This year’s Denny Kerry Community Games Finals at An Ríocht Athletic Club opened in glorious sunshine on Saturday morning.
All the traditional ceremonies surrounding the colourful opening and lighting of the flame were bathed in sunlight.
Athleticism, Beauty, Enthusiasm and Teaspach
A palpable, young world atmosphere showered everything in sight with its athleticism, its beauty, its enthusiasm and its unbridled teaspach.
The grass track and the surrounding, two-tone tartan track looked ready and glowing in its magnificence.
Add in the colours of the teams from every parish in the county and what an inspiring sight it made.
There weather over the two days was also two-toned.
Saturday and Sunday Opposites
While Saturday was as good as you could wish for, Sunday was quite the opposite – but the games went on.
The opening involved the parade of the 41 areas with their banners. The flag bearers were Niamh Murphy and Caoilainn Culloo, Blennerville/Ballyard.
Readers, Singer and Torch Bearer
The county banner was carried by Cora O´Mahony Ballybunion and Denis O´Mahony, Milltown.
The pledge readers were: As Gaeilge, Erin Murphy from Killorglin and in English, Mairead Walsh, Firies.
The torch bearer was 2018 National Marathon winner, Niamh O’Mahony, St. Brendans/Oakpark. Amhrán na bhFiann was sung by 2019 National Solo Singing winner, Gearoid Meehan of Boherbee/Cloghers Manor.
Guests of Honour
Guests of honour were: Gary O’Sullivan, Castleisland Gold and Silver medal winner in the Shot Put and Walk at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi earlier this year and Frank Hayes of the Kerry Group – longstanding sponsors of the Kerry Community Games.
Munster Community Games
Munster Community Games Finals will be staged at the IT Tralee campus from 9:30am to 4:30pm on Saturday week, July 6th.
To get all the results of the Castleisland games just click on the link here: http://www.kerrycommunitygames.ie/results
You can contact The Maine Valley Post on…Anyone in The Maine Valley Post catchment area who would like to send us news and captioned photographs for inclusion can send them to: jreidy@mainevalleypost.com
Queries about advertising and any other matters regarding The Maine Valley Post can also be sent to that address or just ring: 087 23 59 467.
Please Note: A click on any of our adverts will reveal all you need to know about what our advertisers need to tell you.
Copyright Notice: The images and text which appear on The Maine Valley Post site remain the exclusive property of John Reidy, (unless stated otherwise) and are protected under International Copyright laws. Images or text may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of the author, John Reidy, in this instance. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of International Copyright laws. All images are copyrighted by John Reidy 2018.