Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State outlined the matter as an issue of ponding and minor works, but the flooding involved is substantial and it happens three or four times each winter resulting in the blocking of a key artery for west Cork. The local authority is working in a special protected area in this case in which there are freshwater pearl mussels, salmon and various other wildlife species of which account must be taken. To carry out studies on that wildlife and to identify the works required involves substantial costs. Cork County Council carried out investigations two years ago and was making inquiries with the OPW regarding the costs of what was identified as a major job. Can those preliminary works be funded? It is about more than just the cost of works such as digging and the removal of gravel; it is also a question of the preparatory work and the costs associated with that. The R587 is a key artery for west Cork coming all the way up through Coppeen and Crookstown and when it closes, it causes great inconvenience, not just for locals but for the wider region.

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