A deer grazing ant Killarney Golf and Fishing Club close to the main road at Fossa
The deer are jumping out on to the road. They are beautiful to look at but not so nice when they are on the bonnet of your car with their legs coming in the windscreen
The danger posed by wandering deer to motorists travelling from Port Road to Lackabane Village in Fossa is escalating all the time and the situation has now reached crisis point, a meeting of Killarney Municipal District Council was told on Wednesday.
Cllr Brendan Cronin said Transport Infrastructure Ireland had previously given clear-cut commitments that action would be taken but that pledge has fallen through.
“Everybody is getting weary and more frustrated. It is extremely disappointing and we can’t rely on commitments given,” he said.
Cllr Cronin said a number of years have passed since families, who had lost loved ones due to incidents with deer on that particular road, personally pleaded with the council for help.
“The number of accidents at this stage is just ridiculous,” he said.
“The deer are jumping out on to the road. They are beautiful to look at but not so nice when they are on the bonnet of your car with their legs coming in the windscreen” Cllr Cronin remarked.
He also highlighted the danger posed by dangerous trees on the left-hand-side of the road heading towards Fossa which have the potential to fall and kill someone.
Cllr Brendan Cronin: The number of accidents at this stage is just ridiculous
”Is there anything going to be done in 2026? Give the public the true facts,” he pleaded with senior officials.
Cllr John O’Donoghue said, at this stage, the deer were as numerous as cars on the Fossa road while Cllr Maura Healy-Rae labelled it a death trap due to deer and massive trees right at the side of the road.
“Fatalities have happened at this location. We were given a commitment but it wasn’t delivered,” she said.
Cllr Niall O’Callaghan described the threat posed by deer in Fossa as being “nuts and off the Richter scale”.
He said he was recently returning from a wedding in Sneem and he encountered three incidents with deer.
“Why aren’t we being told what is happening? It’s about safety and people’s lives and their cars,” he said.
A deer at the side of the main road close to the entrance to the Fossa Way
Cllr Marie Moloney said there had been great fanfare about a new system to control deer that was being imported from America but nothing has happened.
“That stretch of road is notorious. When I drive it my eyes are glued to the ditch.
”We do not want another fatality or serious injury or cars being destroyed,” she said.
Council officials said environmental studies have been carried out along that stretch of road and a feasibility and options report was prepared. The potential to widen the road was assessed but not deemed to be feasible due to “environmental constraints”.
Two separate pilot projects utilising new technologies for controlling deer – as well as a drier alert system – are being developed for the site with the process guided by consultants.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland is supporting one of the initiatives and the other is part of a wider pilot study.
Councillors were told that they would have a detailed report on the matter at their next meeting.
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