Irish Coast Guard funding has contributed to Kerry Mountain Rescue Team’s (KMRT) new base extension in Killarney.
The extension opened last week will provide much needed space for equipment drying, vehicle and equipment storage, training and toilet facilities.
Many long-serving volunteers with the team attended the opening, where they were joined by representatives of the Irish Coast Guard to witness the ribbon being cut by Christy McCarthy, a lifelong member and former chairman.
The team’s base at Killarney Garda Station was opened in 2004 after a sustained period of fundraising and a capital grant from the Irish Coast Guard along with nominal lease of the site from the Department of Justice.
KMRT was founded after several fatal accidents over two days in Easter 1966, when a student from University College Dublin and a teenage member of an English school party died on Carrauntoohil, Ireland’s highest peak.
Spearheaded by Frank Lewis of Killarney, early members of the mountain rescue team included Paddy O’Callaghan, Stan Brick, Gearóid O’Sullivan and Richard Morrison. Killarney solicitor Terence Casey and restaurateur Johnny McGuire played key roles as it developed.
Besides Irish Coast Guard and Kerry County Council grant support, the team relies on donations and fundraising to cover annual operating costs of over €50,000.