News
Killarney to become a 10 minute town with over €1m in funding
By Sean Moriarty
Steps to make Killarney a '10 Minute Town' took another move closer to reality this week after over €1m in funding was announced for various projects.
These include the construction of a network of cycleways in four different locations across the town.
Last October it was announced that Killarney was one of 35 approved ‘Pathfinder’ projects in 19 different counties across the country.
‘Pathfinder’ projects are designed to transform public transport, walking, and cycling, including the reallocation of road space from cars to cyclists and pedestrians.
The idea is that every necessary service in the town will be accessible within 10 minutes and that cycling and walking will take more precedence over driving in the future.
This ties in with the ambitious cycle infrastructure project unveiled by Kerry County Council in February 2021.
Under this plan, it was revealed that Kerry County Council is to build four new dedicated cycle lanes in the town.
The funding will go towards a cycleway to and from the Cleeney Roundabout along Rock Road, a cycleway linking Fitzgerald Stadium and Lewis Road with the town centre.
A similar project on Park Road will eventually link Killarney Sports Centre with the town via a cycleway in the Deerpark area close to the Gael Scoil (as per the map and not via Pinewood Estate as stated, in error, in our print edition).
These new projects will link with existing cycle lanes in the town, including Muckross Road, which is subject to a separate funding upgrade by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the already opened Flesk Way project.
FUNDS
This week the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD, confirmed that the National Transport Authority (NTA) has allocated funds to Ireland’s local authorities with a view to spending €290m on walking and cycling infrastructure in 2023.
The Rock Road section has been allocated the largest amount of money and will get €783,000 under two separate strands of this funding.
The Park Road/Deerpark links will get €180,000 under three different allocations.
“I wish to welcome the announcement by Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD of €2,350,000 for 27 projects in Kerry under the Active Travel Scheme,” said local Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin.
“This is very welcome funding which will help develop safer walking and cycling routes in Kerry.”
In addition to the cycleway projects, other traffic-related issues in the town and surrounding areas will be addressed under this funding scheme.
This includes €5,000 for Fossa and €15,000 for Ballydribbeen.
The Ballydribbeen funding ties in with a separate project aimed at both reducing traffic congestion from Madam’s Hill to Cleeney Roundabout and a footpath linking the same two areas to allow Aghadoe residents to walk into town.
KWD Recycling shortlisted for national environmental awards
Killarney-based KWD Recycling has been announced as a finalist in the 2026 Repak Resource Awards, securing a spot on the national shortlist for environmental achievement.
The local waste management company has been nominated in the Best Recovery Operator Innovation category, sponsored by DNV, for its state-of-the-art residual waste recovery system.
The Killarney facility utilizes optical sorting, screening, and mechanical processing to extract recyclable plastics and organic material from municipal waste. In its first year of operation, the technology recovered more than 10 per cent of plastic packaging from residual waste for recycling and diverted almost 50 per cent of organic material toward composting.
KWD Recycling will compete alongside Dublin operators Panda and Thorntons Recycling for the category title.
Repak CEO Zoe Kavanagh commended the Kerry firm for demonstrating environmental leadership and bringing local ambition to the national awards.
Category winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin on Friday, October 23, where each winner will also compete for the Overall Repak Resource Award.
Local businesses have a strong track record at the national event, with Killarney town venue The Killarney Park and The Ross previously taking home the overall title in 2023.
Drivers warned as deer rutting season begins
Motorists in Killarney are being urged to exercise extreme caution as the annual deer rutting season gets underway, causing animals to stray far beyond their usual habitats inside Killarney National Park.
The autumn mating season sees deer becoming highly active and unpredictable, leading to increased sightings and collisions on local roads outside traditional park boundaries.
Two separate incidents highlighted the growing hazard on local routes this week. A reader contacted the Killarney Advertiser to warn drivers after spotting a deer roaming near Tiernaboul towards the school on Sunday afternoon around 7.30pm.
Later that same night, in the early hours of Monday morning, a local driver collided with a deer near Kerry Airport around 1am while returning home from an event.
Despite attempting evasive action, the motorist struck the animal, which died at the scene and temporarily blocked the road before local Gardaí were alerted to clear the obstruction.
The driver sustained substantial vehicle damage, requiring repairs to the bumper, headlamp, and internal components, leaving her facing significant garage costs and time off the road.
Gardaí and road safety advocates advise motorists travelLing during early morning and late evening and remain vigilant along tree-lined routes.
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