Among the more unusual additions to the Castleisland District Heritage archive is material generated by KDC Southern Scorchers, a Kerry cheerleading club, and Flares Gymnastics Club, both founded by Hayley Murphy. A sketch of the clubs is given below.[1]
In 2008, Killarney Dance and Cheer (KDC) club – the first cheerleading squad in Kerry and indeed Munster – was awarded the ‘most entertaining newcomer’ prize at the St Patrick’s Day Parade after hip-hop dancing and cheerleading with their banner, ‘Killarney All Starz’ through the streets of Killarney.
Hayley said of the achievement:
I am over the moon! My name is Hayley Murphy and I am 20 years old (21 next week). I started K.D.C more two and a half years ago when I was 17. I love dancing and performing and decided to start up classes for young girls to give them what I never had. I am so happy to work with these 24 girls as they work so hard and enjoy it, it gives them an interest and hobby. We train in Sporty’s Gym, Killarney.
Soon after the Parade, in April and May 2008, Hayley ran a seven-week introductory gymnastics course at St Brigid’s Secondary School, Killarney and the response encouraged her to open a club in the town in September 2008. Hayley said,
I’d like to say a big thank you to Ber O’Connor, PE teacher in the school, who has encouraged me to coach gymnastics for some time now and who has organized the facilities, use of equipment, insurance and all the ‘behind-the-scenes’ needed to operate sport today. Without her input this course simply wouldn’t have happened.
The gymnastics would run alongside Hayley’s dance and cheerleading squad. In 2009, she organised a hip-hop workshop in Sporty’s gym with the touring Devon ‘Devonair’ Marlink of Los Angeles, director of hip-hop performance troupe SideStep (of America’s Got Talent fame).[2]
Also in 2009, Hayley named her club Flares Gymnastics and introduced a Club Awards Scheme designed to motivate and monitor the progress of gymnasts[3] while her partner, Daniel Farkas, began to assist with gymnastics and cheerleading training.
In October 2009, the cheerleaders competed at the first National Cheerleading Championships in Dublin City University.
The team was delighted to bring home a silver trophy for Kerry.[4]
Flares Gymnastics Club hosted its first event, the Kerry Confined Gymnastics competition, in the Moriarty Gym of St Brigid’s Presentation School, Killarney on 7 February 2010 competing against six Kerry clubs.
The event was a success and the novice club Flares boasted 22 gold medals, 17 silver and 18 bronze. The event raised funds to introduce modern equipment.[5]
There was great excitement when their first airtrack was delivered soon after.
In 2010 the team competed in the Glasgow Scotcheer Championships at the Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre. Again, the team did the county – and the country – proud as the first team from Southern Ireland to participate in the eleven-years-old event, returning to Ireland with a first place trophy.
With their growing success, Hayley entered the cheerleaders into Kerry’s Got Talent and the performers made it to the final on 21 August 2010. On 23 October 2010, they returned to the second National Cheerleading Championships held in DCU with routines devised and choreographed by Hayley, winning six gold and three silver trophies.
In 2011, the cheerleaders returned once again to Kerry’s Got Talent
More trophies were added to the club’s proud record later in the year at the Irish All Star National Competition in Co Mayo.
In 2012, KDC Southern Scorchers – ‘Killarney Scorchers’ – performed in the St Patrick’s Day Parade only this time, the parade was in Paris, the club being the sole Irish representative in the Paris Brings It On Cheer Competition. They earned the title ‘Overall Cheer Grand Champions 2012’ at the competition, beating even those from the home of cheerleading in the USA.[6]
On their return from Paris, Scorchers competed at the All Ireland Cheerleading & Dance Championships at the Aura, Killarney on 20 May 2012. They also competed in Mayo in October, and continued to perform at and support local events such as Ring of Kerry cycle, The Rose of Tralee Festival, and Christmas in Killarney.[7]
In 2013, cheerleading was recognised as an official sport in Ireland and Hayley began to develop cheerleading outside of Killarney.[8]
The cheerleading and gymnastics combination continued to develop side-by-side and the ‘Scorchers’ were incorporated into Flares Gymnastics & Cheer.
The year 2014 was as full as previous years. An inter-club competition was held in Killarney on 23 March, followed by the Jamfest Competition in June. Later in the year they won an array of awards at the 21CC Competition held at the University of Limerick, and team members got a boost with a workshop held in Ballycasheen in November with Robert Scianna of the California All Stars.
In 2015, with eyes fixed on the USA, the home of cheerleading, the club went ahead with try-outs for Team Ireland ICU World Cheerleading Championships held 23-24 April 2015. This followed an inter-club competition.
The team had great success at Jamfest Europe held at the Echo Arena in Liverpool in June.
In 2016, a number of club members participated in Team Ireland – for which Hayley coached – at the National Cheerleading Championships in Florida, USA. Later in the year, the club competed in the 21CC event at Balbriggan, Dublin.
Flares added ‘Gymtots’ – parent and toddler gymnastics classes – to its busy schedule in 2017 and in March, the Scorchers won first place at the Irish All Star National Championships in Co Mayo. The win carried a bid to take the team to America in 2018, the first Irish team to do so.
Hayley and Danny were overwhelmed: ‘We’ve only been coaching at this level since January,’ said Hayley, ‘and so this win shows how determined, committed and hardworking the team is.’ ‘We have a year to train for this now,’ added Danny, ‘and the hard work begins straightaway.’[9]
A demanding round of training and fundraising followed, which included a Race Night at the Kingdom Greyhound Stadium in Tralee, to get the team of 21 out to Orlando to wave the flag for Ireland on the 4 & 5 May 2018:
Killarney Scorchers put Ireland on the world map at the recent Summit Cheerleading Championships held in Orlando, Florida. Up against the might of the United States, the very cradle of cheerleading, Scorchers held their own and won second place in the first round of the championships. The jubilant team returned home on 8 May exhilarated, and two days later, were back in training in Killarney for their next competitive outing to be held in Liverpool at the end of June.[10]
The success story continued in 2018 at the 21CC International Cheerleading Competition at Gormanston College in Meath.[11] The Celtic Spirit competition opened the year in 2019 and a fundraiser was held in the Dromhall Hotel in April for Alexis O’Mahony (‘Let’s Help Alexis’).
The team got a major boost in 2019 when they appeared in Ireland’s Got Talent ahead of their annual outing to Jamfest in Liverpool.
In 2020, the Mayor of Killarney, Councillor Michael Gleeson, presented Hayley and her team with an Award from Kerry County Council in recognition of their achievements.
Indeed, over the course of twelve years, Hayley and Danny worked tirelessly to give their gymnasts and cheerleaders the opportunity to participate in local, national and international events.
The club amassed an impressive array of awards including a treasured Ray Jasper choreography award. They also produced a number of fundraising publications including Gymtactics 50 warm-up games for the gym (2014) Walkabout Killarney (2015) and Adventures of the Gymnastic Shapes at the Gym (2017), the latter to raise funds for Team Ireland Scorchers.
Legacy Elite Gymnastics & Cheerleading
Inevitably, the pressures of working seven days a week, and the onset of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, brought change.
Hayley resigned from Flares Gymnastics & Cheer.[12] In September 2022, the Scorchers name was continued as Killarney Scorchers Team Limited at a venue on the Muckross Road under a new partnership, from which Hayley resigned in February 2023.
It was the end of an era, her association with KDC Southern Scorchers, otherwise Killarney Scorchers, otherwise Scorchers All Stars, founded in 2008 at an end. A ‘farewell to Scorchers’ gathering was organised by parents and athletes in the Dromhall Hotel on 12 April 2023.
Legacy Elite: A New Era
In April 2023, Hayley announced the opening of Legacy Elite Gymnastics & Cheerleading.
In April 2023, Hayley realised a dream and accompanied her athletes to America for the Cheerleading and Dance Worlds.[13]
A few months later, Legacy Elite won the Reader’s Choice Award at the Connect Kerry Women in Business Awards. Accepting her award, Hayley said:
I want to continue to inspire children to become great future athletes and to continue being successful at competition. I want to be the first coach in Ireland to take a national team to World Championships and represent Ireland in the Para Cheer and Special Abilities section. Cheerleading has been recognised as an Olympic sport: it is my wish to be involved in this in 2028.
As to the future, the cheerleading dream continues. Hayley says:
I am proud of the fact that the team I founded back in 2008 was the first in the county to participate in the International Summit competition in 2018, when we placed 2nd in America, making history for our team, county and country. We have made RTE news, and have appeared on Ireland’s Got Talent, Kerry’s Got Talent, and performed at a host of local events and parades including the Disneyland Parade. Two of my athletes were selected to represent Ireland at World Championships in 2023 – the highlight of my career, to coach both ladies. I have volunteered my time to develop cheerleading in Ireland and have been involved in the educational aspect of the sport as a credentialer and examining coach. I was the representative from Ireland at the European Erasmus Committee for Paracheer in Finland and we presented our findings in an online seminar. I have completed my International Cheer Union Judges Certification and judged at my first cheerleading competition in Dublin last year. It is my dream to judge at cheerleading World Championships in the USA one day.
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[1] IE CDH 220. The material includes a banner measuring 77in x 39in, a Team Ireland cheerleading backpack, a number of tee-shirts, sweatshirts and cheerleading uniforms, and printed material which includes embroidered badges connected with achievement awards designed by the club (levels 1-8), Flares Gymnastics Club Awards certificates (levels 1-8) (A4 and A5, A4 sponsored by killarneyhistoricalsociety.com), A5 Scorchers Fundraising Night at the Dogs 30 March 2018, Kerry Inter-Club Competition programme 2019 (x2), information leaflet, registration forms 2017-2018, A5 Gymnast’s Skills Record Books (x4), a Fujifilm envelope containing a small number of photographs (undated, unnamed), A6 Flares Gymnastics Personal Achievement Cards (levels 1-8), ticket issued to Hayley Murphy to Scotcheer’s 11th Annual Cheer and Dance Nationals 10 April 2010 in Finneston, Glasgow. [2] ‘Killarney Dance & Cheer held an exciting hip-hop workshop on Friday 10 April 2009 at Sporty’s Gym. The workshop was held by Devon ‘Devonair’ Marlink of Los Angeles, director of hip-hop performance troupe SideStep (of America’s Got Talent fame). The workshop formed part of a week-long series held around the country and Hayley Murphy, director of Killarney Dance & cheer, said that she was delighted to secure the workshop for Killarney and that all members of her class got a lot out of the experience, particularly as Devon’s profile includes working with the likes of J-Lo, Black Eyed Peas, The A-Teens and on movies such as Austin Powers and Kickin’ it Old School – to name but a few! Devon has also judged the Irish Hip-Hop Championships, as well as the World’s! See for yourself on www.sidestep.com.’ [3] ‘This scheme has been kindly sponsored by Murphy Zinc and Copper of Killarney; our express thanks to them for supporting the club. The Awards run from levels one to eight, and each gymnast will be equipped with a personal achievement card which they can use to keep track of requirements for each level. Level one will be assessed before Christmas; we hope to present certificates and badges next week.’ [4] In January 2010, Danny assumed responsibility for all gymnastic related issues while Hayley did the same for her dance and cheerleading squad, its website kdcsouthernscorchers.com. [5] ‘The club raised just over €650 at the display in May 2010, which will be put towards an air tumbling track. The cost of the track is approximately €4,500 so we have some way to go with fundraising, but it’s a great start – our thanks to all who contributed. Unfortunately, there is still no news on the replacement of the school gym mats.’ [6] ‘The club, after months of laborious fundraising activities which ranged from a talent show and bake-sale to a stunt-a-thon, had travelled to Paris on Friday as the only Irish representative in the Paris Brings It On Cheer Competition which was staged the following day, St Patrick's Day. Despite the long trek to Paris by road, air and rail, the team performed spectacularly well and hours later, were the proud owners of four gold trophies in the youth and senior sections, as well as the overall Cheer Grand Champions Award. It was straight off to rehearsals then for the St Patrick's Parade, which took place in Paris on Sunday. The club – the first cheerleading club in Munster – has amassed an impressive array of awards since its foundation four years ago. It competed at the first National Cheerleading Championships in Dublin City University in 2008 at which time the club brought home a silver trophy for Kerry. Not content with silver, the team returned the following year and brought home six gold.’ [7] By this stage, the cheerleaders were training in St Oliver’s National School in Killarney. [8] ‘Cheerleading Coming to Tralee! At last – Cheerleading has arrived in Tralee. Classes will commence for the first time this month at Collis Sandes House by the coaches of Kerry’s only cheerleading club, the Killarney ‘Scorchers’. The team are national and international title holders, who have been competing for over five years. Cheerleading, recognised as an official sport in Ireland in May this year, is for boys and girls ages 6-19 years. It combines gymnastics, jumping, stunting, tumbling, cheering and dance – a great way to keep fit, have fun and make new friends.’ The ICSA was recognised by ICU as the national governing body for the sport of cheer representation of the Republic of Ireland on 15 June 2010. [9] ‘Scorchers Cheerleaders to represent Killarney in USA Worlds: Breaffy Sports and Events Arena, Co Mayo, was the scene of jubilation for Killarney's Scorchers Cheerleading Club on Sunday 12 March when their Level 5 team won first place in the Irish All Star National Championships. The win carries a bid to take the team to America, the home of cheerleading, in 2018. In the face of competition from clubs around Ireland, the fifteen-member team shed tears of elation at their incredible achievement and their parents and supporters did much the same thing. As well as the bid to go to the States, the club also came away with a host of other awards. In the team divisions, they gained three first place trophies and one third place trophy. The solo and duo categories also gained awards with two first places and one third place.’ [10] ‘Killarney Scorchers celebrate their American win. Patience, they say, is a virtue. If this be so then Killarney Scorchers score high among the virtuous for this week they finally took proud possession of their second place banner from the Summit international Cheerleading Championship in Florida 2018. It was a long time coming! Killarney Scorchers competed in Florida in May this year but due to a judging error were deprived of their second position and placed fourth. The judges were immediately alerted to the error but were unable to rectify it on the day. Since then, Hayley and Danny Farkas Murphy, owners and coaches of Killarney Scorchers, have been in communication with Varsity, the competition organisers, and a mountain of red tape later, the second place banner has finally arrived. Unfortunately, the team, parents and supporters were deprived of the golden winning moment on the American stage but in great Irish style, enjoyed belated celebrations at Ballycasheen during the club’s tenth anniversary and Christmas party this week.’ [11] ‘Gold all the way for Killarney Scorchers: Killarney Scorchers travelled to Gormanston College in Co Meath at the weekend for the 21CC International Cheerleading Competition and did themselves and the county proud when they wiped the board with winning trophies. Many months of training paid off when all three competing teams came first in their divisions and all three teams also won Overall Grand Champions in their levels. In addition, the club won first place in the senior pom category with senior hip-hop and junior hip-hop both bringing home silver. And to top it all, the club also took numerous awards in solo categories. Tears of joy flowed all round from proud parents, supporters and elated cheerleaders while dedicated coaches Hayley and Danny Farkas Murphy added another incredible result to their considerable record.’ [12] Flares Gymnastics was continued by Danny Farkas but was wound up in 2024. [13] ‘It’s farewell to Scorchers as Hayley opens Legacy Elite. Local gymnastics and cheerleading coach Hayley Murphy announces the opening of a new club, Legacy Elite Cheerleading & Gymnastics. Hayley, a former gymnast and cheerleader, has been in the sport since childhood and has been coaching children in Killarney and all over the county for close to twenty years. Hayley is currently in Florida with Emma Rose Byrne and Katlyn Moynihan who she has coached to represent Killarney and Ireland at this year’s Cheerleading & Dance Worlds in the USA. ‘I am very proud of both girls,’ said Hayley, ‘they have worked extremely hard to get to this event. I have been coaching them since they were young children so it’s a proud moment in my career.’ Hayley said she was honoured and privileged to represent Ireland at this world class event, and extended thanks to the town of Killarney for its constant support. ‘My passion is cheerleading,’ said Hayley, ‘I am very much looking forward to the future with Legacy Elite, I have exciting plans for the club.’
