Remedial works, estimated to cost €1 million, are to start shortly at Killarney House, Minister for Heritage John Gormley has confirmed.

The house is part of an early 18th-century French-style chateau, which was donated to the State in 1998 but had been allowed fall into disrepair.

It is situated beside the 10,000-acre Killarney National Park where the work, once completed, will also see the reinstatement of pleasure gardens, west of the house.

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The contract will begin shortly, while the fabric of the building will be tackled in the autumn.

It is hoped a complete refurbishment of the building, its courtyard, pigeon house and stables, will be carried out eventually, the Minister said.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service has already taken initial steps to secure the building including damp proofing, drainage works and the installation of a security system.

These works will focus on repairs to the roof, windows, plasterwork and further drainage and will enhance the external presentation of the building.

The service is also hoping to make progress on a scheme to restore the 19th-century pleasure gardens immediately to the west of Killarney House, which would considerably enhance the national park’s appeal to tourists and locals alike.

(BMcC/KMcA)