Three wildlife species under threat in Ireland are fitting subjects of the annual autumn series of talks in Killarney National Park, writes Donal Hickey.

From one kingdom to another, the Prince of Wales hailed his visit to Kerry yesterday as “remarkable”, after fulfilling a long-time ambition to see what is considered to be Ireland’s most beautiful county.

Originally built as a private residence in 1870, the newly renovated Cahernane House revels in its Victorian grandeur.

For tree-lovers, autumn is perhaps the most beautiful time of the year when foliage changes into a rich mixture of brown, red, yellow, orange and gold.

Restored in part to its magnificent splendour, a number of public rooms in Killarney House, Co Kerry, were officially opened yesterday after a €10m makeover to the property and grounds.

It is taking two ministers today to open a mansion saved from ruin.

There are that drones are being deployed by would-be burglars to stake out houses and properties, says a councillor.

Take a stroll through Ireland’s majestic gardens with Donal Hickey.

One of the few multi-million euro restoration projects to have gone ahead during the economic downturn has been unveiled to the public with the limited reopening of Killarney House and Gardens, yesterday.

It is being hailed as the jewel in the crown of Killarney, and its restoration will bring the Killarney National Park right into the heart of the town and create the biggest urban park in the world.

The Comptroller and Auditor General has found 173 items from the State’s art collection have been identified as missing — including 44 from the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Extra vehicles using a new car park in a town hit by chronic congestion will not create a traffic hazard, An Bord Pleanála has ruled.

A lack of parking facilities will force visitors away from a top tourist town, it has been warned.

A clash is looming between business and environmental interests over the venue for a major music festival which will bring a financial windfall to a tourism hotspot.

A €7m tourist attraction in Killarney, Co Kerry, will be opened next year, Arts and Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys has confirmed.

Work on a €7m project to make an old mansion in Killarney, Co Kerry, a centre of visitor activity is due to be completed prior to the 2015 tourist season.

The felling of around 70 cherry blossom trees which lined a popular walk in the tourist mecca of Killarney has sparked controversy.

Gardaí have arrested a man as part of a major investigation into the theft of State-owned art from private storage.

A patchwork of paths and ornamental features, created in the 18th century during the heyday of formal gardening, has been discovered under layers of soil at famed Killarney House.

Stolen 19th century paintings of members of a leading landlord family, in Kerry, which have been recovered, should be returned to the county, it has been urged.

A mansion undergoing a €7m refurbishment is to become the main visitor and interpretive centre for Killarney National Park and South Kerry.

Actor Michael Fassbender, brought up in Kerry, may play the life of a Killarney man who spearheaded Ireland’s first full-length feature film with sound.

A TOWN council has been urged to acquire a listed Victorian building, once a picture postcard cottage, at the gateway to Killarney National Park.

MINISTER for Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar announced a €7 million restoration for the beautiful but dilapidated Killarney House and its grounds on Saturday.

THE restoration of an 18th century house, donated to the state in the 1980s, will be the largest single investment in any tourism project this year.

The €7m restoration of Killarney House will go ahead, Ministers have said today.

A STUNNING 18th-century mansion gifted to the state by a billionaire businessman should be converted into a summer residence for the President, it has been proposed.

OWNERS of derelict sites in Killarney could be faced with a levy from January next, unless they co-operate with the local town council and bring their properties up to standard.

A NUN whose multi-millionaire parents donated historic Killarney House to the nation, has vowed not to return to Kerry until the house is restored.

WILL she, or won’t she?

PRELIMINARY work has started on long-awaited renovations to historic Killarney House which is intended, long-term, to become a visitor centre for the National Park.

IF Queen Elizabeth deigns to come to Cork during her State visit to Ireland, they may have to do a bit of heavy lifting at UCC. A statue of her predecessor, Queen Victoria, once held pride of place on the roof of the college’s Aula Maxima when it was Queen’s University Cork.

AN UPSURGE of interest in the outdoors is creating new opportunities for artists and authors of guidebooks on the Irish countryside.

WOMEN have been advised not to walk alone in Killarney National Park after reports that a serial flasher has been exposing himself along scenic routes.

DISAPPOINTMENT has been voiced in Killarney following the exclusion, yet again, of an historic, old house from Fáilte Ireland funding.

MOVES are under way to convert a piece of land in Killarney National Park into a town park, which would be only a few minutes’ walk from the town centre.

ALONG with many natives of Killarney I was shocked by the appalling neglect of Killarney House, as you reported it (February 1).

AN historic building in Killarney will fall into serious disrepair if the Government doesn’t move quickly to restore it.

SOME owners of old, protected buildings in Killarney are allowing them to go derelict so that they can be more easily removed from the list of protected structures, executive planner Fiona O’Sullivan told Killarney Town Council.

AS an indicator of the increasing wealth of modern Ireland, there is no better example than the one-off house.