Norma Foley opens new community cafe in Blennerville

Children's Minister Norma Foley has officially opened The Mill Cafe at the Blennerville Windmill in County Kerry, radio station Radio Kerry reported. The project is an initiative by Down Syndrome Kerry to provide employment for young people. Five young people from Kerry have been hired to work four-hour shifts one day a week at the venue. [1]

Radio Kerry reported that Ian Coleman Horgan from Beaufort is among the five employees hired for the new venue. Siobhan Walsh, the operations manager with Down Syndrome Kerry, told the outlet that she hopes the cafe will employ more people in the new year. Walsh also praised Kerry County Council and the local community in Blennerville for their support. [1]

Norma Foley has served as Minister for Children, Disability and Equality since January 2025 and has been a Teachta Dála for Kerry since 2020. The venue hosting the cafe, the Blennerville Windmill, is a stone windmill measuring 21.3 metres in height. [3][5]

The cafe opening follows other disability support announcements in the region. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Foley announced funding for a new disability service hub in Tralee, Kerry, as part of a 9.5 million euro national package to expand day service capacity and training programmes. [2][7]