Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)

Skellig Michael, or Sceilg Mhichíl, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. The rock on which monks lived, worked and prayed hundreds of years ago is named after the Archangel Michael. We all could do with a little help from him. Skellig Michael's place in the history and culture of Kerry and Ireland is undisputed but it is also vital to the local economy of south Kerry, Iveragh and the whole county. It attracts visitors from all over the world and even more so since the filming in recent years of some of the "Star Wars" films there.

Landing passengers on the island requires a licence and these are confined to 15 boats carrying 12 passengers each. That is 180 passengers per day. Last year, temporary licences were awarded to 15 operators. I now call for the awarding of 18 temporary licences, confined to ten passengers each, keeping the 180 passenger cap to ensure this season can be operated for the good of all concerned and on a one-season basis only. Full licences will be reverted to the usual from 2026 onwards.

Every bed and breakfast, guesthouse, hotel, shop, filling station, restaurant, bar and coffee shop between Killarney, Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Portmagee, Ballinskelligs, Valentia Island, Waterville, Caherdaniel, Castlecove and Sneem depend on Sceilg Mhichíl for much of their annual income and livelihood and its visitors. If the influx of visitors attracted by Skellig Michael is stopped by landing licences not being issued, it will have an enormously detrimental effect on the local economy. Landings must be allowed to continue as the economy of south Kerry and Iveragh, an area bereft of any other large employment, is liable to collapse completely and it would, in all seriousness, find it nearly impossible to recover from. It would cause the closure of many small businesses as they would not be viable and many families would be without partial, or full, income in some instances.

Landings on Skellig Michael are subject to fair weather conditions. Every year, days are lost due to high winds, rough seas and storms. It is critical that Skellig Michael is open to visitors landing on the rock on 10 May. Every day lost is money out of the pockets of those involved in tourism and employed in this important area in our county.

My appeal on behalf of the people of south Kerry and Iveragh is that we protect their livelihoods, protect our incomes, and protect their jobs by keeping Skellig Michael open to passenger landings for 2025 until a solution is found to the present impasse.

This is the second time today that I have raised this hugely important issue for the people of south Kerry, and of the county, in Dáil Éireann. I raised the matter earlier with the Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, and I am again pleading with the Minister with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, OPW, to intervene and get Skellig Michael open for business as usual on 10 May. I am delighted to have been appointed by An Taoiseach as Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on tourism and in this regard the issue of licences and the opening of Skellig Michael to visitor landings is absolutely vital.

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