Climbing guide hits out at 'scumbags' who spray-painted one of Ireland's top beauty spots

Stephen Fernane Kerryman

A climbing guide has hit out at "scumbag" vandals who spray-painted rocks in one of Kerry’s top beauty spots and he went quickly to work to remove the offending material.

Piaras Kelly of Kerry Climbing washed off the unwanted message using a wire brush and some good old fashioned elbow grease.

"Incidents like this are few and far between but you’ll always notice the bad egg in a batch. It’s a disgrace," he told the Kerryman.

This is the second case of graffiti on the Kerry mountains in recent weeks as it first appeared at the iconic Turnpike Rock on the Gap of Dunloe when someone decided it would be a good idea to spray their initials.

Piaras takes groups on trips to the mountain, which he calls his office, and he is immensely proud of the fact we live in such a beautiful county. He also believes that people need to take it upon themselves to clean off graffiti where they see it to avoid it from becoming a more serious problem.

"The ‘F***k Kerry’ is the worst as it’s not just unsightly but also contradictory of the beautiful landscapes that surround it. I think we all need to do something whenever we see stuff like this on the mountain."

Piaras concluded: "There are scumbags everywhere but if we just turn a blind eye it only becomes a bigger problem. It’s probably worse walking past it as and you would hope that everyone would have the spirit and good will to remove it.

"The worry is that if it’s ignored it will get added to overtime. A day in the mountain is about leaving no trace, and leave the mountain as you see it."