The Mayor of Killarney, Martin Grady, has called on Kerry County Council to engage with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to explore using Killarney National Park and the grounds of Killarney House for community, cultural, and recreational events.

The proposal does not envision large-scale, stadium-style concerts like those held at Slane Castle. Instead, the focus is on smaller, more intimate summer gigs, outdoor cinema screenings, and family-oriented fun days. Mayor Grady pointed to the success of Féile na Bláth, held annually in Tralee Town Park, as a model for what could be achieved in Killarney.

Spa GAA has been awarded €89,132 in funding by Kerry County Council under the Community Climate Action Programme scheme to enhance energy efficiency at its sporting campus.

The grant will fund a variety of green initiatives, including enhanced solar energy generation, battery storage systems, and the replacement of the main pitch floodlighting with energy-efficient LED lighting. The funding will also support additional renewable energy, biodiversity, and climate action projects across the grounds.

The announcement comes just ahead of the club’s busiest weekend of the year, when it hosts the annual Killarney Club 7s tournament.

Earlier this year, the club completed insulation retrofit works on its multi-purpose sports hall and clubhouse. The upgrades were designed to improve thermal comfort for visitors while lowering the club’s overall energy consumption and localized greenhouse gas emissions.

“How we build, heat, and run our sports complexes can play a big part in national climate action targets, and good energy management is a big priority for us at Spa GAA,” Club Chairman Tadgh Hickey said.