‘I didn’t snub Kerry’s new Mayor’

FIANNA Fáil Councillor Norma Moriarty has denied that her absence during the vote to elect party colleague Cllr Michael O’Shea as Mayor of Kerry was meant as a deliberate snub.

She was the only councillor absent during the vote to elect Kerry County Council’s new chairman at its AGM on Monday, June 27.

Cllr Moriarty said her absence was unavoidable and that it was in no way meant as a snub to Cllr O’Shea. However, her absence has angered some Kerry FF members. Mayor O’Shea said he was ‘surprised and disappointed’ that Cllr Moriarty missed the vote, the outcome of which, he said, was never certain.

THIS week 23 young Kerry athletes jetted off for the far east where they will represent the Kingdom at the 50th International Children’s Games on the Tralee ICG team.

The Tralee team – which includes athletes from across the county – will represent Ireland in athletics, soccer and basketball at the tournament that takes place at New Taipei in Taiwan.

It is the 12th year that the Tralee team has taken part in the games which are essentially an Olympics for young athletes and are the largest annual multi sport youth event in the world.

In New Taipei the Kerry athletes will face off against 1,500 athletes from across the globe.

“The fact that it is the 50th Anniversary Games is obviously an historic landmark for the ICG and, no doubt, New Taipei will pull out all the stops to ensure that this will be a Games to remember. We are very proud that we are able to participate and represent Tralee and Kerry on this momentous occasion and our athletes are buzzing with excitement and expectation,” said Tralee ICG Secretary Mike Culloty.

“We have been participating at these Games in many disciplines for 11 years now and this year’s event in is likely to provide our athletes with fantastic colour and excitement, new experiences of Eastern culture and superb sporting competition” Mike Culloty said.

The soccer squad will take on Hadera of Israel, Sopron of Hungary, Montreux of Switzerland, and Taichung of Taiwan in their group games. The basketball team will tip off against Hamilton of Canada, Tainan City of Taiwan and Keelung, also of Taiwan.

In athletics Tralee will be represented in the 100m, 400m, 800m and 1500m plus field events of Long Jump, High Jump, and Shot Put.

The Tralee team’s athletes, coaches and delegation will fly out to New Taipei on Wednesday July 6 returning to Ireland on July 17.

The outgoing Mayor Pat McCarthy joined the Tralee International Children’s Games delegation at their pre-tournament press night in The Rose Hotel Tralee on Friday evening. The team flew out to take part in the 50th ICG tournament in Taiwan on Wednesday.

Outgoing Mayor of Kerry Pat McCarthy presents Tralee ICG Secretary Mike Culloty with a framed Kerry County Council Certificate to be presented to the Mayor of New Taipei at the Games. Also pictured are coaches Dearbhail Foley (Athletics) and Paul Dolan...