Jarveys ‘open to talks’ in Killarney horse dung row

KILLARNEY jarveys yesterday insisted they have always been available for talks with their local town council on the vexed horse dung issue.

But they also said they were “extremely disappointed” at recent reported comments by town council manager, John Breen, that he was no longer prepared to tolerate horse dung on the streets.

Efforts by the council, over several years, to get jarveys to use equine sanitary devices on their carriages have failed.

Mr Breen said Killarney had excellent accommodation and restaurants, but littering of the streets with horse dung was damaging the image of the tourist town. Mr Breen also highlighted risks to public health from E.coli.

He said it was unacceptable that people visiting restaurants with the highest hygiene standards should have to face deposits of horse dung when they stepped outside the door.

In a statement yesterday, the Killarney Jarvey Association said it had at all times been willing to enter into meaningful negotiations with the council, but this willingness had not been reciprocated.

“We have now felt it necessary to write to the town manager through our solicitor and we are awaiting a response,” said the statement signed by association chairman, Patrick O’Sullivan.

“No further statements will be made on this matter while the matter is in the hands of our legal team.”

Horse dung has been a controversial issue in Killarney for years, with large deposits of dung in areas such as Muckross Road, Mission Road, Ross Road and Killarney National Park.

Mr Breen, meanwhile, has called on the region’s multimillion-euro tourism industry and the business community in Killarney to support his efforts at finding a solution to the problem.

Despite the use of equine sanitary devices in other countries, the Killarney jarveys have consistently argued such devices could prompt horses to bolt.