By Eric Conroy

Our third annual An Taisce outing was to Killarney National Park in September, following on from two stays in Clare Island in previous years. I and fellow-member Margaret arrived early off the train to maximise our time in the town. We ventured immediately into the park which is right beside the town. A walk took us to Ross Castle, through fine oak woodland. We saw the jarveys with their tourist passengers riding through the park. We noticed a good deal of cyclists, which is an effective way to see the national park. This makes me ponder coming down to Killarney again with my e-bike. Back in town, we visited the impressive Catholic cathedral of St. Mary, designed by renowned English architect Augustus Welby Pugin. Construction took place from 1842 to 1855, having been held up due to the great famine – the tower and nave were added in 1907.

In the evening, we joined our An Taisce colleagues in the hotel for a briefing on our visit to the national park the following day. An Taisce CEO Gary Freemantle welcomed us and introduced Mary Sheehan who works in the NPWS. She and her husband Werner, who are active members of An Taisce, were on the Clare Island trips and a possible visit to Killarney was mooted. I was pleased to see Claire Wheeler, who was a former councillor with the Green Party, as an An Taisce member on our tour.

The next day, we set out on our tour of the park with Mary. We did a lot of walking and taking boat trips on the lakes of the park. It was very interesting and Mary was informative about the flora and fauna of the park. Some of the tree species that we encountered, the arbutus/strawberry tree (which I tasted a fruit )- the Latin (Scientific) name is Arbutus Unedo, meaning I only eat one! We came across whitebeam trees which Killarney is a hotspot for in Ireland with four native species occurring in the National Park, Rowan, Rock Whitebeam, English Whitebeam and the very rare Maura Scannell’s Whitebeam. Also encountered were trees and shrubs laden with fruit, the blackthorn, guelder rose, spindle, yew and juniper. Some of the fungi encountered included the coral fungus and fly agaric. Yes, we came across a lot of mushrooms of all shapes, sizes and colours – magic mushrooms! (Photo below courtesy Margaret McLoughlin)

We were dressed for the weather, but we did not expect the torrential rain we experienced on the boat from Innisfallen Abbey to Dinis Island! We all got soaked but live to tell the tale. It did not spoil the thoroughly stimulating experience of the islands, woods and Lakes of Killarney. Later we walked to Muckross House and gardens, and then boarded the shuttle bus back to our hotel.

Given the views on the park by writers like Eoghan Daltun (An Irish Atlantic Rainforest) that the park is in a bad ecological state, we did not see obvious signs of this, like extensive rhododendron and deer. Mary explained that Red deer, which are long term residents, and Sitka deer which were introduced in the 19th century, are increasing in numbers in parts of the park, and are a problem in the woodlands due to overgrazing. While some browsers are needed to stop brambles taking over, and to maintain a diverse species balance, too many do not allow new trees and other plants to grow. Given that their natural predators of the wolves have not existed in Ireland since 1786, culling is taking place to help keep their numbers in check. Mary did point out pockets of rhododendron on our journey. It grows prodigiously in various areas and blocks other vegetation from growing. The management is working to curtail the invasive species and the latest weapons are machines equipped with mulching blades to cut back the areas of densest growth. Hopefully, An Taisce can rejoin the Liaison Committee, to help improve the wild nature of the park.

Having dried off, we had a pleasant group dinner in our hotel, The Gleneagle which is 2 km. south of the town. After the meal, we had a meeting to hear about getting An Taisce up and running in Kerry with a local association. We heard from chair Eamon Fleming and Ann Marie Fuller who led a session on where we will be as a society with climate change etc. in 2032. Kate Carmody, who was not able to be present, is also helping to re-launch the local branch.

Next day – departure day – a number of us visited Killarney House and gardens which was the home of the Earls of Kenmare. It is on the edge of the town and a gateway to the park. From the 18th century, the lands in today's park were divided between two great estates: the Herberts of Muckross and the Brownes (Earls of Kenmare) In the 20th century both came into the ownership of American families of the Bourn/Vincent and McShane respectively. Therefore, we are grateful that the properties of two American families came together and were gifted to the state, to form the Killarney National Park. It thus became the Irish state’s first national park in 1932 and enlarged in later years, totalling over 10,000 hectares.

I fitted in a quick visit to the Church of Ireland church in the town centre. It is a lovely building with a wall plaque to John McGillicuddy, who could have been a member of the clan that gave their name to the McGillicuddy Reeks. Then a short walk to the station to get the train back to Dublin. We must thank Annette McCall for her fantastic organisation of our trip, with planning so many things to do: well done Annette! A personal thanks to Mary for her help with my blog.

So where to next year? Have members any ideas about possible destinations in 2026?

As a postscript, it was good to visit the town which has a no single-use coffee cup project in its cafes & hotels. It is brave to campaign on this front, but I’m told it is creaking at present as some outlets are moving unfortunately to offering single-use cups.

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