£132,000 windfall day for Kerry

October 1991

KERRY has received a total of £132,500 worth of funding from the Department of the Environment as part of the £4 million allocation of surplus National Lottery funds.

A total of 33 clubs, committees and organisations throughout the county are to benefit from this funding, which is over £58,000 down on the previous year’s allocation.

Acting County Secretary John O’Connor told The Kerryman that a total of 150 projects were in the running for lottery funding, varying from GAA clubs to restoration projects and extensions to buildings.

Details of the grants were made public in January, and since then all sorts of proposals have been flooding in to the council offices, he said.

However, he added that the final decision was purely at the discretion of Environment Minister Padraig Flynn.

“The County Council did carry out a preliminary examination of the projects but from there we processed them to the Department.

“We had no final say in what money went where,” Mr O’Connor continued.

The projects which received the most money were Gneeveguilla GAA club, which is to receive £10,000 towards upgrading its existing facilities, and Derrynane GAA club, which receives the same figure for the development of a sportsficld.

A total of £8,000 is to go to Ballymacelligott handball club towards their new handball alley, and also in the Tralee area, the Tralee Sailing club is to get £4,000 to extend their club premises.

GAA clubs in general fared very well from this allocation. As well as the grant to Gneeveguilla and Derrynane.

Renard GAA club arc to receive £4,000 towards upgrading their existing facilities;

Ballymacclligott get £2,000 towards purchasing sports equipment and a children’s play area, and Asdee get £4,000 for the provision of changing rooms.

Staying with GAA clubs, Ballyheigue got £5,000 to develop their pitch and the existing club facilities, Waterville gel £4,000 for the renovation of existing clubrooms, Beaufort gets the same amount to build basketball and tennis courts, and Na Gael get £5,000 for the provision of a club meeting room and recreational facilities.

Other projects whose applications were successful include Cahersiveen Community Centre, the Tarbert Bridewell Restoration group, the Ballybunion ICA, Cordal Community Development committee and the Castleisland Community pitch and putt and tennis club.

Kerry’s top brown bread maker, Geraldine King, who will represent the county in a national baking competition organised by the ESB.