Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, for taking time out of his busy schedule. We are all busy.

This issue has been ongoing for more than ten years but has now come to the fore. The River Blackwater is of considerable benefit, not just financially but also in terms of amenities, in Fermoy. The Blackwater runs down to the estuary in Youghal. The first of the two major issues involved is that the weir is falling apart. Water levels have dropped dramatically. We have very warm weather at the moment, but the levels are still probably 3 ft lower than they would be normally.

The weir falling apart will have a detrimental effect on the migrating salmon, and the Blackwater is famous for salmon fishing.

We have a very old rowing club based on one side of the weir. It dates back to the 1800s. Rowers from this club have rowed in the Olympics. They will lose their sports club. The weir dates back more than 200 years but it has come to a point where this will have a huge effect. It is affecting people's lives within Fermoy and the general area from Fermoy to Youghal. In late April, hundreds of people demonstrated on the bridge in Fermoy to try to get something done and to call on the Government to act on this before it is too late. Unfortunately, we feel that it is a bit too late, but better late than never. Cork County Council has accepted that the weir is in need of repair but said it is a funding issue.

The biggest worry here is the economic impact, the tourism impact and the impact on sport. It will be lost forever. We are trying to promote sports, tourism and so on and I keep saying that, every time we seem to sweep down in certain areas of east Cork, we feel like we are being left behind. If we lose the weir, we will lose massive sporting recreation and fishing amenities. We will lose probably ten sports clubs, such as aqua clubs. When that is gone, it will be gone forever and we will be calling it "Ireland's Ancient Eastish". It will be missing a piece again. It will not move up the map. I appeal to the Minister of State to meet the campaign group and members in Fermoy. The local people have the best local knowledge.

It is bigger than our history of waterways, fishing, sport and the pride and beauty that we have in this country. The important thing is that we will lose a vital piece of our heritage in east Cork, predominantly in Fermoy, and everything that goes with it. It would be shameful to miss the opportunity and look back in years to come and be so regretful. One of the natural beauties that we have is that estuary and the River Blackwater. I encourage the Minister of State to go down and look over the bridge. I took photographs and will show them to him afterwards. It is vital to everything that happens inside Fermoy. If we lose this weir, I am afraid that so many people will be affected by this economically, in sport, in tourism and so on, that it will fall apart and we will end up with "Ireland's Ancient Eastish", as they call it.

See this speech in context