Tourists teetering in car were inches from disaster on edge of Co Kerry attraction
A tourist couple were left teetering in their hired car high over one of Ireland’s most famous viewing spots this afternoon after hitting the accelerator rather than the brake while stopping to take a peek, .
However, the young couple from Taiwan emerged from their hired car unscathed.
Within minutes they were laughing about the incident that could have led to disaster.
“I think I got a bigger fright,” said Raymond O’Shea, who saw the black Reunault Fluence car holding on by one wheel.
Mr O'Shea, owner of the Ladies View café and craftshop, was on the roof terrace clearing tables at lunchtime when he heard a loud bang.
Never before had there been such a near miss at the small car park with the huge view.
He looked down to see the car precariously dangling over the side.
“It had gone over the stone wall barrier. I was holding my breath,” Mr O’Shea said.
He rushed to the scene but the young couple simply opened the front doors and walked to safety.
“They were laughing about it. They were really cool,” Mr O’Shea said.
He believed them to be in their 20s and it was their first time in Ireland.
They had travelled to Kenmare from Kinsale and along west Cork, and were on their way to Dingle.
They will now have to spend the night in Killarney until their car hire company gives them another vehicle to proceed.
The car was removed around 4pm by a crash repair company.
The front of the car is badly damaged, and there is some damage underneath where it jumped the wall.
It is the first time anything like this has occurred, said Mr O’Shea, whose family have run the Ladies View café for a number of generations.
The danger was the car could have rolled down for hundreds of feet – and they could have ended up in one of the lakes or the long river channel between the upper and lower lakes, Mr O’Shea said.
The viewing point around 12 miles from Kilalrney was made famous after the 1861 visit of Queen Victoria and her retinue to Killarney.
It is called after her Ladies-in-Waiting who were apparently most taken with the spot and is one of the most photographed places on the N71 tourist route
