Kerry Today

Elaine Loughlin of the Irish Examiner sets out her position.

Every Wednesday, Tony and Val give their take on listeners’ problems.

With concerns over the Delta variant, should people who are awaiting a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine be allowed get another vaccine? People aged 60 -69 are among those who’ve received AstraZeneca. Killarney GP Dr Gary Stack gives his views.

Three families say they've been unable to get answers from the council as to the ownership of the land on which their homes have been built. Oliver Morgan has been trying for almost a decade to buy his home in Kilgarvan West from the council but no progress has been made.

Dan Breen is a farmer in Castlemaine. He says there’s been a huge increase in the population of wild goats in the area. The animals are descended from a domesticated breed. Dan doesn’t want them killed but he says they need to be brought under control as they are damaging fencing and getting loose on the road.

The animals were seen in Knockatoo in the Mount Eagle area of Cordal. John Murphy, a wildlife expert from Clare, and Killian McLaughlin of Wild Ireland.org speak to Jerry. Seamus Hassett of the National Parks and Wildlife Service gives an update.

Jerry discusses this with Ireland South Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly from Kilcummin. He’s been appointed to the position of standing rapporteur for the UK in the European Parliament’s trade committee.

Animal rights campaigner John Carmody says the National Parks and Wildlife Service was wrong to euthanise wild boar/ feral pigs roaming in the Cordal area of East Kerry.

Can you ever use the call of nature and a lack of toilets as defences if you’re caught urinating in public? Tralee solicitor Pat Mann explains all to Jerry. Jerry also questions him about plans to give gardaí new powers to allow access to mobile phones.

Dr Kieran O’Sullivan from Dromid is ranked among the top 30 researchers into back pain globally. He’s the winner of the 2021 UL President’s Research Excellence and Impact Award for Early Career Researcher.

The oral hearing into the proposed South Kerry greenway project will be held from June 23rd – June 25th. Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Cahill says “the three days will be the most significant for the people and businesses of south Kerry and for the generations to come”.

Ena Bunyan from Listowel is chair of the National Association of Widows in Ireland.

Education Minister and Fianna Fáil TD Norma Foley, Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly, Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin, and independent TD Michael Healy-Rae speak to Jerry.

An Bord Pleanála has given Shannon LNG permission to apply for planning as a strategic infrastructure project. Under the section 37 A of the Planning and Development Act, designation as a strategic infrastructure project means the applicant bypasses Kerry County Council and applies directly to the planning authority. Fine Gael Cllr Jim Finucane and Tony Lowes of Friends of the Irish Environment give their reaction to Treasa Murphy:

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) in Ireland works closely with the European Medicines Agency which approves the use of COVID-19 and other vaccines in the EU. John Lynch is director of compliance at the HPRA. He explains the authority’s role in the national and EU response to COVID-19 to Treasa Murphy.

Tom Brosnan, Civil Defence Officer for Kerry, Pádraig Corkery, senior executive officer with Kerry County Council, and Geraldine Sheehan, manager of the Kerry Volunteer Centre join Jerry for this week’s slot. The emphasis is on gratitude. The council has organised a virtual appreciation night which will take place next Thursday, June 17th to thank all those involved in the forum since March last year.

The variant which originated in India now makes up about 90% of new COVID-19 cases in the UK. It is 60 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha strain which caused the super surge in cases around the Christmas and the New Year. How concerned should we be then by the Delta variant? That’s the question Treasa Murphy asks Professor Mary Horgan, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. The Tralee woman is also a consultant physician in infectious diseases and internal medicine at Cork Universi

John Kennedy editor of Think Business.ie talks about the data our phones store and addresses concerns listeners have around whether or not our phones are listening to us:

It was announced on Saturday that Stobart Air, which had operated the Public Service Obligation Kerry-Dublin route, had gone into liquidation. This has led to the cancellation of regional services it operated including Kerry-Dublin. Jerry speaks to the CEO of Kerry Airport, John Mulhern.

Farmers staged protests in 30 towns across the country today, including in Tralee, to demonstrate over EU CAP reform proposals and the Government's climate action plan. The Irish Farmers' Association says the future of commercial farming is under threat, which would have a massive impact on rural Ireland. Chair of Kerry branch of the IFA, Kenny Jones speaks to Treasa Murphy about the reasoning behind the rally: