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Town engineer: No short-term solution to traffic crisis

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 Just four out of 33 of the recommended traffic measures have been completed since 2016

Killarney’s Town Engineer, John Ahern, has stated in no uncertain terms that there is no short-term solution to the town’s crippling traffic problem. The situation at Port Road and Mission Road has been particularly dire but Mr Ahern said the only way of solving that issue was by building an outer link road onto the Muckross Road. “Until that is delivered you’re always going to have congestion,” he said. “Anything we do in town in just chipping away at the edges.”

During the recession, the government shelved plans for a new Killarney bypass for at least 10-12 years, which means locals and visitors could be set for another decade or more of traffic issues.

Killarney’s heavy traffic has been a major concern for many years but the situation this summer was particularly dire with many locals claiming that it was the worst the town has ever seen.

The TEIR 1 report indicated that tourist numbers are expected to increase 30% by 2025, which means the situation is likely to get far worse before it gets better.

Mr Ahern, who was speaking at a Killarney Municipal District meeting on Wednesday, also said that the large congregation of schools in the New Road area of town was a significant contributing factor.

“The community is growing so there’s an increased number of pupils going to these schools,” he said. “The vast majority of them are travelling by car and they’re all hitting at the one peak time. You’re going to get congestion there and there’s no easy or obvious answer to that, unless you bring in some sort of a bus system. I do believe that we should sit down with the principals of the schools so that we can begin the process of consultation.”

Apparently children aren’t walking to school because their bags are too heavy, Mr Ahern added.

Meanwhile, with regards to the Killarney Traffic Management Plan which was released in 2016, it was revealed that just four of the 33 recommended measures outlined in the report have been officially completed.

17 of the 33 measures were categorised as short-term two years ago but many of these projects remain unfinished.

“A lot of the short-term things should be done,” Cllr Niall Kelleher said. “The link roads need to be completed and we should ensure that the objectives in this plan are brought to fruition and completed as soon as possible. I believe we could be making better progress.”

Town Manager Angela McAllen stressed that there’s a lot of work done but “a lot more needs to be done”.

“We have to take a realistic approach to it,” she said. “We have the deputation for the very important link road, works are progressing in relation to the Haha, works are progressing in relation to Bohreen-na-Goun (next to Dunnes Stores)… Where you have purchases of land involved, it does involve a medium to long-term view. While we all want the solutions now, the reality is that we can’t have all the solutions now.”

What do you think? What steps can be taken to alleviate Killarney’s traffic problem? Let us know via newsdesk@killarneyadvertiser.ie.

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s


World renowned Paralympian and world record holder Jason Smyth paid a visit to St Brendan’s College on Wednesday afternoon as part of a high profile visit to Killarney.


The six time Paralympic gold medallist spoke to second year students from St Brendan’s College, alongside students from neighbouring schools St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School and Killarney Community College.
The interactive talk and interview took place ahead of World Sight Day, with the legendary sprinter sharing his personal journey with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that left him legally blind at eight years old.
The Derry native, who holds the world record as the fastest Paralympian on earth over 100 metres, offered inspiring insights into overcoming physical adversity and achieving success at the highest level of world sport.
The school visit formed the opening leg of his Killarney schedule before he took centre stage later on Wednesday evening at The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa.
Smyth headlined An Evening with Paralympian Jason Smyth, an event organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce as part of its winter schedule, sponsored by AIB.

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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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