The forced closure of Ireland's only cable car for most of this year has been met with dismay by members of the local community in Beara, Co Cork.
The cable car that connects the Beara Peninsula with Dursey Island across the Dursey Sound is a lifeline for Dursey’s small island farming community and has become a major tourist attraction on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Following a recent meeting of Cork County Council’s West Cork Municipal District, the council on Monday released a statement which outlines proposals to close the cable car for most of 2022.
“A recent structural review of the infrastructure of the Dursey cable car has highlighted some essential works that must be carried out in the short term. These works are deemed essential for the cable car to continue in service.
"The works relate to the towers which suffered during recent adverse weather events including Storm Barra in December 2021. Cork County Council has been informed that considering their age, condition and likely future exposure to strong winds, these towers must now be reinforced or replaced."
As a result the cable car will be closed from April this year until at least November while works and safety checks are carried out.
Martin Sheehan, who farms on Dursey, said that the news was a shock and that it would effectively mean the island would be cut off for most of the year.
“We had not been contacted, there was no prior notification that this was going to happen,” said Mr Sheehan.
He added: “In 1969 when it was built there were no mobile phones, they didn’t have what we have now. A few fellas with picks and shovels started with just the bare ground and had it [the cable car] up and running in six months, so how is it going to take so long to do some repairs?”
‘Major blow’
Independent councillor Danny Collins, who is based in Bantry, said the news would come as a major blow to the whole area.
“This is bad news. It really isn’t the news we wanted to hear about the cable car. Just when things seem to be heading in the right direction and we are coming out of the worst of the Covid pandemic, for this to happen is terrible for Dursey Island and Beara too,” he said.
“The consultants can’t sign off on the safety of the cable car so unfortunately there is no option but to suspend operations [in April] until the necessary works are carried out. In fairness it’s not the fault of Cork County Council, it is an act of God essentially,” he added.
Cllr Collins said that a temporary ferry service would have to be installed while the works were carried out and that Government funding would be vital.
“I have stressed that all stakeholders need to be kept properly informed. Farmers, islanders, community groups, tourism groups all need to know what’s going on. I will be asking for a community meeting to be held so that everybody can be fully informed and have their questions answered,” he said.
Judicial review
The closure comes amid the news that plans for a proposed €10 million new Dursey Island cable car and visitor centre will face a judicial review following environmental objections.
In a statement released on Monday, Friends of the Irish Environment said that the High Court had granted permission for a judicial review of the project, following objections from Friends of the Irish Environment, An Taisce and Birdwatch Ireland to the permission for the project given by Cork County Council in 2019.
The new project would include replacing the existing six-person cable car with a system capable of carrying 650 people an hour, as well as an extensive glass-fronted visitor centre with a gift shop and 84-person cafe on the mainland with parking for 80 cars and buses
The groups called the proposal “undesirable on multiple grounds”, citing the “ecological sensitivity of Dursey”.
Their objections centred on the protection of a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area for Birds, in particular the rare choughs.