Start clocking up those 'Kingdom Kilometres'

With an increase in daylight hours there's no better time to clock up the 'Kingdom Kilometres' on foot or by cycling along the county’s two new Greenways.

The recently opened Kingdom of Kerry Greenways between Tralee and Fenit and between Listowel and Abbeyfeale are already proving hugely popular with locals and visitors to Kerry.

Representatives of the tourism Industry, local public representatives, travel writers and influencers gathered in Kerry on Monday to experience the exciting new tourist attractions and welcome the arrival of the longer daylight hours as the clocks changed over to summertime.

Sarah Hanrahan, a social media influencer who posts about Irish travel and has more than 100,000 Instagram followers, described the experience.

“Ireland has some of the most amazing outdoor spaces. For a lot of my followers and other people, connecting with green spaces has become much more important to their overall sense of well-being as well as their health and fitness. It’s been really gorgeous to experience the Tralee to Fenit, and Listowel to Limerick Kingdom of Kerry Greenways; a fantastic trip sampling the warm hospitality of Kerry and a great reminder of the active holiday

KINGDOM KILOMETRES: Social media influencer, Sarah Hanrahan and Mayor of Listowel, Cllr Aoife Thornton are encouraging people of all ages to make the most of the increase in daylight hours and to start to clock up ‘Kingdom Kilometres’ on foot or by cycling along the Kerry’s two new Greenways, Tralee-Fenit, and Listowel-Limerick.

Photo: Pauline Dennigan options that are right on our doorstep.” The new purpose-built trails provide an accessible and inclusive experience for visitors of all abilities.

Mayor of Tralee, Cllr Mikey Sheehy and the Mayor of Listowel, Cllr Aoife Thornton, said that the greenways offer an exceptional recreational amenity for everyone to enjoy.

Boys rescued from NYC tunnel

It was a stroke of luck that a mobile phone worked in a sewer after five New York boys got stuck there earlier this week.

Five mischievous boys - aged 11 and 12decided to explore a storm drain on Staten Island but after walking about a quarter of a mile underground they managed to get lost.

Luckily they had a mobile phone which thankfully, even through the thick concrete tunnels, still connected to emergency services. Rescuers asked them to "scream as loud as you can" so that they could pinpoint exactly where the boys were located and bring them to safety.

“The greenways are situated in some of Kerry’s most scenic landscapes and offer spectacular and safe off-road facilities for people of all ages to enjoy as the landscape comes into bloom. They also offer warm hospitality at the trail head towns of each route.” Visit www.kerrygreenways.ie to find out more.

“Now you can scream as loud as you can,” a dispatcher says in audio released by the fire department. Soon an emergency responder can be heard saying “We have all five children removed from the sewer”. The boys had been in the tunnel for about an hour.

“Amazing that the cellphone worked in the tunnel,” FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens told reporters afterwards. “That was a key component of us finding them.”