'The bride was nearly crying': Wedding couples asked to leave Killarney beauty spots
Couples flock to the beauty spots of Killarney National Park to take their wedding photos. Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan
The mayor of Killarney said she is “horrified” by claims that newlyweds and photographers are being asked to leave favourite backdrops, if they do not have proper permits, amid fears over insurance.
Labour Party councillor Marie Moloney said the long tradition of wedding photography in Killarney National Park needs to be given a wider lens.
Brides and grooms and their photographers have been approached by park wildlife rangers demanding to see permits, on insurance grounds, said Ms Moloney, cathaoirleach of Killarney municipal district.
She said she had been directly contacted by one bride about the issue, and claimed other wedding parties had also been approached by officials.
The Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government, which governs the National Parks and Wildlife Service, said regulations over commercial activity in the park are for indemnity reasons and they are long-standing.
Permits are readily obtainable, it said.
Ms Moloney said commercial photographers snapping deer deep in the park during the recent rut were not being asked to show permits.
She had ascertained this herself by approaching two such photographers who they told her they were not asked for the documentation.
Wedding parties were not going deep into the park as they were under time pressure. They were just barely going into the park to be photographed near the Lakes of Killarney, the mayor said.
"I'm 41 years married and I took my photographs in the Killarney National Park and I am not the first. It’s a Killarney tradition, " Ms Moloney said, adding that wedding couples love to be photographed in the national park.
Wedding couples love to be photographed in the national park, she added.
“It’s their pride and joy on their big day,” she said.
Ms Moloney put forward a motion at the public meeting that was unanimously backed by councillors.
Kerry County Council management will now to write to park management on the issue.
The motion states: "That Kerry County Council would immediately contact the National Park and Wildlife Service and convey its disappointment and disbelief that locals are not allowed to take a few wedding photographs in the National Park which has been the tradition of locals for many many decades."
"Park rangers are now approaching married couples and the photographers and asking them to leave the park.
“This is not acceptable as the park belongs to the people."
The row over photography has been simmering for months. The backdrop of the park is a key marketing device by wedding and other photographers.
Favourite spots for brides include the ornamental rhododendron bushes in Muckross Gardens; the view of Muckross lake from the New Entrance; and Ross Castle.
Killarney House, within the town, the most recent property to be taken over to the State, with its formal French-style gardens, is increasingly popular for wedding couples.
One wedding photographer who asked not to be named said he was approached by a ranger after he had finished snapping a couple in the Muckross area of the park and asked if he had a permit. This was in earshot of the wedding party.
“The bride was nearly crying,” the photographer said of the encounter.
Photographers are being issued with permits but are being asked to notify park authorities in advance, the photographer said.
In a statement, the department said: "Photography by the general public and amateur wildlife photography is permitted in the park.
"All commercial events including professional photography, wedding promotional, fashion etc is subject to a permit, which is readily obtainable.
"The system simply requires the professional photographer to apply for a current permit.
"This has long been the standard practice and is necessary for insurance/indemnification purposes.”
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