Killarney first established a twinning arrangement Springfield, Illinois in 1996 and the bond has stood the test of time and is growing even stronger with every passing year.

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This little town is world-famous due to its exquisite location beside lakes and mountains. It is a perfect location from which to explore the south western region of Ireland, for centuries the Killarney Valley has been recognized far and wide as Ireland's most beautiful destination - being aptly titled as "Heaven's Reflex."

 

It inspired Poet Laureate Alfred Austin to write: "If mountain, wood and water harmoniously blent, constitute the most perfect and adequate loveliness that nature presents, it surely must be owned, that it has, all the world over, no superior."

 

The Lakes of Killarney are a renowned scenic attraction located near Killarney, County Kerry, in Ireland. They consist of three lakes - Lough Leane, Muckross Lake (also called Middle Lake) and Upper Lake. Killarney National Park is located beside the town of Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. It was the first national park established in Ireland, created when Muckross Estate was donated to the Irish state in 1932. The park has since been substantially expanded and encompasses over 102.89 km2 (25,425 acres) of diverse ecology, including the Lakes of Killarney, Oak and Yew woodlands of international importance, and mountain peaks. It has Ireland's only native herd of Red Deer and the most extensive covering of native forest remaining in Ireland. The park is of high ecological value because of the quality, diversity, and extensiveness of many of its habitats and the wide variety of species that they accommodate, some of which are rare. The park was designated an UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1981.