Waterproofing a town?! Killarney Has an Interesting Way to Stay Dry

What’s one way to ensure that tourism levels remain high despite the weather? Cover the entire town with a roof. Ingenious, right? This is exactly what officials in Killarney, county Kerry are proposing. Seriously.

The Irish Independent reports that officials in the country’s top tourist town are getting fed up of the unpredictable Irish weather, so they’re examining a plan to place an artificial roof over some of the main streets in Killarney.

Officials believe that putting a roof over the town will encourage locals and tourists to continue to shop when it’s raining and to entice more outdoor cultural events.

A local engineer by the name of Paudie O’Mahoney has devised a cost-effective way of covering the town’s footpaths and large sections of streets with a heavy-duty canvas that sort of looks like a tent.

Could wellies soon be a thing of the past in county Kerry?

The engineer was inspired to put forward his, eh, interesting plan after it was confirmed that Killarney has the third-highest levels of rainfall in Europe and received twice the average amount of rainfall that Dublin gets during the year.

“This canopy cover system could be introduced on a trial basis in a laneway or even on one of the main streets and I can see it taking off all over the country in a very short space of time,” said Mr O’Mahoney.

We have to agree with him there. Could you imagine doing your Saturday shopping in the rain without having to worry about the awfulness that is a wet pair of Uggs? It sounds like a deadly idea to us!

Hey Mr O’Mahoney, any chance you could swing by Dublin when you’re finished waterproofing Kerry? Cheers!