Once Lowly Regard Ireland Town Turning Around Its Reputation

A town in Ireland that was mostly avoided by visitors is successfully changing its reputation.

Muckross House, Dromyrourk, Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland / Mandatory Credit - Lisa Fecker

Everyone loves a redemption story. That is what the town of Killarney has been doing, looking to improve the reputation it had garnered among the many gorgeous places to visit in Ireland.

Killarney was once a barren wasteland of bogs along The Wild Atlantic Way. It was one of many places that tourists could stop along the more than 2,500-kilometer trail that went along the country’s west coast.

A lot of work was put in to turn things around and become more of a tourist attraction. Efforts were made to improve roadways, drain bogs and construct inns for people to stay at during their visit.

That all started more than 300 years ago when Thomas Browne, the fourth Viscount Kenmare, was old enough to make such changes after inheriting Killarney. It became a very popular destination, but over time, that reputation worsened.

Quickley, Killarney was becoming a spot that tourists would actively avoid. They had lost their way, no longer rooted in their rich history and culture and selling knickknacks imported from thousands of miles away.

No longer leaning into the great natural beauty it had to offer, Killarney was written off as ever becoming a popular tourist attraction again. But, determined locals have been determined to change that reputation and are finding success in doing so.

One of the ways that has been done is by offering something unique. As Gemma Tipton of the BBC noted, Killarney is one of the only towns that have kept its train tracks intact. They have also taken a bold stand in their coffee shops.

As shared by Tipton, “Last year, Killarney hit the headlines by becoming the first town in Ireland to ban single-use coffee cups in an opt-in scheme, saving, according to Louise Byrne, a sustainability manager and one of the scheme's pioneers, more than one million cups a year.”

Littering had become a major issue in the Killarney National Park. It was one way to slow that issue, as Byrne also shared that "in Ireland there are more than 200 million single-use cups used annually that are generally not recycled or composted".

Tourists are encouraged to bring their own reusable cups to enjoy some coffee. Or, in a shrewd attempt to earn some extra money, an Irish-made one can be gotten for a deposit of 2 euros. Most shops around the country who participate in the program no longer have single-use cups at all.

22 hotels are following suit, looking to limit their single-item use and lessen their carbon footprint. The presence of "Meitheals” a Gaelic word that translates to “cooperative neighborhood work group” is a major reason that things are turning around in Killarney.

They are bringing back some of those roots to help get the town back on track. "It just takes two or three people with a vision to get things going," Walking guide and Mountain Meitheal member Maureen Hegarty said. "It's all about changing your mindset, so now we all see the value of working together."

That mindset is what has greatly changed the perception of Killarney. They have once again found their way, becoming a unique and fun destination for travelers after years of being bypassed.