Public access legal action

The Department of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht is, reportedly, understood to be taking a legal route to have public access to a section of Killarney National Park restored.

For the past two weeks, locals and visitors have been stopped from entering Tomies Wood, a popular walking area, near Beaufort on the western side of the park in Co Kerry.

A locked gate, topped with barbed wire, and the recent erection of a 2m-high fence beside it, have prevented access.