The Future of Tralee Courthouse – July 8th, 2025

An announcement is due this month on a new round of funding for projects all over Ireland under the revised National Development Plan. One such project, which has been on the table for a long time without any progress, is a new courthouse for Tralee. The town's court facilities have long been acknowledged as inadequate, and the Courts Service plans to build a new courthouse at the Island of Geese. However, there are still calls for the Courts Service to use whatever funding may be allocated to refurbish and expand the current courthouse. An Post is due to vacate a nearby site in the coming weeks, and a survey undertaken by Radio Kerry has now found the majority of Tralee Municipal District councillors would prefer the current building be refurbished. In the meantime, while funding and a new court building are awaited, people in Tralee and Kerry with mobility needs have to make do with the interim solution of a powered chair at the back of the courthouse, to access justice. Mark Lynch brings us this report.