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Sewage pumped into lakes during heavy rains

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By Sean Moriarty

Sewage from the Killarney Urban District gets pumped into the lakes during heavy rains, a Kerry County Council official has confirmed.

The official was responding to a motion raised by Cllr Donal Grady at Wednesday’s Killarney Municipal District meeting.

Cllr Grady asked: “How much raw sewerage is going into our rivers and lakes and how much is being by-passed at our Waste Water Treatment Plant in heavy rain?”

A council engineer stated that the practice of releasing sewage into a water network during heavy rain is a common engineering practice all over the world.

“The sewer pipe network in Killarney is a combined system wherein the foul and storm water drainage is all collected in a common pipe,” he said.

“Occasionally, where there is heavy, sustained rainfall, the excess flow of waste water is designed to be released through outlets referred to as Storm Water Overflows. Storm Water Overflows act as emergency safety valves and release the excess flow from the sewer directly into local waters, such as rivers. These Storm Water Overflows are common practice and without these releases there could be a greater risk to the environment and people’s health because the sewer and treatment plant could become inundated, resulted in flooding in urban areas. These discharges from Storm Water Overflows are diluted by the coinciding rainwater.”

He added that the level of dilution is so great during heavy rain that it does not pose any sort of health risk and that the water quality in Lough Leane in Killarney is extensively and comprehensively monitored on an ongoing basis.

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Musical Society announces ‘Sister Act’ as 2027 production

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Killarney Musical Society has announced that its 2027 musical production will be the comedy Sister Act.

The show will run at the Gleneagle Arena from Tuesday, March 2nd to Thursday, March 4th, 2027.

Based on the film, the musical tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a nightclub singer placed in protective custody in a convent after witnessing a crime. While there, she helps transform the parish choir.


Society Chairperson Derek O’Leary expressed excitement about the selection. “It is a show that combines humour, heart, spectacular music and an inspiring story, making it a perfect fit for Killarney Musical Society and our audiences,”

O’Leary said. He also confirmed that award-winning director Oliver Hurley and musical director Jimmy Brockie will return for the production.


The society, which draws performers, musicians, and backstage volunteers from across Kerry and neighbouring counties, will release details regarding auditions and production updates in the coming months.

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Killarney retains top ten position in national litter rankings

Killarney has maintained its position in the top ten of the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, securing 9th place out of 40 towns and cities surveyed nationwide. The […]

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Killarney has maintained its position in the top ten of the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, securing 9th place out of 40 towns and cities surveyed nationwide. The town was officially deemed to be ‘Cleaner than European Norms’.

The accompanying report by An Taisce praised Killarney for delivering a solid performance, noting that there were no heavily littered sites found within the town boundaries.
Several local areas received top marks for maintenance and presentation. Main Street was highlighted as exceptionally well-presented, while Park Road, Muckross Road, and the Knockreer Playground and environs were also singled out for praise. The report noted that the playground area was in very good order across all elements.
However, the inspectors did highlight some areas for improvement. The JYSK site showed slight progress compared to the previous survey but remained classified as moderately littered. The report warned that care must be taken to prevent the location from deteriorating further.
On a national level, IBAL representative Conor Horgan noted that entering the peak tourist season, the country has fewer littered areas than at any time in the past 25 years.
Despite the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), the survey highlighted a national rise in specific waste items. Plastic bottles were found in 19% of all surveyed sites across the country, and drinks cans were present in 22%. The prevalence of coffee cups also reached its highest level since 2023, alongside an increase in cigarette butt litter.

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