Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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6 o’clock

I congratulate Deputy Cahill on his appointment. He is a very fine ambassador for the tourism sector not just in Kerry but across the country. I wish him well on that. I heard him raise it this morning with the Tánaiste during Questions on Policy or Legislation.

First, to briefly put context on it, the Office of Public Works conserves and manages Ireland’s national heritage estate, which comprises 780 national monuments and 32 national historic properties, with over 5,000 acres of designed landscapes and parks. This estate includes two UNESCO world heritage sites, namely, Sceilg Mhichíl in County Kerry and the Brú na Bóinne complex comprising Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth in County Meath. In 2024, over 16 million people attended and visited OPW-managed heritage sites to explore and enjoy Ireland’s iconic heritage sites such as Clonmacnoise, the Rock of Cashel, Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland and Kilkenny Castle.

As Members will be aware, Sceilg Mhichíl is situated 16 km off the coast of Kerry. It was founded by St. Fionán around the sixth century and is the home of an early monastic site. The monastery came into State care in 1880. The OPW manages the island and conserves the built heritage of the island, including the monastic site.

The OPW has been managing visitor access to the island for decades and has a detailed management plan and operating procedures relating to visitors. Due to severe sea conditions, the island cannot be accessed during the winter. The visitor season, as Deputy Cahill has alluded to, generally begins around mid-May and runs to late September each year and the OPW staff are present on the island at all times during this period. Access to the island is highly dependent on weather and sea conditions and there are days in every season when visitors cannot land due to unsuitable weather or maritime conditions.

The OPW, together with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, published a ten-year Sceilg Mhichíl management plan for 2020 to 2030 which sets out the State’s approach to managing and conserving the built and natural heritage of the island and ensures sustainable access for visitors to enjoy the outstanding universal value of this unique world heritage property. There are over 90 actions in the plan and it is in this context visitor access and numbers to the island are strictly managed.

Access to the island is regulated by limiting the number of boatmen who are permitted to land passengers at the island during the visitor season. The established number allowed is 15 boats. A boat permit system was originally introduced to improve health and safety on the journey to and during visitation to the island after the deaths of two visitors to Sceilg Mhichíl in 2009. The OPW’s approach is to sustainably manage visitor activity to the island in line with the agreed UNESCO policy and visitor management plan.

I can advise Deputy Cahill that the OPW does not make any profit from the operation of the boat permit system. The OPW does not receive any income from this and does not charge visitors to visit the island, nor does the OPW get involved in the setting of prices for the boat trip to the island as it is considered the prerogative of permit holders to set their own prices. I would like to think that the OPW enjoys a strong working relationship with the boat permit holders, as well as recognising and sharing the same goal - to showcase the island at its best while at the same time making sure that we are protecting its special qualities for the next generation.

The season is due to commence on 10 May and it will run until 29 September. Last year, 15,800 people visited the island, with numbers limited to 180 per day in order to sustainably manage and conserve the delicate archaeological remains as well as the diverse flora and fauna of the island. Regarding this current competition, under European procurement rules the compliant procurement process for this competition was an open competition via eTenders. It is awarded for a five-year period, to be renewed on a yearly basis but subject to adherence to terms and conditions. The volume of applications exceeded the number of permits available and I can only acknowledge the disappointment felt by some at the outcome of the competition.

As publicly reported, the results of the permits competition are now the subject of legal proceedings. As such, I cannot comment further on the current competition to award boat permits but I do understand the Deputy's concerns.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. I cannot emphasise strongly enough the importance of Skellig Michael opening on time to the tourism industry in my county. It is fair to say they are very concerned. Every day, there is obviously a loss of earnings, and I ask the Minister of State to engage with his colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, and ask that he do everything in his power to resolve this issue on time. I am aware of the legal proceedings but I am also acutely aware of the knock-on effect that the closure or any delay in the opening of Skellig Michael to visitor landings will have on the local economy.

I wish to re-emphasise the importance of Skellig Michael to our county and country. Visitors come from all over the world every year to specifically go there. They spend and stay, and they will always be welcome. It is absolutely critical that it is opened on 10 May.

I already mentioned poor weather conditions, etc. There are obviously many every season, particularly in recent seasons. I ask the Minister of State to engage with his ministerial colleague and ask him to do everything on behalf of the people of Kerry to get this wonderful amenity opened as soon as possible.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I again emphasise that I hear Deputy Cahill. Sceilg Mhichíl is a site of extraordinary significance and the OPW is seeking to carefully manage the built and natural heritage of the site for the enjoyment of current and future generations. The OPW recognises the significance of the Skelligs with regard to tourism and the economic activity of Kerry, as articulated by Deputy Cahill, and in particular the Ballinskelligs region. The OPW has worked collaboratively with local stakeholders for many years to ensure this site of outstanding universal value is protected in line with the best practice of UNESCO world heritage standards and works, but that it is also accessible and can be enjoyed by a range of visitors who deliver a significant economic value to the region each summer. The OPW is committed to working with all locally to ensure this will continue to be the case. It must be acknowledged that, for now, the OPW cannot comment further on the award of permits for the season given that the competition process to award such permits is subject to judicial proceedings.