Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has today (Monday, April 25) announced €31.7 million in funding for 110 projects around the Irish coast.
It follows an announcement in January of a scheme under the EU Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) to provide up to €35 million to local authorities to rejuvenate Ireland’s public marine infrastructure.
The scheme arose from a recommendation of the Seafood Taskforce which was set up in March 2021 to look at the impacts of Brexit on the fishing sector and coastal communities.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is administering the scheme, while individual local authorities will be responsible for governance and delivery of the projects.
There will be a further call for projects later this year to allocate the remaining funding under the scheme.
Funding allocation
13 local authorities across the country have been allocated funding as part of today’s announcement.
The projects, which will cost a total of €40 million, include construction, safety, dredging, repair and maintenance works.
Donegal County Council has been allocated almost half of the total amount of funding with almost €14.5 million.
This includes nearly €8.9 million for the construction of a breakwater at the commercial fishing port of Greencastle.
Over €4.8 million will be give to projects in Cork, while Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council will get almost €3.1 million.
| Local Authority | Funding approved |
| Clare County Council | €302,250 |
| Cork County Council | €4,815,058 |
| Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council | €3,092,789 |
| Donegal County Council | €14,460,781 |
| Fingal County Council | €646,000 |
| Galway County Council | €356,575 |
| Kerry County Council | €1,505,350 |
| Louth County Council | €542,149 |
| Mayo County Council | €909,500 |
| Sligo County Council | €925,225 |
| Waterford City and County Council | €2,389,111 |
| Wexford County Council | €1,219,766 |
| Wicklow County Council | €571,200 |
| Total funding | €31,735,753 |
Announcing the approval of the funding for the projects, Minister Charlie McConalogue said:
“It is fantastic that we received so many great applications in this first call for projects and it is truly heartening to see such eagerness to help support our coastal communities transition to living in a post-Brexit economy.
“This is the largest-ever funding announcement of its kind for local authority marine infrastructure and I am confident that it will future-proof our piers and harbours right around our coast.
The Minister encouraged local authorities to focus on delivery of their approved projects and for those with the necessary consents to begin as soon as possible.