Two men rescued from maze of rhododendron in Killarney National Park

THE Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has reiterated that no camping is allowed in Killarney National Park, following an incident last week in which two men were rescued from a location near Glena Cottage on the shore of Lough Leane after becoming lost in an area of dense Rhododendron.

The two men, from Belgium and Dublin respectively, camped in the area overnight, but became lost within the cover last Thursday morning. After making contact with emergency services that morning, a search and rescue effort involving Valentia Coastguard, Killarney Water Rescue, Kerry Mountain Rescue and Rescue Helicopter 115 ensued.

The helicopter crew in conjunction with Kerry Mountain Rescue located the men using their infrared FLIR system, and guided them to a nearby pier, where they were collected by boat and brought to safety.

A spokesperson for Killarney Water Rescue said the men were tired, cold and hungry after the ordeal, but had emerged uninjured from the situation.

The Department said it was sorry to hear of the incident and expressed their sympathies, but pointed out that camping is not permitted in the Park.

“There is an extensive network of roads and trails within the Park, and www.killarneynationapark.ie and thediscoverireand.ie recommend many trails for walkers to use. The Park maintains these trails which are sign-posted. The two campers rescued were not on any of these.

The Department also advised visitors to “stay on trail. Going off trails increases the potential for injury or becoming lost.”

In the past, approximately 3,000 of the over 10,000 hectares in the park, but the Departments said this is no longer the case.

“Approximately 2,000 of the 3,000 hectares is under effective control. Since 2011, the Department invested over €700,000 to tackle Rhododendron in the park. In 2016, the Department spent close to €210,000 on clearance alone.”