The Mayor of Cork County has requested an urgent meeting with the Minister for Rural and Community Development to ensure farmers can continue to access their livestock on Dursey Island.
Last month, Cork County Council announced that the cable car, used to access the island since 1969, will be closed for eight months for essential repairs. The service is due to end on Friday (April 1).
An inspection report deemed the remedial works necessary due to the impact of Storm Barra last December combined with increased corrosion to the structure because of age and weather exposure.
The closure of the service has led to major concerns that farmers will not be able to access the cattle and sheep they keep on the island. It will also have an impact on tourism in the area.
Dursey Island
Cork TD Michael Collins recently (March 22) raised the issue with Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys in the Dáil.
“That is a sad situation for the people on the island, in particular the families who have had cattle there since 1969. I have been pleading on this issue with her [Minister Humphreys]. She has been pointing the finger at the council and the council has been pointing the finger at her.
“The people of Dursey Island are falling in the middle. It is scandalous. It is a big issue for us, in particular for me,” Collins said.
In response, Minister Humphreys said that she understood “the difficulties around Dursey Island”.
“I have not received one proposal from Cork County Council. I have written to the council, which ceased the cable car service to and from the island owing to difficulties with it, and asked that it come back to me with proposals. The ball is in the court of council,” the minister outlined.
Letter
Mayor of Cork County Gillian Coughlan told Agriland that she had contacted the minister in February to outline her concerns on the matter.
In March, Cllr. Coughlan said that the Department of Rural and Community Development informed her that it is the responsibility of Cork County Council to operate a ferry service for the island while the cable car repairs are underway.
The mayor is now seeking a personal meeting with Minister Heather Humphreys to discuss the possibility of a subsidised ferry service, which she said would provide essential access for farmers with livestock on the island.
Cllr. Coughlan said that Cork County Council would not have the authority or financial capacity to run the ferry service alone. It is roughly estimated that a ferry could cost around €1,000/day to operate.
“There is no reason that the farmers should be discommoded by the state,” the Cllr. said.
It is estimated that the repair works will be completed by the end of November, however Cllr. Coughlan is concerned about this timeline given the difficulties in global supply chains at present.
Last Friday (March 25) chief executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey wrote to the department. He noted that the local authority had previously provided a limited ferry service to the island while short-term repairs were done on the cable car.
However, he outlined that “the impending withdrawal of the service is not a short-term interruption and does not relate to routine maintenance”.
Mr. Lucey said that the council does not have the remit for the licensing of ferry operators.
However, he stated that the council is available to engage with ferry operators, in conjunction and with the support of the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The council suggested that the department could extend a limited ferry service to the island which it currently subsidises through the transport services and airstrip management scheme for offshore islands.