Killarney is buzzing and it's not just because of tourism. There is a new excitement in the town, a belief that something significant is happening, something which will create growth.
The town has recently been criticised for allowing accelerated development to take place without due regard for the quality of life, heritage and traffic flow. That negative aspect has now been offset by a positive one in information technology.
Some months ago, Killarney was one of the runners-up in the Telecom Information Age Town national competition. The town received £1 million as a result and a new organisation, KATE (Killarney and Telecom Eireann), was formed.
Mr Frank Lewis, publicist for the project, says the prospect of becoming a major player in an age of new information technology has galvanised the town in a way never seen before.
One initiative is a one-stop technology shop which will allow immediate access to planning records now kept in Tralee. People based in Killarney and further afield will also be able to use the shop for on-line consultations with Tralee planning officials.
Seven public bodies, local authorities, semi-State bodies and Government Departments will be available to answer questions through the shop.
The technology funding will also be used to give Killarney a web site to further serve the education, community, public and business sectors. It will become the definitive source for for all information on Killarney, having a full-time staff to co-ordinate information, not only for locals but for people worldwide.
The site will be run by an independent entity representing public and private sectors, as well as community and education interests.
It is believed that within three to five years, £70 million worth of tourism bookings to the benefit of Killarney will be carried out on the Internet.
"It's the way forward and everyone in the town is excited by the project," says Mr Lewis.
Killarney is going to have six community access points equipped with computers, scanners and Internet connections.
According to Mr Michael Friel, chairman of the KATE task force, 33 voluntary community organisations expect that the arrival of new information technology will make their activities more user-friendly and effective.
New systems will also be provided for 117 elderly and disabled people to equip their homes with high-tech alarms.
Tele-medicine will also be introduced. Of the £1 million grant, KATE has committed £172,000 to this which, in turn, has stimulated further funding of £800,000 by the Southern Health Board and the EU.
Computer link-ups will mean that the elderly and ill in Killarney will keep their appointments with consultants in Cork and Tralee without leaving their doctor's waiting room. This will mean that some 3,400 journeys each year to specialists will not be necessary.
A huge training programme is now under way in Killarney tailored to the needs of the various sectors, ranging from education to the private sector. Each interest group is being asked to fine tune its requirements so that the technology will be of maximum benefit.
Mr Lewis says the town has responded to the KATE initiative with huge enthusiasm.
"Everybody is now aware of the undoubted advantages that can flow from new technology and everybody is behind the project. The imaginative concept has brought the town together. It can only be good for Killarney; that's why there is such support."
Mr Friel is even more enthusiastic about what KATE may mean to Killarney.
He says its support for the 250-job Rosenbluth Intelicentre was instrumental in bringing the company to the town - £100,000 was put up to make this happen.
And he says a further investment of £140,000 in the Killarney Technology Innovation initiative will introduce the Killarney workforce to a clean and sustainable industry of the future.
The hope is that the project will prepare the town for the next millennium and, because an entire community has become involved, the town and outlying districts will prosper.