Until
the early 1980s, Killarney was the destination of the Circuit of
Ireland Rally, which was held every year over the Easter holiday
weekend. Nowadays, on the first weekend of May each year, the town
plays host to the International Rally of the Lakes. The rally brings
spectators in their thousands to watch the top tarmac rally crews to
battle over the classic stages of the southwest.
In recent years the event has attracted vast numbers of "boy racers" and an increase in public order offenses. The 2008 event saw a large Gardaí presence in the town to tackle such problems but the event was still marred by 64 arrests in the town for various degrees of public order offenses including burnt out cars, destruction of property and numerous reckless driving arressts
In recent years the event has attracted vast numbers of "boy racers" and an increase in public order offenses. The 2008 event saw a large Gardaí presence in the town to tackle such problems but the event was still marred by 64 arrests in the town for various degrees of public order offenses including burnt out cars, destruction of property and numerous reckless driving arressts
