Killarney hoteliers protest over pool receiving council money

THEY had been warned that public swimming pools are nearly always loss-makers, but that did not stop Killarney town councillors from proceeding with a €16 million sports complex, including a 25-metre pool, in 2005.

This year, the council is to spend €500,000 to keep the troubled Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre afloat.

Killarney hoteliers – whose pools are in competition with the subsidised public centre – are now up in arms and threatening legal action on grounds of unfair competition.