A stark warning has been issued to motorists across the county following the release of harrowing new figures at this week’s Killarney Municipal District meeting.

The data reveals that the whole county facing a deepening road safety crisis, after a string of early-year tragedies.
County-wide statistics show that road traffic collisions have surged to 309 last year, marking a significant 33.7 percent increase compared to the 231 incidents recorded during the same period in 2024.
Eight of them were fatal, one more than in 2025.
Even more alarming is the situation within the Killarney Municipal District itself, which has already recorded two road deaths in just the first 16 days of 2026.
This rate already exceeds the local averages for both 2024 and 2025.
The latest fatal incident occurred on Saturday, January 10, on the N22 Killarney-Tralee road near Dromadeesirt in the area known locally as Brennan’s Glen .
Emergency services were alerted to a two-car collision at approximately 6:40pm. where a male driver in his 40s was tragically pronounced deceased at the scene.
This followed another single-vehicle tragedy on January 3 at Knockdooragh, Headford, where a man in his 30s lost his life after his car struck a tree late at night.
These local tragedies follow a concerning national trend.
Provisional figures from the Road Safety Authority show that 185 people died on Irish roads in 2025, an eight percent rise from the previous year.
In Kerry, eight people lost their lives on the roads last year, leaving the county with the sixth-highest death rate in Ireland.
Safety concerns were further highlighted on Wednesday, January 7, when a two-vehicle collision at the Ardaneanig junction near the Torc Hotel forced the closure of the road between Lissivigeen and Rathmore.
While this specific incident was non-fatal, it shows the high frequency of serious accidents currently occurring in the district.
Gardaí continue to appeal for witnesses to the recent fatal collisions. Anyone with dash-cam footage or information regarding the N22 incident or the Headford collision is asked to contact Killarney Garda Station on 064 6671160.

No Confidence” motion to be tabled as RSA faces mounting criticism
The deepening road safety crisis is set to be discussed at next week’s meeting of Kerry County Council in Tralee, with a “no confidence” motion being tabled against the Road Safety Authority (RSA). I
Independent Cllr Jackie Healy-Rae has confirmed he will ask the local authority to write to the Minister for Transport expressing a total lack of confidence in the RSA in its current format.
The motion comes as local representatives express growing frustration over the agency’s effectiveness during a period of rising fatalities.
The motion will be debated by the full council on Monday, January 19. If passed, it would represent a significant formal rebuke of the national body from one of the counties most affected by the recent surge in road traffic collisions.

The final remaining copies of Damien Switzer’s record-breaking 2026 Killarney Historical Calendar have gone on sale at the reception desk of the Killarney Advertiser.

Local historian Switzer, often referred to as the Jimmy McGee of Killarney for his vast knowledge of the town’s heritage, has produced a calendar that spans 40 A3 pages.

This is double the size of previous editions and contains nearly 1,000 photographs, leading to suggestions that the publication may hold a world record.

The calendar serves as a visual catalogue of Killarney’s evolution, featuring images that date from the 1880s through to the 1980s.

Rather than focusing solely on famous landmarks, Switzer has prioritised the faces of the people who shaped the town over the last century.

The collection includes a diverse range of subjects, from vintage sports teams and school groups to old-fashioned shopfronts and candid everyday moments.

With only a limited number of copies left from this historic print run, interested residents are encouraged to visit the Killarney Advertiser office soon to secure their copy of this unique piece of local heritage.