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Wicklow deer farmers are up in arms about being eaten out of house and home by deer. Now, we might have very different opinions on the referendum, but I have to take my hat off to Cllr John Joe Culloty, a member of the park liaison committee, for speaking out about the atrocious situation on Innisfallen with deer starving to death.

This was known about in other circles - and if not it was widely anticipated - but no one spoke out! An invitation from him by way of council motion last Monday to Minister Josepha Madigan to come and see the state of the National Park for herself has had a response already.

Minister Madigan, elevated to office by Leo in November, has not managed to come down to Killarney yet. She is the minister with responsibility for the NPWS and part of her department is in the plush offices in New Road. Cllr Culloty asked her to see the difficult but not insurmountable problems in the park – a call seconded by Cllr Michael Gleeson.

Mr Culloty said the Park urgently needs greater funding to help with the current shortage of staff. There are just four wildlife rangers now for the ten thousand hectares of lake, mountain and woodland and maintenance personnel have also been greatly reduced.

Calling on the minister to see for herself the deterioration of much of the Park, Mr Culloty said the value of the Park to Killarney and to the country was huge and Killarney tourism, which was worth €410 million, depended on it.

“What’s going on is unbelievable,” he said. “There is a huge issue here. It’s vitally important that the minister comes down to see for herself.”

It transpires now that the minister is concerned about the deer on the island associated with Brian Ború. This is what her spokeswoman told me on Tuesday:

“The Minister is currently finalising her diary engagements for the coming period. She is in touch with all current issues. She looks forward to visiting in person as her diary permits in the coming period. In the meantime, she has asked her senior heritage official to visit the Park and report back to her directly on the deer situation.”

Meanwhile, why has Innisfallen slipped down the ranks of attention? Maybe the dire state of the much-visited island can be taken up by our other minister, Brendan Griffin? Maybe instead of focusing so much on Dingle, and its heritage, and its roads, he can turn his attention to Killarney heritage? Innisfallen is of huge cultural value. At a time when tourists are more interested in cultural tourism, it deserves attention.