February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Patrick Markey
For anyone who believed Kerry folk were just a little different, a new book may give them food for thought.
A local historian has claimed the Kingdom’s inhabitants are actually descended from ancient Egyptians who landed in the county 3,500 years ago.
The Kerryman newspaper reports that Egyptologist Lorraine Evans has just published a book that makes the controversial claim that the legendary Princess Scotia was actually a half-sister of Tutankhamun.
Prof. Evans concludes that Princess Scotia founded a colony in Kerry before her people laid claim to the whole of Ireland at the Hill of Tara, Co. Meath.
According to the author, Princess Scotia, supposedly buried at Scotia’s Grave outside Tralee, was a pharaoh’s daughter who fled to Ireland and settled in County Kerry.
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Evans has used DNA, language and arch’ology to make her fantastic link between the Irish and the people of ancient Egypt.
Others are not so sure. Arch’ologist Lar Dunne dismissed the claims as nonsense.
"The association of Scotia as a pharaoh’s daughter is purely in the realms of myth," Dunne said. "All excavations we have done in and around Tralee indicate that people have been living here since 6,000 years ago but there is no evidence of anyone coming from Egypt."
Bug trouble
Call in the SWAT team.
Army officials in County Kerry are trying to deal with an infestation of fleas at one of the area’s training barracks.
The Irish Examiner newspaper reports the unlikely invasion at Ballymullen has left army bosses facing a crisis after 60 FCA troops were forced to flee from their bunks because of the blood-sucking bugs.
Officers first noticed the fleas when female recruits reported in sick with body bites. The camp commandant deployed biological weapons to destroy the menace.
"The entire block was fumigated, all clothes boiled washed and then dry cleaned," an army spokesman said.
Adding to the army’s embarrassment, recruits were left without alternative attire. Instead of uniforms, the soldiers got a supply of tracksuits from Limerick and underwear from local shops in Tralee.
"The bounce is back in their steps and they are in good form," an army spokesman said.
Vengeful neighbors
Gardai investigating a rape allegation in Roscrea recently found themselves besieged by an angry gang of men armed with knives.
Officials believe the gang set upon the gardai seeking reprisals against the alleged rapist.
The Midland Tribune reports that two gardai had just finished interviewing the suspected rapist in his home and were leaving the house when they were confronted by the angry gang, some carrying weapons.
A tense standoff ensued as the two police officers began worrying for not only the alleged rapist’s safety but also for their own. The two men called for reinforcements and secured the home after some of the men began hurling missiles at the house.
Gardai eventually managed to control the situation and arrested three men from the Roscrea area. They charged with possession of weapons. No one was injured during the incident.
Military fraudsters
Nigerian fraudsters have hit the Gorey area recently by claiming they will pay people over $3 million in return for bank account details.
The Enniscorthy guardian reports a number of business people and householders have received letters which set out details of the supposedly 100 percent safe investment.
The letter purports to be from the widow of a Major General who served in the last military government of the African country.
She claims to have access to her husband’s secret bank accounts that hold a total of $32 million. The letter says the woman has been advised to transfer these funds to a foreign bank account and promises 10 percent of the total amount to those who help her.
The offer is a common hoax tactic used by highlyorganized Nigerian crime gangs, who then use the banking details to drain the accounts, officials said.
A special unit of the Garda Fraud Squad was established last year to tackle the gangs.
A spokesman at Gorey Garda Station urged all recipients to treat its contents with a pinch of salt. "The people behind this are out and out chancers," he said. "Nobody should take the letter seriously."