OUTDOOR DINING: Street scenes like this are common in Europe and Cllr Michael Gleeson says the time is right to explore such an idea in Killarney.

By Sean Moriarty

A plan to roof the centre of Killarney to allow people to socialise outside in all weathers could be back on the agenda thanks to Coronavirus restrictions.

The idea to place retractable umbrellas over Main St had been given approval by the previous town council but that idea was pushed off the agenda in 2014 when town councils were merged with the Council and were restructured as municipal districts.

The idea was first put forward by Cllr Michael Gleeson seven years ago and the Independent Alliance politician sees merit in re-introducing the idea as a solution to indoor socialising that has been restricted as a result of the pandemic.

At the time local engineer Paudie O’Mahoney devised a plan to keep the rain off of tourists and locals alike. It included placing an ‘artificial roof’ over the streets of Killarney which can be removed in the summer when the weather is nice and put back up when it's raining.

The plan is to make the artificial roofs from large sections of heavy-duty canvas.

"This canopy cover system could be introduced on a trial basis in a lane way or even on one of the main streets and I can see it taking off all over the country in a very short space of time,” Paudie said in 2013.

A year later Kerry County Council said details and specifications had been agreed with a specialist supplier, but the tender process had not been completed prior to the town council’s abolition.

Cllr Gleeson raised the matter at a Killarney Municipal District meeting earlier this month as part of a debate surrounding pedestrianisation and the Safe Streets project.

His idea is to put a covered seating area in the centre of the town’s streets which would be owned and maintained by the Municipal District Council and placed in such a way that it would not favour any particular business.

Mr Gleeson says the idea works well on the continent, particularly Belgium which enjoys a similar climate to Ireland.

“It is time to look at Al Fresco dining on the streets of Killarney,” he told the Killarney Advertiser. “I have seen something similar in a large hotel in Dublin and it is quite common in Europe. It would enhance Killarney as a tourist destination as tourists and locals could socialise in a safe distance. Belgium can be colder than here in the winter but it works there.”