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National Park gets a makeover ahead of Royal visit

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Although the trip itself is yet to be officially confirmed (a statement is expected from Buckingham Palace early next week), Killarney is gearing up for the visit of Prince Charles and his wife Camilla with renovations already under way around the National Park.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested that the National Parks and Wildlife Service are spending upwards of €10,000 on the makeover, as efforts are well under way to ensure the royals are suitably impressed with their brief visit to our town. It has been suggested that Charles and Camilla will spend four hours in Killarney on Friday, June 15 before moving on their next port of call.

Any improvements to our park are, of course, always welcome and fair play for the powers that be for forking out the money to spruce it up a little, but there’s something a bit disconcerting about their reasoning.

Why does it take a royal visit for such an investment? Over half a million non-royals visit Muckross House annually during their stay in Killarney. Why are we making such a fuss over these two particular individuals, especially when they’re only here for a few hours? It seems a bit archaic to be honest.

I suppose the argument could be made that Prince Charles and Camilla’s visit will lead to an increase in British tourists coming to Killarney. But is that slightly overestimating the esteem in which the royal family are held in this day and age, even in their own country? Maybe not. Hopefully it does prove to be a great boon to our economy.

Either way, I suppose we should be grateful that our National Park got a nice little touch-up. Thanks Charles!

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Deerpark Retail Park placed on market for fifteen million euro

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Deerpark Retail Park in Killarney has officially been placed on the market with a guide price in excess of 15.4 million euro, excluding VAT.

International real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as the sole sales agent to handle the high-profile commercial property sale on behalf of its current owner, Investcorp.

Investcorp, a global investment management firm headquartered in Bahrain, had previously acquired the prominent shopping complex.


The sale represents one of the largest commercial property offerings to launch in County Kerry this year.

Located roughly 1.3 kilometres west of Killarney town centre, the scheme enjoys strong regional connectivity and sits adjacent to independently owned operations including a Tesco Extra store, a Tesco petrol filling station, JYSK, and Aldi.


Constructed in 2006, the development extends across approximately 10,482 square metres, or 112,835 square feet.

The scheme comprises a mix of modern retail warehouse units and a complementary neighbourhood centre, offering 13 individual units in total with Part Open and Part Bulky Use planning permission.

The units range in size from 94.6 square metres up to 1,994.9 square metres. Visitors have access to approximately 248 customer parking spaces across the commercial grounds.

The park is currently 100 per cent occupied by a strong line-up of established national and international brands.

Key retail tenants include Marks & Spencer, Boots, DID Electrical, Maxi Zoo, and Mountain Warehouse.

The neighbourhood centre element accommodates service and convenience operators such as Costa Coffee, Card Factory, and Salon B.

The first-floor accommodation is fully let to Peak Performance Academy, which provides additional rental diversification.

Additionally, the scheme benefits from an agreement with Tesla to operate eight electric vehicle charging bays within the customer car park.


Commercial figures show that the property generates a total current rental income of 1,326,458 euro per annum, with a weighted average unexpired lease term of 4.45 years to break options and 6.46 years to lease expiry.

Cushman & Wakefield noted that the quoted guide price of 15.4 million euro reflects a net initial yield of 7.83 per cent, assuming standard purchaser costs of 9.96 per cent.

The selling agents highlighted that the fully occupied asset offers investors an attractive income profile alongside scope for additional income generation through parking commercialisation.

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Killarney Racecourse to host first professional festive pantomime

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Killarney Racecourse to host first professional festive pantomime

A classic fairytale is set to receive a distinct Kerry makeover this festive season as Killarney Racecourse hosts the town’s first professional pantomime, Cinderella.

Running across 12 performances over four weekends in November and December, the production weaves iconic local landmarks directly into the story. In this festive adaptation, Cinderella dreams of escaping her chores inside Ross Castle before receiving news of a royal ball hosted at Muckross House. Her journey is guided by Molls, a fairy godmother arriving from beyond the Gap of Dunloe, while the adventure takes audiences straight through the enchanted woods of Killarney National Park.
Directed by Lily MacMonagle of The MACademy Performing Arts and choreographed by Katrina Galvin of Sparrow Dance Academy, the production features a cast of local talent bringing the story to life.
Speaking about the upcoming debut production, Karl McCay, General Manager of Killarney Racecourse, expressed his excitement for the launch.
“We are thrilled to announce our first-ever Christmas Show at Killarney Racecourse. Killarney already sets the standard for festive celebrations with its magical parades, Santa’s grotto, Christmas markets, and Killarney on Ice. We are delighted to build on this tradition with our debut production of Cinderella. Directed by Lily MacMonagle and featuring a wonderfully talented local cast, we can’t wait to welcome you to this exciting new holiday experience.”
Director Lily MacMonagle emphasised the broad appeal of the festive show for families across the region.
“We are so delighted to bring the first professional panto to Killarney for families to enjoy this Christmas. The team and cast involved are incredible, and we cannot wait to sprinkle Christmas panto magic all over Killarney and Kerry this year. The laughs are like no other – it’s made for your child and your granny, with a joke and a dance for everyone. On a personal note, it’s fantastic to offer a pre-Christmas show where families can come together and really get into the festive spirit.”
Tickets go on sale today (Friday, October 9), at 9am via the Killarney Racecourse website, priced at €17 for children, €20 for adults, and €66 for a family ticket.

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