Horse and carriage drivers have returned to after a nine-month ban from Killarney National Park for refusing to use dung catchers.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) removed obstacles  that had effectively locked out the jarveys since last October because they refused to fix dung catchers to their horse and carriages.

A recent High Court decision forced the jarveys to use the dung catchers in the park, which is visited by more than a million people each year.

NPWS deputy regional manager Pat Foley yesterday said there was 100 percent compliance amongst the drivers.

"Everything seems to be working satisfactorily and we’re very pleased at the way things are going," he told local media. "From talking to jarveys at their stands, the reaction has been positive and the dung catchers are working as intended."

Jarveys in Killarney town are now also using the dung catchers.

However, Killarney Jarvey Association chairman Pat O’Sullivan said it was too early to say how the devices would work, adding nobody knew how animals would react.

"It will take a few months to see how we get on," he said