
Kerry is ideal location for EU presidency meetings – ‘Where else would you bring them?'
'Visitors from every corner of the earth have been coming to Kerry for centuries now, to experience its beauty and serenity and have returned on many occasions because of the fabulous time they have enjoyed during their stay here. Where else would you want to bring the senior Government Ministers of all of our EU counterpart states, to experience Ireland, its customs and heritage? said Deputy Cahill.
The TD said that they could visit the wonderful sights of the county on their 'downtime'.
'During their downtime, they can visit the Blaskets and Slea Head, Sceilg Mhichíl and the Ring of Kerry, Killarney's Lakes, Gap of Dunloe, National Park and Sliabh Luachra, all of our glorious beaches from Ballybunion to Rossbeigh, Kells to Ventry, Whitestrand to Inch, Ballinskelligs to Cromane, Waterville to Derrynane.
"Kerry's golf courses are second to none, with so many to choose from. On to Listowel Writers Week and the Rose of Tralee and to top it all off three days at Puck Fair,' said the Rossbeigh TD.
He said he has raised his plans with An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, the Tanáiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris, and the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for European Affairs Thomas Byrne.
"If Killarney's bid is successful in bringing the Heads of State to our county for meetings, conferences and functions, it will be a massive boost to the local economy in Killarney and also throughout the county.
'Kerry and Killarney have the experience and the facilities to provide the ultimate experience for these very important visitors, who will bring tales of their travels home with them, initiating a fabulous marketing campaign on our behalf.'
The Kerry TD said he will continue to fight for Killarney to host these meetings.
"I will continue to push in the coming months for Killarney and Kerry to be included as bases for the rounds of meetings that are to take place from July 1st to December 31, 2026.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Caitríona Redmond: These are the red flags to look for when buying online
From the rapidly increasing price of food to the cost of rent or a mortgage, we are all feeling the squeeze. With less money and a quality of life to maintain, small wonder more of us are turning to alternative marketplaces to buy and sell what we want. Buying from genuine retailers and resellers gives us, as consumers, extra protections such as guarantees, warranties and rights if the goods are faulty. What happens when you opt to buy elsewhere in search of a bargain or that must-have product? Watch out for places where you'd ordinarily trust the seller like community groups on Facebook or WhatsApp. Look for red flags like dramatically low prices for popular items and pictures of items such as new runners sitting on top of branded boxes. The boxes may be authentic but pay attention to stitching, sole patterns, and logo size or placement. In the case of shoes, buying fakes can lead to a world of pain over time. Soles and supports in shoes are designed and developed to support the foot, arches, and ultimately your back. A counterfeit pair of shoes is highly unlikely to have the same manufacturing standards. The old saying of 'you pay cheap, you pay twice' comes to mind. Wearing or owning fake clothes on holidays could also result in hassle. According to the US Customers and Border Protection, visitors can only possess one counterfeit item per type for personal use. In 2024, over 1 million clothing items and more than 600,000 pieces of footwear were seized for breach of intellectual property rights, otherwise known as counterfeiting. For example, each tourist can only possess one pair of runners and one t-shirt that is counterfeit. Imagine having your suitcase opened and holiday wear items removed under this rule? Everything over this individual item limit can (and will) be seized and destroyed. Food isn't immune to counterfeiting either, unfortunately, and many products have been 'shamrock washed' to make them look 100% Irish grown or produced. Shamrock washing is the process of making a product look Irish when it isn't. Honey is one of the worst offenders, but Irish beekeepers are doing all they can to keep this traditional art alive. It's soul-destroying to see honey that looks genuine, while the label says that it contains a blend of Irish and non-EU honey. Real Irish honey is expensive and for good reason. Most of the Irish beekeeping community are hobbyists (my family included). A 300g jar of raw, locally produced honey will set you back over €8. It's also likely to be crystallised or set, as opposed to a runny golden liquid. Raw honey isn't heat-treated, and the crystals form rapidly as a result. If you do see a genuine local beekeeper offering jars for sale online though, snap them up! Looking at those community groups online, it's not uncommon to see locals selling cakes or treats online. Boxes of cupcakes may look lovely but preparing food for sale is a huge responsibility. The first questions I'd be asking are if they have been registered as a food business, have they HACCP training, and what their allergens are. All of these are required by law for any individual or business preparing food for sale in Ireland and a minimum standard for selling food. Marketplace can be just the spot to pick up items of furniture, clothes and equipment to give them a second life. Watch out for what you are signing yourself up for, and when buying larger items, make sure you have a delivery service in place, or you can pick up that bulky set of shelves yourself. After all, a discount set of shelves in Ballybofey without delivery included to Ballybunion is no longer a bargain. Likewise, anybody who has used the local Marketplace or given away items for free is more than familiar with the local couch surfer who will comment under the post with lightning speed saying 'first' or 'still available?'. Make sure you set out your terms in your original sales post, being clear about what time you are free, and how you will get in touch with the recipient. Sometimes second-hand items are not always the best choice. In particular, child car seats which are designed to protect precious cargo in the event of an accident should only be bought new. The buyer has no way of knowing whether a second-hand seat has been involved in an accident, and its effectiveness is reduced as a consequence. The most fraught part of using these community groups and websites is connecting to exchange the goods. Make sure you confirm the agreed price in writing before setting a date, place and time. Where possible, don't meet a potential buyer or seller alone and arrange a meeting place away from your home or business. Don't hand over the cash or payment before making sure that you are happy with the item you have selected and ask for documentation and copies of any warranties or guarantees, particularly when buying an electrical item. Finally, if in doubt, walk away; it's not worth taking any risks. THE EXTRA FACTOR If you must pay for something online, make sure you have extra factor authentication on your card transactions and bank account. I also recommend two payment service options when buying online. The first is PayPal, which offers an extra layer of security as your card details are held elsewhere. The ability to request a refund if an item doesn't arrive on time or as expected is top notch. Secondly, using either ApplePay or GooglePay. These are more modern methods of paying online and by tapping in store. Every single transaction is allocated a unique identifier that cannot be duplicated or used a second time. This prevents your card from being skimmed and your bank account cleared. Read More Life Hack: Cupboard foods to move to the fridge when it gets hot


Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Government seeks to beef up Ireland's competitiveness
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is to be given new powers and there will be a significant investment in artificial intelligence (AI) as part of a range of measures aimed at boosting competitiveness. On Monday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin is hosting a competitiveness summit along with Tánaiste Simon Harris and enterprise minister Peter Burke as trade talks between the EU and US enter a crucial phase. Under plans to protect the economy, three pilot clusters will be set up to enable collaboration between businesses, research centres, and third-level institutions, in particular high-potential and high-growth sectors. Critical skills review A critical skills review will also be completed by the end of the year to inform how to prioritise skills-based migration for those sectors facing particular shortages, including the tourism industry. The Taoiseach has met with most of the multinationals based here in recent months, and when he was last in US, the key message was the EU, and as part of that Ireland, is falling behind on AI because of over-regulation instead of innovation. A key focus will now be on investing in AI, speeding up policymaking, and reducing red tape to give Ireland an edge. The meeting, which will be attended by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, will include a presentation by Frances Ruane, chair of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council on the recommendations in the forthcoming Ireland's Competitiveness Challenge report. 'Major investment needed' Mr Burke has stressed the importance of actions that must be taken now to improve the country's competitive offering and retain jobs. He will tell colleagues that a major investment is needed to ensure we do not lose out on jobs of the future and action must to be taken now on six key areas to attract foreign direct investment. Mr Harris will tell the summit the focus must be on working constructively to protect Irish jobs and investment and shield Irish businesses and consumers from any negative impacts. A competitiveness action plan, expected to be finalised in the coming weeks, will help insulate businesses from some of the global trade uncertainty. With the clock ticking to Donald Trump's July 9 deadline, Mr Burke struck a cautionary note on Sunday, saying the 'best case' scenario is now agreeing an outline framework that would then create a pathway to further negotiation between the US and EU. 'Obviously, there are number of areas that the EU are looking for, zero for zero carve-outs and favoured nation status,' he told RTÉ's This Week. 'These centre on aviation, life science, semiconductors, and spirits,' Mr Burke said.


Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: Marches show Palestinians that we have not forgotten them
The marches for peace may seem pointless to some observers, but they show the people of Gaza they are not forgotten and to put moral pressure on governments to help end the out-of-control war by Israel's forces on a defenceless 2.2m population; the key word here is 'defenceless'. And it's fewer than 2.2m Palestinians now as no one can say for sure how many unarmed civilians have been killed by Israel's missiles, drone bombs, tank rocket fire, and shootings by Israel's military. The current estimate is 55,000 people dead with far more injured, some with limbs amputated. Many are homeless and many lie dead under bombed buildings. On May 29, volunteers near the Houses of Parliament in Westminster read out names of 16,000 children killed in the war in Gaza. It took 18 hours — 300 names were read out by each volunteer. It was to also highlight the starving children and the indiscriminate bombing in Gaza. On June 7, 300,000 people marched in Rome. They believe Italy's government has also been silent on the war in Gaza. One of their banners read: 'Stop the massacre, stop complicity.' On June 15, The Hague in the Netherlands saw a march of 150,000 people; 100,000 people marched in Brussels, Belgium. The EU is not united in taking action against Israel's horror war in Gaza. EU countries such as Ireland, Norway, and Spain speak out independently. The founders of the ECSC in 1951, later renamed the EEC and then the EU in 1993 worked for economic co-operation for peace in Europe after the Second World War. They are long gone but I hope they would want the EU to be a strong voice for a tormented population in Gaza from a war aimed now very much to possibly push them out of Gaza where they have lived legally for generations, recognised by the UN, and is their home. We hope Hamas will return the remaining hostages taken from Israel in October 2023, some of them are dead, to their families. Hamas needs to show humanity too. On June 17, King Abdullah II of Jordan said of Gaza to the European Parliament: 'If our global community fails to act decisively, we become complicit in rewriting what it means to be human.' Mary Sullivan, College Rd, Cork Parking at Páirc Uí Caoimh Cars, cars, and more cars — yet still no bicycle parking. After years of planning conditions, countless requests, petitions, and patient waiting, it is astonishing that Páirc Uí Chaoimh remains utterly devoid of dedicated spaces for bicycles. Meanwhile, efforts to accommodate motor vehicles continue unchallenged. During a recent visit to a football match with the stadium only half filled, I saw hundreds of bicycles chained to fences, railings, and anything remotely secure. This wasn't an isolated scene — it was a clear sign of public demand. People of all ages want to cycle to the grounds, but the infrastructure simply isn't there to support it. Why does the board and stadium management persist in ignoring this? The appetite for sustainable travel is real. It's time the powers that be took action. Harry Murphy, Blackrock Rd, Cork Unfair taxation The State taxes persons and companies to raise the funds to pay for the services it supplies for the benefit of everyone. Ideally, the proportion of tax on persons and on businesses is fair and balanced. But when large corporations or vested interests lobby the government and get special contracts, or favourable grants or special deals, it's the shareholders, company directors, and princes of industry who reap the benefits in the excess profits that are made by those companies and shareholders. But those grants, special deals and favourable terms must be paid for from somewhere. That somewhere is increased taxes on, you guessed it, Joe and Mary Taxpayer. So the system is designed (rigged) to enrich the already rich at the expense of the poor and ordinary Joe and Mary who suffer on with fewer services, fewer opportunities, and more struggles against systems that don't work for them. The social contract whereby the State guarantees equal opportunity for all and a fair sharing out of the State's resources and services is broken, evidenced by the lack of adequate housing, healthcare, education, recreation, and other services. Joe and Mary get the opportunity to change the system every five years. Use it. Kevin T Finn, Mitchelstown, Co Cork Shame on the West I watched Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, the BBC commissioned but never shown documentary that Channel 4 more bravely broadcast last week. It is hard to understand why the BBC didn't broadcast it. It is beyond inexplicable to me and countless millions of ordinary people of goodwill globally how Netanyahu's regime is quite literally getting away with murder on a large scale in full view of the world. But we have known from quite early on after the terrible massacre of October 7, 2023, that Israel's vengeance against innocent Gazans, including humanitarian workers, would be massively disproportionate and sanctioned by the global powers. We cannot claim ignorance. It is even more incredible to those of us horrified by the plight of the Gazans that, with a few exceptions including Ireland, leaders and governments of the so called advanced nations are doing absolutely nothing to stop the suffering of the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank, and in many instances are actively supporting Israel militarily and morally. There is a strong sense that governments are not properly reflecting the humanitarian concerns of their voters for Gazan suffering, in the US, in Britain, and across the EU. The Middle East is on the doorstep of Europe and as the US is currently a political basket case it is even more incumbent on Europe to rigorously respond to the overwhelming humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza. And yet Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas have disgracefully had no problem on several occasions in beating a wimpish path to the Israelis without a mandate from the democratic structures of the EU, and yet only feel able to offer tepid statements of how 'abhorrent and unbearable' the humanitarian suffering in Gaza is without actually condemning the perpetrators of this suffering — the Netanyahu regime. This is so ineffectual and so shameful. Why are officially designated international hospital ships not lining up in the Mediterranean to offer humanitarian and medical aid to the decimated people of Gaza and why is Israel not being forced to back down by the use of diplomatic strong arm methods? Shame shame on the 'civilised' Western powers. Cynthia Carroll, Newport, Co Tipperary Br Kevin Crowley Ireland is a much poorer place following the death of Brother Kevin Crowley. A gentle gentleman who practised what he preached, but was never preachy. Those who queued outside his soup kitchen were fed, regardless of their age, religion, or colour. I hope there is a special place in the hereafter for special souls like him. Next time I am asked what is 'Irishness', I'll just refer them to the life of Br Kevin — RIP. Seán Kelly, Tramore, Co Waterford Sinister removal of President's portrait The removal of a portrait of President Michael D Higgins from Belfast City Hall by Tracy Kelly, the DUP lord mayor, just days before the annual 'Eleventh Night' bonfires, is a sinister development. As we approach the Orange Order marching season and bonfires which are an integral part of loyalist culture, nationalist society is forced to endure the sectarian burning of Irish flags and posters of nationalist political representatives. Many of these bonfires contain vast imitation funeral pyres adorned with nationalist and republican effigies of people who were voted for, in the main, by Catholics. We are told that these bonfires are inclusive celebrations of loyalist culture where everyone is welcome and respected. This 'respect' does not appear to include the thousands who vote for the politicians whose images, names, and symbols are consumed in numerous celebratory conflagrations. It would be most regrettable if images of President Higgins were to adorn these bonfires as a result of the decision to remove his portrait. Were Jewish, Muslim, or black people's representatives so depicted, it would rightfully be called racist. Why is it acceptable for nationalist representatives to be so depicted? In the context of an explicitly Protestant celebration it is sectarian. Incredibly, many grand officers of the Orange Order are also Church of Ireland ministers. If the Orange Order and the Church of Ireland cannot come out and account for itself, are there ordinary members not afraid to openly protest this cancerous scandal? Tom Cooper, Pearse St, Dublin 2