OLD RIVALRY between Kerry’s two largest towns has reared its head with the setting up of rival committees in Tralee and in Killarney to pitch for a long-proposed Kerry GAA museum.
A number of candidates in the Kerry South constituency suggested such a museum for Killarney in their campaign literature ahead of the last general election. Over the past few months, a Killarney committee has been working behind the scenes on a museum that would be a tourist attraction at the town’s historic Fitzgerald Stadium.
The Killarney suggestion has been broached at county board level and the plans are being presented in the coming weeks.
However, following a monthly town council meeting this week, a subcommittee of Tralee Town Council has now been set up in an attempt to have the museum located in the county’s capital.
The council in Tralee wants to have the museum sited in Tralee, in conjunction with the Kerry County Museum at the Ashe Memorial Hall.
Councillors at the Tralee meeting accused Killarney of “trying to grab what they can”.
However, chairman of the Kerry County Board Jerome Conway said this week that the board would listen to all plans for such a museum but he did indicate that Killarney may be the more viable option, due to the huge volume of tourists that visit the town every year.
“There are 1.5 million visitors to Killarney each year and only a percentage of that to Tralee so, from a viability point of view, Killarney, would appear to be the better option but there are lots of conditions that must be satisfied yet,” he told the Kerry’s Eye newspaper.
Kerry has won 36 senior football titles, more than any other county since the first All-Ireland in 1887.