Gardaí report 'extremely positive' return for Killarney's Rally of the Lakes

Previous editions had resulted in large-scale antisocial behaviour, prompting a major garda response this year

Up to 200 cars are competing in the rally itself which kicked off on Friday on Main Street after a showcase of competitors which took place at the fire station at the Killarney bypass. Picture: Martin Walsh.

Gardaí reported "extremely positive engagement" as the International Rally of the Lakes in Killarney drew to a close.

Massive crowds had flocked to Kerry for the annual event, which was taking place for the 41st time. It had been postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, while the preceding years had been marred by public order issues, including large-scale boy-racing, noise and disturbances for locals.

But gardaí said this year's edition saw "nothing more than an ordinary weekend", with only a handful of public order offences, and no serious incidents as the event drew to a close. The major policing plan swung into action on Friday afternoon with static checkpoints on all major and some minor approach roads. 

Checkpoints continued over the weekend. Car parks including at Moll’s Gap – a popular venue for wheelies and other activities - at Muckross and the Woodlands Industrial estate in Killarney were closed in advance of the rally.

Plainclothes members of the drugs division carried out a number of drugs searches and on Saturday night seized cannabis with a street value of €4,000 in an alleged sale and supply drugs offence. A “significant number” of fines were issued by gardaí for road traffic and vehicle offences including engine modification. 

There have also been a number of arrests for drink- and drug-driving.

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“The Gardaí on the ground and on the road checkpoints experienced courtesy and friendliness and overall compliance. People were here to enjoy themselves and not with any anti-social intent,” Killarney Sergeant Dermot O’Connell, who has led the policing plan remarked.

Intense policing in 2018 and 2019 and media reporting of the breaches of public order and road traffic laws had sent the message there was a line that could not be crossed, the sergeant said. The number of vehicles seized for having no tax or insurance was in the single digits, a stark contrast to previous years.

Thousands of spectators attended, including a large number from France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Up to 200 cars are competing in the rally itself which kicked off on Friday on Main Street after a showcase of competitors which took place at the fire station at the Killarney bypass.

The rally on Saturday took place along new stages in east Kerry with several roads in Kilcummin, Scartaglin, Genneveguilla, Rathmore and districts closed for the stages.

Sunday morning saw the classic events for which the Killarney Rally is famous: the spectacular high mountain stages of Moll’s Gap Killarney and Ballagh Beama in South Kerry. Much of the Ring of Kerry experienced road closures on Sunday.