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Time to put the spotlight on Innisfallen

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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.

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Con O’Leary: Killarney loses a vibrant and popular personality

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the early hours of Sunday.

Con was a vibrant and popular personality in Killarney where he operated The Laurels on Main Street, a thriving bar and restaurant, which he inherited following the passing of his father, Thado.
The business organisation said from a social perspective, The Laurels became the beating heart of the town and it was a landmark at the Market Cross in the same way as Clery’s clock was in the capital city.
Chamber said Con’s passing really marks the end of an era as he was one of a golden age of inspirational local business people who developed and built Killarney, through hard work, bravery and great commercial flair, and helped create the wonderful tourist attraction and holiday destination it is today.
“Con was very proud of Killarney and he played a very active part in progressing the town at many levels.
“He was a man that was never short of great ideas and his contribution to the business life of the town and as a director of Killarney Race Company was immense,” Chamber said.
“He was ahead of his time in many respects with the introduction by what became known as “the singing lounge” many years ago and The Laurels always led by example through its successes in the annual Killarney Looking Good competition”.
The business representative organisation noted that the O’Leary family has always been very supporting of the town and Con’s daughter, Kate, was a very dynamic Chamber President and is still a very valued member of the executive.
Chamber expressed deep sympathy to Con’s wife, Anne, children Kate, Niall, Tara and Lorna, sons-in-law, grandchildren, sisters, relatives and friends as well as the dedicated staff in The Laurels, past and present, who Con always had great time for and a great rapport with.

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All Roads Lead To Kerry For National Road Safety Conference

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29. The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event […]

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Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29.

The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic-related incidents, and sharing knowledge and best practices for safer road use. It encompasses various strategies and efforts across multiple domains, including road design, engineering, enforcement, forensic collision investigation, technology, education, collision trends, occupational driving, cycling and scooting, e-mobility, active & sustainable travel and on-road events.

In addition to this, AI, Virtual Reality and Driver Simulation will play a significant role at the conference, in improving safety by predicting and preventing accidents, optimizing traffic, and aiding the development of autonomous vehicles.

This ‘Safer Roads’ conference is a non-public event where road safety professionals, speakers and service providers from across Ireland, other EU countries and the UK will attend, including transportation experts, government and local authority officials, roads policing and vehicle inspection agencies, road safety advocates, educators and promoters, collision responders, cycling bodies and community safety networks.

Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh said:
“Road safety has evolved over the years to a much broader scope, in terms of e-mobility, sustainability, technology and engineering for instance. It’s not just about the road or the vehicle anymore, but also about how technology, human behaviour, enforcement, and education intersect to reduce risks and prevent collisions. The ‘Safer Roads’ conference will involve and include every branch of the road safety tree, right across the board, and in doing so, we aim to increase road safety awareness, improve road user behaviour and decrease the collisions and carnage we see on our roads every day,”

The two-day conference also provides an opportunity for exhibitors to attend, and interested state bodies, businesses and service providers are invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services and engage with delegates and officials at the conference.

Further information about the conference and how to register or exhibit can be found here. https://www.kerrycoco.ie/safer-roads-road-safety-conference/

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