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.

While there was no comment yesterday from the department, it was reliably informed legal proceedings are in train, including a possible court injunction to remove the obstruction.

Tomies Wood overlooks Lough Leane and Killarney town, and also features a looped walk which passes O’Sullivan’s Cascade, a well-known landmark.

In order to enter the wood, walkers have to take a road through private land.

Late last month, the road was blocked and signs declaring “private property” and “no trespassing” were erected.

Controversially, last January, Killarney Municipal Authority unanimously agreed, without discussion, to change the county development plan to allow the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) develop a new 1km road into the wood.

There were strong objections from environmentalists and a local family who owns land in the park.

NPWS staff use the road to enter that section of the park.

Friends of the Irish Environment director Tony Lowes backed the family, which has been engaged in long-running legal disputes, saying there were concerns the road would be part of a bigger plan that could include a bridge and a new looped walk around the Lakes of Killarney.

He claimed the new road was part of a phased plan for the 32km loop and a “stalking horse” for a project-splitting plan which the public should be made aware of.

Mr Lowes also said it was a special area of conservation, a special protection area for birds, a natural heritage area with core areas of a Unesco biosphere reserve, a site of ancient oakwoods, and a breeding area for rare white-tailed eagles.