By Sean Moriarty

Killarney is ready for life after the pandemic as the town prepares for two major festivals next month.

The traditional St Patrick’s Day Festival will run from March 17 until March 20. One week later the inaugural Wander Wild Festival will take place in the town. This new event will encourage locals and visitors to get involved in a host of outdoor activities.

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce president Niall Kelleher welcomed the two events.

Speaking at a Chamber meeting on Wednesday at the International Hotel - the first in-person meeting since restrictions began and the first since the Chamber President took office - he said “We can rub the sleep from our eyes and awake to a post-COVID world”.

Pat Chawke gave a short presentation to the town’s business people on the Wander Wild Festival.

“This festival is about kicking the winter goodbye,” he said.

Wander Wild takes place over the same weekend that the clocks move forward in to official summer time and the arrival of longer days.

Wednesday’s lunch meeting was organised to brief Chamber members on the results of recent Killarney visitor, consumer and business surveys – details of which are published on page 12.