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Busy weekend as Rally of the Lakes

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With International Rally of the Lakes set to return to Killarney this weekend for the first time in three years, the town will be exceptionally busy.

Event organisers say that the 41st edition will attract tens of thousands of spectators for what is sure to be a festival-like atmosphere over the May Bank Holiday Weekend.

“Preparations for the rally are now at the advanced stage and we cannot wait to welcome crews and spectators to the town next weekend,” Darren McCormick, Clerk of the Course, said. “We are mindful of the residents of the town so we ask everyone who comes to Killarney to leave the town the way you found it, bring your litter home and ‘Keep the Race in its Place’.’’

The rally kicks off on Friday evening, with a ceremonial start ramp on Main Street. The first car is due over the ramp at 7pm but the street will be closed to ordinary traffic from around 6pm.

The rally proper starts Saturday in the late morning, with runs over stages near Kilsarcon, Banard and Gortnagane, before a service halt at the Liebherr Container Cranes factory in Fossa.

Drivers will tackle those three stages in the afternoon. Heavy traffic can be expected in Kilcummin, Scartaglin, Gneeveguilla, Rathmore and Barraduff areas on Saturday. The bypass and the Fossa area will be very busy too.

After an overnight halt in Killarney, competitors will have the daunting task of Molls Gap and Ballaghbeama to negotiate in the morning, each stage being run twice. The afternoon will see the crews fight for the rally win on Shanera and Caragh Lake, where overall and class winners will be crowned Killarney’s champions.

Traffic on Sunday will be busy in the Muckross, Glencar, Beaufort and the Killorglin areas.

The Muckross Road will remain busy on Sunday afternoon as crews make their way to Rally HQ, The Gleneagle Hotel for a champagne celebration on the finish ramp before a trophy presentation later on that evening at the same venue.

The rally has a range of title sponsors for the 2022 event and without their generous support, there would be no rally. Rentokil Initial, Aherns.ie Motorgroup, The Gleneagle Hotel and OSI have all joined forces to ensure the rally remains viable in what is a difficult return to action for both rallying and the businesses themselves following the pandemic.

Last week, President of the Killarney Chamber of Commerce, Niall Kelleher, welcomed the return of the rally, stating that the rally is worth upwards of €10 million to the local economy. He said the rally is “right up there” with other major events for the town. Local businesses can expect a major windfall from the event and hotel rooms are at a premium for the “must attend” event said Mr Kelleher.

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Massive Park Road housing development given green light

A private developer has been given planning permission to build 249 new residential units at Upper Park Road. The development, which will be built on a recently cleared site near […]

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A private developer has been given planning permission to build 249 new residential units at Upper Park Road.

The development, which will be built on a recently cleared site near An Post’s sorting office, will include a variety of properties from five-bed houses to single apartments, along with a crèche and over 500 car spaces and over 300 bike spaces.

The development has been welcomed by local councillor Martin Grady.

“Killarney has a massive housing shortage so this is very positive. It will retain young families in the area, stimulating economic growth,” he said. “After 17 years of different planning applications it’s finally coming to fruition.”

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Ballydribeen residents living in fear due to anti-social behaviour

Residents in the Ballydribeen are living in fear as a result of increased anti-social behaviour in the estate. Several serious incidents in the estate have resulted in several Garda visits […]

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Residents in the Ballydribeen are living in fear as a result of increased anti-social behaviour in the estate.

Several serious incidents in the estate have resulted in several Garda visits in the last week.

Local councillor Martin Grady told the Killarney Advertiser that residents are “living in fear” as a result of very serious incidents in the last week alone.

One house in the estate was badly damaged when fire crackers were placed inside a letter box.

Another house had its windows smashed in over the weekend.

“It’s a major problem,” added Grady after meeting residents there earlier this week.

One of the most serious incidents occurred on Tuesday night.

A passing motorists had rocks thrown at his car while driving along the bypass whch is adjacent to the estate.
Taking to social media, local primary-school teacher Pádraig O’Sullivan posted:

“Travelling home tonight, at 11.05pm on the Killarney side of the bypass our car was hit by a rock – not a pebble – from the Ballydribben side , which hit the passenger door.

“It was centimetres away from hitting the window where my father, who is visually impaired, was sitting.

“This could have caused catastrophic permanent injury to him.

“The Killarney Garda were on the scene within three minutes.

“They can’t be patrolling the bypass all night.

“It comes down to parenting. You should know where your children are at this hour and be able to teach them what’s funny and what ruin a person’s life or cause a fatal crash.“

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