Killarney

Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary’s Cathedral, Ross Castle, Muckross House and Abbey, the Lakes of Killarney, MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, Purple Mountain, Mangerton Mountain, Paps Mountain, the Gap of Dunloe and Torc Waterfall. Its natural heritage, history and location on the Ring of Kerry make Killarney a popular tourist destination.

Killarney won the Best Kept Town award in 2007, in a cross-border competition jointly organised by the Department of the Environment and the Northern Ireland Amenity Council. In 2011, it was named Ireland’s tidiest town and the cleanest town in the country by Irish Business Against Litter.

Killarney in music

In 1900 the composer Cyril Rootham wrote his Op.8 “Four Impressions (Killarney)” for solo violin and small orchestra. The work was never published, but Rootham later arranged the work for pianoforte duet (Op.8 No.2, unpublished) and for violin and piano (Op.8.No.3, published in 1902 as “Impressions pour Violon et Piano”).

At the beginning of the 20th century, when music-hall songs in England about “Good Old Ireland” were all the rage, a number of these songs included reference to Killarney, notably “My Father Was Born In Killarney – Don’t Run Down The Irish” (1910), “Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral” (1914), “For Killarney and you” (1916), “My little cottage home in sweet Killarney”(1917), “Oh my Lily of Killarney” (1917). IRA Memorial, Killarney

“There’s Only the One Killarney” is a song that was written by Irish songwriter Dick Farrelly and recorded by Irish tenor Patrich O’Hagan. Killarney also appears in “How Can You Buy Killarney,” written by Kennedy, Steels, Grant and Morrison, and recorded by Joseph Locke, among others. Killarney is also mentioned in “Christmas in Killarney” (written by Redmond, Cavanaugh and Weldon) and “Did Your Mother Come From Ireland?” (written by Kennedy and Carr), both most notably recorded by Bing Crosby. “Some Say the Devil Is Dead” by Derek Warfield contains the line “Some say the devil is dead and buried in Killarney/ More say he rose again and joined the British Army.” In the chorus of Celtic rock band Gaelic Storm‘s song Raised on Black and Tans, the singer declares his Irish heritage by saying “my mother’s brother’s sister’s cousin’s auntie’s Uncle Barney’s father’s brother had a cousin from Killarney.”

In James Joyce‘s story “A Mother”, one of the entrants at a singing competition sings a song about Killarney.

Van Morrison references the city in the opening lines of his 1974 song “Fair Play” off his Veedon Fleece album: “Fair play to you / Killarney’s lakes are so blue / And the architecture I’m taking in with my mind / So fine.”

Luka Bloom‘s song “Acoustic Motorbike” describes cycling in the Kerry mountains and contains the line “Finally, with my face to that bitter wind, I bounded into Killarney with skin raw like a sushi dinner”

Industry

Thomas Browne, 4th Viscount Kenmare founded linen mills in the 1740s as part of his efforts to increase the population and economy of Killarney. In later years, hosiery and shoe making were major industries in the town.

More modern employers include Liebherr Cranes, which has had a presence in Killarney since 1958, with a combined manufacturing/research and development facility in the town manufacturing container cranes. In honour of its founder, a street in Killarney was named Dr. Hans Liebherr Road. Other businesses include Tricel (also known as Killarney Plastics) which was started in 1973. This multinational employs 450 people globally with 155 people based in Killarney. Dollinger-SPX, a filtration products firm, have production facilities in the local IDA Industrial Estate. Indigenous firms such as Torc Engineering and National Organic Products have established small industries in Killarney.

Muckross Pottery and Muckross Weavers, based beside Muckross House, have a small tableware and woolens business aimed at the tourist market. Kerry Woolen Mills is a family firm that manufactures hats, gloves, sweaters, blankets, scarfs and other products at their premises near Beaufort.

In the public sector, both the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Department of Justice have offices in Killarney.

Tourism

Tourism is by far the largest industry in Killarney. With the exception of Dublin, there are more hotel beds in Killarney than in any other Irish town or city. The tourist population is diverse, but most of the tourists come from the United States, Ireland, the UK, Germany and other European countries.

In the summer months, Killarney is busy with tourists. Many of the town’s shops are tourist-oriented, with many gift shops around the town. The town centre also has a number of range of hotels, pubs and restaurants. Killarney is known for its jaunting cars (horse-drawn carts) operated by local jarvies.

Sporting events during the festival include the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle, the Killarney Regatta, the 5 km SummerFest Fun Run and the Killarney Races.

Conference and events

The INEC (Ireland’s National Events Centre) Killarney convention centre has a capacity of 2,500 and has hosted many major conferences and events since its opening in 2001. Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the Labour Party have had their annual conferences in the INEC as have the main trade unions and associations. Google, IBM, GSK have used the centre for major events. The venue has also hosted major sporting events, incl Tae-Kwon-Do, snooker, boxing, and concerts by major national and international artists including Willie Nelson, Cliff Richard, The Script, Snow Patrol, Bob Geldof, Billy Connolly, Kenny Rogers, and José Carreras.

Attractions

Nightlife

Killarney is a common destination for partygoers. Killarney’s nightspots are often busy seven days a week during the summer months and weekends throughout the year when the population of the town and the surrounding area increases significantly.

Car rallying

Until the early 1980s, Killarney was the destination of the Circuit of Ireland Rally, which was held every year over the Easter holiday weekend. The town plays host to the International Rally of the Lakes on the first weekend of May each year.