Gardaí were called to the detached house in the early hours of May 20. The damage was initially believed to be €2,000.

Following a full inspection as well as a Garda technical examination, this has now been upgraded to “between €3,000 and €4,000”, a Garda spokesman said, adding: “The house was actually wrecked.”

The school for boys, St Brendan’s College, known as ‘the Sem’, whose former pupils include actor Michael Fassbender and several leading Kerry footballers, had no direct involvement in the event.

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The party was organised by individuals as an end-of-school celebration following a graduation ceremony on May 19. In total, 85 boys graduated that day.

It is believed around 25 senior students at the school were at the party along with “taggers-on”. Gardaí believe a handful were “partly involved” in the rental of the house for the night, through an agent on the internet, as well as sending texts which saw up to 40 people converge on the house in a scenic holiday village area just north of the town.

The texts sought a €5 entry fee to cover the rental costs of the property on the night. The €150 rental fee was quickly gathered, according to gardaí.

They believe the main suspects in the damage to the home was not in the Leaving Certificate year at the school. A number of students are being interviewed.

The banister on the stairs of the detached holiday home was ripped off, doors and bathroom furniture were damaged, and practically all the electronic equipment, such as cookers and fridges, were substantially damaged or broken.

A Garda spokesman in Killarney said: “We were called to the house in the early hours of May 20.

“It was a post-graduation event and part-organised by individuals at the school. However, people from outside the school tagged along. By the time we were called in, most people had left.”

While the school was not involved, a garda sergeant will be seeking a meeting with all second-level school principals in Killarney to try to ensure there will be no repeat.

“We have identified a number of suspects and have questioned some,” the spokesman said. “We are still trying to ascertain the number of people who actually attended the party and who exactly rented the property. This investigation is ongoing.”

End-of-year celebrations in Killarney have been raucous over the years and a number of years ago local hotels stopped taking debs parties altogether. For over a decade, students from Killarney now have to travel to Tralee hotels for their debs.

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