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By Sean Moriarty

A notoriously dangerous junction on the Killarney to Tralee road has been allocated €200,000 for road safety works. Finnegan's Cross, Kilcummin, the scene of several serious, some fatal, accidents in recent years has been included in the 2021 Safety Improvement Works on Regional and Local Roads funding scheme.

Earlier this year an elderly woman was killed in a car crash on the Killarney side of the junction. Last March another collision claimed the life of another woman on the Tralee side of the cross and a cyclist died after being knocked from his bicycle in the area last summer.

Cllr Marie Moloney lives very close to the junction. She has been a long-time campaigner for safety upgrades at the junction and has raised concerns about road safety in the area for years. “I very much welcome these allocations in particular the €200,000 for safety works at Finnegan's Cross, Kilcummin, an issue that I have been working on since elected to Kerry County Council,” she told the Killarney Advertiser. “This dangerous junction has been the scene of many accidents over many years and unfortunately was the location where lives were lost in recent years.”

Mayor of Killarney Cllr Brendan Cronin is another politician that lives relatively close to Finnegan's Cross. He raised his concerns at a Killarney Municipal District meeting just days after last March’s fatal accident in the area.

“There have been numerous serious accidents over the years at this location and repeated requests for funding, hopefully this work will improve safety for all road users,” he told the Killarney Advertiser.

The funding was also welcomed by Cllr Maura Healy-Rae.

Additionally, funding has been granted to other Killarney Road Safety projects including €30,000 for Listry Bridge; €70,000 for Dromcarbin Bridge, Glenflesk, and €120,000 for Gortdarrig Bridge, Shrone.