I didn’t quite catch everything Cllr Grady said but I’d like to remind him Tralee is the capital town of our county,” adding: “No one town or village should proceed on its own. Tralee is the capital town.”
But Cllr Grady added one final time: “Killarney is the tourism capital.”
Cllr Johnny Healy-Rae humorously suggested the chamber should have a vote on the issue of the capital.
Meanwhile, responding to Cllr Foley’s motion, management said a company have been contracted to provide a tourism brand identity for the county. In the development of the brand, management said it has had discussions with stakeholders to help showcase Kerry and to help set the county apart from other brands and destinations.
The council also added it is currently in consultation with a number of tourism industry representatives to progress the brand identity and design. Moreover, management outlined that the Tourism Unit is working to ensure this brand strategy is designed to promote Kerry on a national and international level - across full media platforms. It’s expected the new proposal will be presented for viewing before being formally launched later in the autumn.