AS much as half the land in Killarney National Park is now believed to have been burnt in the devastating fires that raged last weekend.

AS much as half the land in Killarney National Park is now believed to have been burnt in the devastating fires that raged last weekend.
The extent of the damage was revealed as demands intensified for action against countryside burning which the Irish Wildlife Trust said had become an annual ritual.
Ministers responded by abandoning their earlier appeals for caution against careless and accidental fires, and issuing a strong condemnation of what they said were illegal fires.
Ministers Darragh OBrien and Malcolm Noonan visited the park on Monday and announced a doubling of the recently announced recruitment of conservation officers for the park, with 50 new positions now to be created and filled as quickly as possible.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Noonan said: To deliberately destroy precious upland habitats in this way is absolutely criminal. Im thoroughly devastated by what Ive witnessed here today.
The toll on wildlife has yet to be fully assessed but the fire has destroyed vast tracts of heath that was home to ground nesting birds, small mammals, lizards, butterflies, bees and insects, and was also the feeding and hunting ground for many creatures including deer.
Woodland and grassland has also been destroyed although the ancient oak plantations were saved. Conservation areas for the endangered hen harrier were lost.
The fires blazed from mountain tops down to waters edge, with concerns for impact on the parks famous lakes.
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A fire burning in Killarney National Park, Eagle’s Nest, and much of the Park is under fire, currently, Killarney National Park and Wildlife Services, The Irish Air Corps , Kerry County Council Fire Department and Killarney Water Rescue Search and Recovery, have been dispatched to help contain the fire.
A fire burning in Killarney National Park, Eagle’s Nest, and much of the Park is under fire, currently, Killarney National Park and Wildlife Services, The Irish Air Corps , Kerry County Council Fire Department and Killarney Water Rescue Search and Recovery, have been dispatched to help contain the fire.
Niall Kelleher, Killarney councillor and president of the Chamber of Tourism and Commerce said there was deep shock and dismay at what had happened.
The whole episode is extremely distressing, he said. It is impossible for anybody that loves Killarney National Park to try to come to terms with such sheer and utter ecological wreckage.
Mr Kelleher said a full investigation into the fire was imperative, a called backed by many environmental groups.
The Irish Wildlife Trust also called for immediate suspension of the farm payment rules that penalise farmers for not having land in grazable condition.
The rules have long been criticised as pushing farmers into illegal burning in order to clear land of gorse to encourage grass growth for livestock.
The last of the flames were put out just before lunchtime on Monday after three days of round-the-clock efforts by fire crews, the Air Corps, Civil Defence, Gardai, Meitheal volunteers, the Coastguard and local authority staff.
But helicopters continued working at the scene, dumping thousands of litres of water at a time over the burned areas to keep them damp but he warned the park was very dry after weeks of little rain.
Sometimes a fire can burn under the peat and the next thing wind blows over it, it dries out a bit and it reignites.
Its impossible to one hundred per cent guarantee it wont reignite but this will give us as much protection as we can get.
Mr Macilwaith revealed the fire was already well established by the time the alarm was raised on Friday evening.
The sooner we get called, the more we can do about it. By the time we got called to this fire on Friday night, it was night and it had spread quite extensively.