Boy racers block off main road to perform stunts

BOY racers blocked off a section of the main Cork to Killarney road around Glenflesk for about half an hour on Saturday night, as other young drivers performed various stunts in modified cars.

However, five Garda Traffic Corps units opened the road and maintained a presence in the area.

The International Rally of the Lakes attracted large crowds of motor sport fans to the Killarney area and there were 25 arrests, including five for drink driving, up to yesterday.

There were 16 arrests for public order offences and others for theft, criminal damages and possession of drugs.

Twenty-one cars were seized. Some local people complained about the noise from revved-up engines, saying they were unable to sleep at night.

A large force of gardaí was on duty day and night throughout the weekend.

The Garda dog unit was also present in the Killarney area.

But, no serious incidents were reported and, despite the recession, gardaí said crowds in Killarney at night were on par with other years.

There was an estimated 40,000 people in the town.

Some car parks and industrial estates in and around Killarney were barricaded and manned by security personnel to keep out boy and girl racers.

Scores of the “racers”, however, then took to the roads, with tyre marks yesterday providing evidence of high-speed hand brake turns, wheelies and figures-of-eight.

Thousands of spectators, meanwhile, were out watching the rally drivers proper and took up viewing vantage points for the stages at places such as Moll’s Gap, deep in the Kerry mountains.