Killarney has maintained its position in the top ten of the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, securing 9th place out of 40 towns and cities surveyed nationwide. The town was officially deemed to be ‘Cleaner than European Norms’.

The accompanying report by An Taisce praised Killarney for delivering a solid performance, noting that there were no heavily littered sites found within the town boundaries.
Several local areas received top marks for maintenance and presentation. Main Street was highlighted as exceptionally well-presented, while Park Road, Muckross Road, and the Knockreer Playground and environs were also singled out for praise. The report noted that the playground area was in very good order across all elements.
However, the inspectors did highlight some areas for improvement. The JYSK site showed slight progress compared to the previous survey but remained classified as moderately littered. The report warned that care must be taken to prevent the location from deteriorating further.
On a national level, IBAL representative Conor Horgan noted that entering the peak tourist season, the country has fewer littered areas than at any time in the past 25 years.
Despite the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), the survey highlighted a national rise in specific waste items. Plastic bottles were found in 19% of all surveyed sites across the country, and drinks cans were present in 22%. The prevalence of coffee cups also reached its highest level since 2023, alongside an increase in cigarette butt litter.

Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday, June 12, with a screening of the Italian classic Cinema Paradiso at Kilgobnet National School.

Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, the film follows Salvatore, a successful film director who returns home to Sicily for the funeral of his childhood friend and mentor, Alfredo, the local cinema projectionist.

The movie won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, five BAFTA Awards, and the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. It features a soundtrack by composer Ennio Morricone.

The screening will begin at 8:30pm at Kilgobnet National School (Eircode V93 DW26). Admission is €8, with cash-only entry as there are no card payment facilities. Proceeds will cover the motion picture licence fee. The film is rated PG and will screen in Italian with English subtitles.

Beaufort Film Night is a non-profit community organisation run by local film enthusiasts. The group aims to screen cultural English and international language films that do not typically receive a general release in Kerry.

The initiative is supported by the Kerry County Council Arts Office and works in conjunction with Access Cinema.

Organisers extended their thanks to Kilgobnet National School for providing the venue. More details can be found on the Beaufort Film Night Facebook page.