Killarney National Park installing fencing to prevent deer colliding with traffic

The Irish Deer Commission advises all motorists to be vigilant at this time of year, known as the rutting season. File photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

Fencing is being installed around Killarney National Park after a rise in car collisions with deer, with calls to extend barriers around Kerry.

Motorists in the county were last week told to be alert to wandering deer in Kerry as the rutting season sets in after “a deer had been cut in half”, while occupants of a car on the N22 were lucky not to have been killed near Killorglin.

One taxi driver said he has been put out of work after a serious collision with a deer on the main Scartaglin to Castleisland road.

A project to ward off deer, involving the Department of Agriculture, Kerry County Council, University College Cork, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), has been delayed because of funding issues. 

Two schemes, unveiled in June 2025, were expected to be in place before the rutting season this year, with the results from Kerry to be used as a template for a national strategy by TII.

Kerry County Council director of services Paul Neary said the pilot was a joint funding project and one of the co-funders had pulled out, though it is expected to begin early in 2027. 

Kerry has a road network of 4,500km, with the sika, introduced in the 19th century from Japan, and the native red deer now active on roads.

A taxi driver from Scartaglin who serves the Castleisland area told  Radio Kerry how his newly acquired Ford minibus had been written off last week after hitting a deer.

Jerry O’Connor said he is now out of work and his vehicle, which he bought just six weeks ago, is now in the garage after being severely damaged. He will have to finance the repairs through his own insurance as no one is responsible for deer on the roads.

He said he suffered deep bruising and was referred to University Hospital Kerry for treatment.

Fianna Fáil councillor Tommy Cahill told a meeting of Kerry County Council that he was travelling between Killarney and Killorglin when he came across the scene of a collision involving a deer.

“The deer was cut in half. It was pretty bad to see,” said Mr Cahill, adding that the occupants of the car were not seriously injured. “It’s only a matter of time before lives are lost," he said. 

Deer are now travelling widely across the county and are appearing on major and minor roads, the meeting was told.

Council chief executive Fearghal Reidy said it was liaising with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and that fencing works are taking place at Killarney National Park. Previous meetings were told the service had rejected fencing at the national park.

Mr Cahill and his father, TD Michael Cahill, called for a co-ordinated response to the issue.

“We need to look seriously at deer management, fencing in high-risk locations, warning and detection systems, and any other practical measures that can reduce the risk to motorists," they said.

Rutting season

Meanwhile, the Irish Deer Commission advises all motorists to be vigilant at this time of year, known as the rutting season.

Collisions are on the increase, but only about 10% of collisions with deer are reported to gardaí, it estimated.

Dawn and dusk are particularly dangerous, and motorists are advised to reduce speed in forested areas and to dim lights if they see deer.

The commission will hold its annual red deer rut watch event in Killarney National Park on Sunday, October 11.