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High Street at Rock Road, KillarneyPhoto: Ian S · CC BY-SA 2.0
C+Hazard risk Grade
Flood & hazards in Killarney · EPA, GSI and OPW data

Beside the River Flesk, 22% of Killarney’s homes stand on low ground

Hazard risk puts Killarney at C+, #3 of 5 in County Kerry. Its low-lying homes count against it, with radon and landslide ground.

22%of homes low-lying3.6%of homes over the radon level
In brief

What stands out about Killarney’s hazards

From the EPA’s radon map, Geological Survey Ireland’s landslide map, the OPW’s flood relief schemes and our estimate of low-lying homes, below.

A river town22% of homes stand low beside the River Flesk: a higher share than in 83% of Irish towns.Some radonAbout 3.6% of homes are estimated above the radon reference level, a lower share than in 65% of Irish towns; 0% of homes are in a High Radon Area.
By hazard

What Killarney faces

Each hazard against its own yardstick; meters run from low to high on that yardstick.

Low-lying homes

22%of homes low by a big river, lake or the sea
a higher share than in 83% of Irish towns
About 840 homes

Radon

3.6%of homes estimated over the reference level
less radon than in 65% of Irish towns
0% of homes in a High Radon Area

Landslides

under 0.1%of homes on high or moderately high ground
more homes on it than in 69% of Irish towns
Rated from the ground and its slope

Ground heights

100%of homes on detailed ground heights
Enough to measure flood (80% needed)
Of 3,930 homes counted
Not on this page: the OPW’s official flood maps and past floods (their licence doesn’t allow reuse here: see floodinfo.ie), groundwater and surface-water flooding, coastal erosion and industrial sites.
Hazard risk Grade

Hazard risk in Killarney: C+

Radon, landslide ground and low-lying homes, each against Irish towns, then averaged.

Radon (3.6%)Better than 59% of Irish towns
Landslide ground (under 0.1%)Better than 57% of Irish towns
Low-lying homes (22%)Better than 15% of Irish towns · counted against it

Each figure is placed among Irish towns of 1,000 or more people; the grade averages the three, so a better place on each is a better grade.

Flood counts only against a town, and Killarney’s share of low-lying homes is high enough to lower its grade.

Its place: #3 of 5 in County Kerry and #191 of 321 Irish towns.

Less sure: The low-lying figure is our estimate from ground heights and the river map, not an official flood map. It can show a town is low-lying; it can’t show a town is safe.

Low-lying homes

22% of Killarney’s homes stand low beside the River Flesk

Low-lying homes, a TownRatings estimate from OPW and Geological Survey Ireland LiDAR ground heights and the EPA’s river map: not an official flood map.

By a river, lake or estuary22%of homes within 5 m of the water’s level
Near the sea0%of homes below 4 m, within 2 km of the sea
Measured in detail100%of homes on detailed ground heights
Where Killarney sits among 231 Irish towns
43%None
6%Under 0.5%
4%0.5–1%
7%1–2%
8%2–5%
6%5–10%
8%10–20%
18%20% +Killarney

Share of each town’s homes standing low by big water, for the towns measured in detail. 43% have none; Killarney has more than 83% of them.

Towns its size: 36th of 40, from the fewest low-lying homes
#TownPeopleLow-lying
1Dundrum Dublin16,5700%
2Ballinteer Dublin16,0380%
3Cabinteely Dublin15,8640%
…
34Clontarf West Dublin15,29617%
35Arklow Wicklow13,39918%
36Killarney Kerry14,41222%
37Summerhill Dublin11,91141%
38Corbally and King's Island Limerick14,21348%
39Ballsbridge Dublin12,74355%
40East Wall Dublin15,907100%

The 40 Irish towns nearest its size that are measured in detail.

3,930
homes counted
~850
homes standing low by big water
15%
County Kerry’s median
0.7%
median of Irish towns

Low-lying homes across County Kerry’s towns · 4 towns measured in detail

Killarney22%
Tralee21%
Listowel9.2%
Castleisland0%

Killarney ranks 1st of County Kerry’s 4 towns measured in detail, counting from the most low-lying homes.

Homes: OpenStreetMap buildings of 30 m² or more, not tagged as non-residential, in the town’s Census 2022 Small Areas. Heights: GSI Open Topographic Data LiDAR (OPW, TII and GSI surveys). Water: EPA river network (rivers of Strahler order 5 or more), lakes, estuaries and coastal waters.

River levels

November 2024 brought the River Flesk’s 5th-highest day at Flesk Bridge since 1947

Each winter’s highest level (October to September) at the OPW’s Flesk Bridge gauge, in Killarney, since 1947, in metres above the gauge’s zero. Nine days in ten it runs between 0.31 m and 1.27 m.

Each winter’s highest level, metres
Winter 1947–48: highest 2.64 m · 43 days above the normal rangeWinter 1948–49: highest 2.13 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 1949–50: highest 2.24 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 1950–51: highest 2.57 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 1951–52: highest 2.24 m · 43 days above the normal rangeWinter 1952–53: highest 2.68 m · 38 days above the normal rangeWinter 1953–54: highest 2.38 m · 47 days above the normal rangeWinter 1954–55: highest 2.58 m · 48 days above the normal rangeWinter 1955–56: highest 2.22 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 1957–58: highest 2.57 m · 51 days above the normal rangeWinter 1958–59: highest 2.05 m · 22 days above the normal rangeWinter 1961–62: highest 2.19 m · 32 days above the normal rangeWinter 1962–63: highest 2.27 m · 27 days above the normal rangeWinter 1963–64: highest 1.95 m · 20 days above the normal rangeWinter 1964–65: highest 2.35 m · 44 days above the normal rangeWinter 1966–67: highest 2.64 m · 37 days above the normal rangeWinter 1968–69: highest 2.46 m · 36 days above the normal rangeWinter 1973–74: highest 2.49 m · 66 days above the normal rangeWinter 1977–78: highest 2.59 m · 46 days above the normal rangeWinter 1978–79: highest 1.79 m · 33 days above the normal rangeWinter 1979–80: highest 2.11 m · 59 days above the normal rangeWinter 1980–81: highest 2.40 m · 76 days above the normal rangeWinter 1984–85: highest 2.08 m · 53 days above the normal rangeWinter 1985–86: highest 2.31 m · 35 days above the normal rangeWinter 1989–90: highest 2.60 m · 50 days above the normal rangeWinter 1990–91: highest 2.48 m · 40 days above the normal rangeWinter 1991–92: highest 2.36 m · 39 days above the normal rangeWinter 1992–93: highest 2.19 m · 36 days above the normal rangeWinter 1993–94: highest 2.01 m · 52 days above the normal rangeWinter 1994–95: highest 2.61 m · 52 days above the normal rangeWinter 1995–96: highest 2.40 m · 48 days above the normal rangeWinter 1996–97: highest 2.63 m · 58 days above the normal rangeWinter 1997–98: highest 2.74 m · 59 days above the normal rangeWinter 1998–99: highest 2.72 m · 74 days above the normal rangeWinter 1999–00: highest 2.71 m · 38 days above the normal rangeWinter 2001–02: highest 2.65 m · 46 days above the normal rangeWinter 2002–03: highest 2.05 m · 42 days above the normal rangeWinter 2003–04: highest 2.41 m · 40 days above the normal rangeWinter 2004–05: highest 2.87 m on 8 January 2005 · 38 days above the normal rangeWinter 2008–09: highest 2.69 m · 55 days above the normal rangeWinter 2010–11: highest 2.82 m · 33 days above the normal rangeWinter 2011–12: highest 2.72 m · 49 days above the normal rangeWinter 2012–13: highest 2.13 m · 54 days above the normal rangeWinter 2013–14: highest 2.63 m · 80 days above the normal rangeWinter 2014–15: highest 2.89 m on 12 September 2015 · 59 days above the normal rangeWinter 2015–16: highest 3.33 m on 5 December 2015 · 92 days above the normal rangeWinter 2016–17: highest 2.42 m · 29 days above the normal rangeWinter 2017–18: highest 2.75 m · 51 days above the normal rangeWinter 2018–19: highest 2.76 m · 59 days above the normal rangeWinter 2019–20: highest 2.53 m · 56 days above the normal rangeWinter 2020–21: highest 2.99 m on 23 February 2021 · 71 days above the normal rangeWinter 2021–22: highest 2.14 m · 40 days above the normal rangeWinter 2022–23: highest 2.51 m · 78 days above the normal rangeWinter 2024–25: highest 2.92 m on 23 November 2024 · 61 days above the normal rangeWinter 2025–26: highest 2.41 m · 61 days above the normal range’15–16’20–21Record 3.33 m, 2015Top of normal range
1947–482025–26
The highest days on record
  • 5 December 20153.33 m
  • 30 December 20153.19 m
  • 19 November 20093.16 m
  • 23 February 20212.99 m
  • 23 November 20242.92 m
  • 12 September 20152.89 m

Since 1947 the River Flesk has run above its usual top on 2,643 days, most of them in the winters of 2015–16 and 2013–14.

Measured by its highest day, last winter (2025–26) was the 32nd-highest of the 55 on record here.

Source: OPW Hydro-Data (waterlevel.ie/hydro-data), Flesk Bridge gauge (station 22006): daily maximum and mean levels, inspected and provisional data. The usual range is the 5th to 95th percentile of daily means, worked out by TownRatings. Live levels are on waterlevel.ie.

Warnings

Weather and flood warnings for Killarney

Where to see the warnings in force, and what this page can’t count.

Met Éireann issues yellow, orange and red warnings for rain, wind and coastal flooding county by county; Killarney is covered by County Kerry’s.

WarningWhat Met Éireann means by it
YellowWeather that isn’t unusual but can be dangerous in places: be aware.
OrangeInfrequent, dangerous weather that can put people and property at risk: be prepared.
RedRare, extremely dangerous weather: take action to protect yourself and your property.

Met Éireann doesn’t publish an open archive of past warnings, so how often warnings have covered Killarney can’t be counted here.

Met Éireann warnings · OPW river levels (waterlevel.ie)

Flood scheme

No OPW flood relief scheme protects Killarney

The Office of Public Works’ completed flood relief schemes and the areas each one benefits (OPW open data, CC BY 4.0).

Schemes
0
protect homes in Killarney
Protected places in the county
0
none in the county
Nearest protected place
46 km
Dunmanway, as the crow flies
Low-lying homes
22%
the share a scheme would be built for

None of the OPW’s completed flood relief schemes has a benefiting area that takes in Killarney’s homes. The OPW builds schemes where the risk to homes is greatest, so most towns have none.

No other place across County Kerry has an OPW flood relief scheme either.

The protected places nearest here
TownSchemeDesigned forHomes behind itAway
Dunmanway CorkDunmanway Flood Relief Scheme1 in 10014%46 km
Mallow CorkMallow South & West Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1002.6%60 km
Fermoy CorkFermoy South Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1006.3%84 km
Ennis ClareEnnis (Upper) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 1003.5%94 km
Annacotty LimerickMulkear River (Ballymackeogh) Flood Relief Scheme1 in 101.1%94 km
Gort GalwayGort River (Bridge Street) Drainage Scheme1 in 1000.9%121 km

Official flood maps and past floods: floodinfo.ie

Landslides

under 0.1% of Killarney’s homes stand on landslide-prone ground

Geological Survey Ireland’s landslide susceptibility map (1:50,000), read at every home.

Homes on ground rated high or moderately high

KillarneyCounty Kerry’s medianmedian of Irish towns
High or moderately highunder 0.1%
0%5%

That is a higher share than in 69% of Irish towns; the median is 0% for County Kerry’s towns and 0% for Irish towns.

GSI rates ground from low to high by its slope, soil and rock. Most Irish landslides are on steep upland slopes and peat after heavy rain; a town on flat ground has almost none.

High means the ground could slide under the right conditions, such as days of heavy rain on a steep, wet slope; it isn’t a forecast that it will.

GSI landslide susceptibility, high and moderately high classes, share of the town’s homes on mapped ground (CC BY 4.0).

Radon

An estimated 3.6% of Killarney’s homes are above the radon reference level

The EPA’s radon map: for each 10 km square, the estimated share of homes above the national reference level of 200 Bq/m³.

under 0.1% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes0.7% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homesunder 0.1% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes0.6% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes8.1% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes4.9% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes2.8% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes6.3% of homes estimated above the reference level · 5–10% of homes2.6% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes5% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homesunder 0.1% of homes estimated above the reference level · Under 1% of homes2.8% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes2.4% of homes estimated above the reference level · 1–5% of homes15% of homes estimated above the reference level · 10–20% (High Radon Area)© OpenStreetMap contributors · EPA
Under 1% of homes1–5% of homes5–10% of homes10–20% (High Radon Area)
Share of Irish towns in each band
Under 1% of homes17%
1–5% of homes · Killarney38%
5–10% of homes26%
10–20% (High Radon Area)11%
Over 20% (High Radon Area)9%

A square where 10% or more of homes are estimated above the reference level is a High Radon Area; 0% of Killarney’s homes are in one. The map is an estimate by area: two neighbouring houses can differ a lot.

0%
of homes in a High Radon Area
3.6%
County Kerry’s median
4%
median of Irish towns

A test is the only way to know a home’s level: two detectors, left for three months in a living room and a bedroom.

EPA radon map of Ireland (10 km grid), averaged over the town’s homes (CC BY 4.0).

Industrial sites

2 EPA-licensed sites within 5 km of Killarney’s centre, none inside it

Factories, farms, power plants and waste sites that hold an EPA licence for their emissions, in Killarney and around its centre.

0
licensed sites inside Killarney
2
licensed sites within 5 km of the centre
3.5 km
to the nearest: Liebherr Container Cranes Limited
The 3 nearest licensed sites
SiteLicence and activityAway
Liebherr Container Cranes LimitedIPC licence3.5 km
Killarney Waste Disposal Unlimited CompanyWaste licence4.7 km
Coolcaslagh Transfer StationWaste licence5.1 km
What the 3 licensed sites within 10 km do
ActivitySites
Waste2
Not classed in the register1

Within 5 km: one under an older IPC licence and one waste facility.

An EPA licence sets what a site may release to air, water and land; it doesn’t mark the site as an accident hazard.

Sites holding dangerous substances in bulk come under the COMAH (Seveso) rules, but the HSA’s list of them has no open licence, so upper- and lower-tier sites aren’t counted here.

Source: EPA registers of Industrial Emissions, IPC and waste licences, sites licensed on 31 October 2026; distances in a straight line from the town’s centre.

Neighbours

Hazards in the places around Killarney

Low-lying homes, radon and landslide ground, town by town.

MilltownMilltownKillarney
TownLow-lyingRadonLandslides
Killarney22%3.6%under 0.1%
Milltown
1,118 · 17 km		0%5%0%

Killarney has more of its homes standing low by big water than any measured place around it; the next is Milltown (0%).

A dash under Low-lying: not measured there (too few homes with detailed ground heights), not none.

Be ready

Get ready for what Killarney faces

What to do, and what to ask before you move.

When the river rises
  • Never walk or drive through floodwater: 30 cm of moving water can float a car.
  • Move valuables, papers and medicines upstairs.
  • Turn off gas, electricity and water if you’re told to.
Met Éireann warnings · floodinfo.ie
Radon
  • Test over three months, in a living room and a bedroom.
  • Above 200 Bq/m³, a small sump and fan usually fixes it.
  • The EPA sells radon test kits at radon.ie and lists registered contractors who fix high readings.
radon.ie
When a storm is forecast
  • Bring in or tie down bins, trampolines and anything the wind can lift.
  • Keep away from coastal paths and piers while an orange or red warning is in force.
  • Charge phones and keep a torch: fallen lines are the commonest storm damage.
  • After the storm, report a fallen line to ESB Networks and keep well clear of it.
ESB Networks PowerCheck
Before you buy or rent in Killarney
  • Ask whether the home has ever flooded, and get a buildings insurance quote before you commit: flood cover isn’t always offered.
  • Ask the seller or landlord for a radon test result, or test in your first months there.
  • Check the address on floodinfo.ie: the OPW’s flood maps and its record of past floods.
How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • An estimate, not a flood map. Low-lying homes is a TownRatings modelling step: each home’s ground height from LiDAR, against the level of the nearest big river (Strahler order 5 or more), lake or estuary within 1 km, or the sea within 2 km. A home within 5 m of the water’s level, or below 4 m near the sea, counts.
  • Flood counts only one way. A high share of low-lying homes lowers the Hazard risk Grade; a low share never raises it, because defences, small streams, culverts, groundwater and flash floods don’t show in ground heights. Below the national median a town scores as the median.
  • Defences aren’t counted. Flood defences aren’t taken off: the OPW scheme that protects the most homes is shown instead, with its design standard.
  • Measured where the heights are detailed. A town is measured, and counted, only where 80% of its homes stand on LiDAR heights. Elsewhere the page says flooding isn’t measured, never that the town is dry.
  • Radon is an estimate by area. The EPA’s radon map gives the estimated share of homes above 200 Bq/m³ for each 10 km square, averaged here over the town’s homes. It says where to test, not what one house holds.
  • The sea is measured by height. Homes count as low by the sea when their ground is under 4 m and within 2 km of coastal or estuary water; waves, surges and erosion aren’t modelled.
  • Landslide ground is a map of where slides could start. GSI’s susceptibility map rates the ground itself; it doesn’t record past slides or say when one will happen.
  • Bathing water is rated season by season. The EPA classes each identified bathing water from four seasons of samples; a rating says how clean the water has been, not how safe it is to swim.
  • One town, many streets. Risk is street by street. Check a specific address on floodinfo.ie before you buy or rent.

Check any address against the OPW’s official flood maps on floodinfo.ie

Questions about flooding and hazards in Killarney

Does Killarney flood?

About 22% of Killarney’s homes stand low beside the River Flesk: a higher share than in 83% of Irish towns. That is our estimate from ground heights, not an official flood map. For a single address, the OPW’s official flood maps and past floods are on floodinfo.ie.

Is radon a problem in Killarney?

The EPA’s map estimates that about 3.6% of homes around Killarney are above the radon reference level of 200 Bq/m³: a lower share than in 65% of Irish towns. 0% of its homes are in a High Radon Area. The only way to know a house is a three-month test.

Is Killarney at risk of landslides?

under 0.1% of Killarney’s homes stand on ground rated high or moderately high for landslides. Most slides happen on steep slopes and peat after heavy rain.

Is Killarney at risk from the sea?

None of Killarney’s homes stands below 4 m within 2 km of the sea, so the sea plays no part in its share of low-lying homes; 22% stand low by rivers, lakes and estuaries.

How is Killarney’s Hazard risk Grade worked out?

Killarney grades C+: radon, landslide ground and low-lying homes are each placed among Irish towns, and the grade averages them.

Flood: TownRatings’ estimate from ground heights, not an official flood map. Contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland, the Office of Public Works and the EPA) licensed under CC BY 4.0; Copernicus DEM © DLR e.V. and © Airbus, provided under COPERNICUS by the EU and ESA; © OpenStreetMap contributors. Radon and bathing water: EPA (CC BY 4.0). Landslide susceptibility: Geological Survey Ireland (CC BY 4.0).

Sources: low-lying homes: TownRatings’ estimate from GSI and OPW LiDAR, Copernicus GLO-30 and the EPA river network · radon: EPA radon map · landslides: GSI landslide susceptibility · river levels: OPW Hydro-Data (waterlevel.ie/hydro-data) · industrial sites: EPA licence registers · the grade: TownRatings, from these figures. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).

Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).