GREEN PARTY LEADER Eamon Ryan has said that the south-west is “going green” ahead of a government visit to Conor Pass next week, where there are plans for a new national park.

Speaking today at the Green Party’s annual conference, Ryan told Independent TDs Michael and Danny Healy-Rae: ”Watch what happens to Kerry.”

The Healy-Raes, I have shocking news for them, the Kingdom’s going green.

“That’s happening pretty much up and down the west, north-west, south counties, because it’s good for us,” he said.

“Irish people want to live in a healthy, clean, beautiful natural environment.”

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien and junior Minister Malcolm Noonan are to announce the new national park, which is to include Conor Pass, on Monday.

As of January, the state was on track to purchase the scenic site in the west of Kerry. 

The land was put on sale at the end of the summer with a guide price of €10 million. 

The Conor Pass is a mountain pass in the Dingle Peninsula, which ends close to Dingle town. It is a highly scenic drive and much loved by tourists, hikers, and locals alike.

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If plans mooted by Minister Ryan today go ahead, it will become part of Ireland’s seventh national park.

The sale of the significant land holding was advertised on the Conor Pass website and on Daft in August and described how the 1,400 acres of mature forestry, four lakes, a waterfall, salmon stream and ancient ruins were all up for grabs. 

As soon as the land went up for sale, there were calls for the government to bring the land under public ownership.

Then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the state would be interested in purchasing the land for a “reasonable” price.