THAT SENT

Fassbender’s portrayal of Edwin Epps earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In the film adaptation of Walter Isaacson’s book ‘Steve Jobs’, Fassbender played the title role. His performance impressed enough for him to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Carrying on the fine tradition of acting in the

New Street.

The West End House School of Arts is based in the same building where his parents, Adele and Josef, operated a restaurant for many years.

“The vision for the school is for young people to come and explore the arts, to take risks, to challenge themselves, to fail to get back up again and then failing better the next time,” says Fassbender.

“We would love for students to come to Killarney and be part of West End House School of Arts and to experience the raw beauty and the cultural heritage that Killarney and the surrounding areas have to offer.”

Other grassroots efforts worth attending include regular plays by the Dóchas Drama Group. Their performances regularly fill Courtney’s Bar on Plunkett St or the Killarney Avenue Hotel on East Avenue.

With Killarney situated in the heart of Ireland’s largest National Park, the environment and sustainability are taken very seriously by the town’s tourism and allied industries. Some of the biggest and most innovative environmental projects in the country are spearheaded by local hotels and attractions.

The O’Donoghue Ring Collection operates several town centre hotels. The hotel group launched its ‘Our Green Ways’ initiative in 2020. This includes purchasing ingredients from local producers and suppliers, monitoring energy and water consumption and removing as much single-use plastic as possible from all areas of the Collection. A promoter of bio-diversity and the positive impact it has on our local crops, flora and fauna, the Collection has also welcomed beehives to its resident apiary located on the roof of Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa. This dedication to sustainability has led to the Collection’s biggest initiative: the creation of Ireland’s first hospitality hydroponic farm, Killarney Urban Farm. Located in the heart of Killarney town, Killarney Urban Farm grows a range of micro-greens, salads and vegetables which are pesticide free and grown at a hyper-local level, further servicing bars and restaurants across the locality.

The nearby Killarney Park and Ross Hotel has also introduced new environmentally friendly ideas. It is one of the only hotel groups in Killarney to have a dedicated Sustainability Manager. Louise Byrnes’ job is to ensure sustainability remains a core value across both hotels. They are Certified Single-Use Plastic Free by Green Hospitality Ireland. Plastic drinking straws and cocktail stirrers are now made of metal and are reusable, as are the coasters. Guest amenities such as toothbrushes, earbuds, shower hats, and vanity kits are now either made with bamboo or biodegradable material. Bedroom plastic such as linen/ laundry bags, newspaper bags and guest carrier bags are no longer plastic and have been replaced by natural materials such as linen or paper. The hotel no longer uses plastic pedal bin liners and has introduced a recycling bin to all guest rooms. Managing Director Marcus Treacy sees the big picture when it comes to green initiatives in hospitality.

“The Killarney Park and The Ross Hotel are located in one of the most beautiful areas in the world,” he said. “Protecting this amazing landscape and environment is extremely important to us. We echo the belief that sustainable tourism is tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts while addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities. Our goal is to meet the needs of our guests, staff members and local community without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Local adventure racer Kevin Leahy runs one of the best hostels in Killarney. Despite being on the budget scale of the accommodation offering in Killarney, The Black Sheep Hostel takes its green credentials very seriously. They produce 30% of electricity with onsite solar panels and the rest comes from external renewable sources. Out in the back garden of the property lays a 30-foot polytunnel where they grow their own vegetables and herbs. Visitors are not the only ones who stay at the hostel, The Black Sheep is home to a flock of chickens that are mainly fed food waste from the hostel kitchen. The organic composting system is used to enrich the hostel’s garden and polytunnel. Waste is segregated throughout the hostel to reduce the amount going to land fill and owner Kevin loves to upcycle as you can see from their range of eclectic furniture.

Sustainability doesn’t stop with the accommodation providers however. Killarney Lake Tours offer boat trips and jaunting car trips around the Killarney National Park. Their marine vessel is ecofriendly with special drive systems which minimise any dangerous or damaging substances such as oil or fuel entering the water.

The boat also has low-wash characteristics which means that it does not create big waves behind it which can cause erosion and even frighten or injure wildlife. As the jaunting carts are not motorised and rely solely on horsepower, there are no harmful emissions released into the National Park.

Killarney Urban Farm

We are Ireland’s first hospitality hydroponic urban farm, growing for and servicing bars, restaurants, and hotels in the Kerry region. Our ultimate objective is to innovatively curtail food miles, reduce our partner’s carbon footprint and produce the freshest produce around. We are passionate about producing fresh, healthy, pesticide-free, sustainable salads and herbs, all year round. To achieve this aim, we decided to produce locally, in the heart of Killarney. With cutting-edge research and development, patented technologies, and a leading multidisciplinary team ‘The Kube’ was redeveloped into an innovative space. With a lush and leafy installation complete with 12 exclusive Green Towers, designed to produce high-quality food on a hyper-local level.

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE ALL OF KILLARNEY IN A MERE THREE DAYS, BUT ARMED WITH SOME GREAT LOCAL TIPS, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO SOME FANTASTIC TOURS WHILE STILL MAKING TIME FOR SOME GREAT FOOD, DRINK AND ENTERTAINMENT