Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for attending. As he will know, Dursey Island is served by a cable car which was the first cable car to connect an island to this country. A number of difficulties have arisen in the past 12 to 18 months. The islanders have successfully accessed the island by cable car for some decades. They also transported animals but due to health and safety concerns and other issues the practice has virtually stopped. There are two points of severe concern at present. First, it has been announced that the cable car needs its structures and cables upgraded and improved. It has been proposed to cease the service for a full calendar month to carry out the work. How will people gain access to the island?

I shall outline the second concern. I tabled this Adjournment matter about four weeks ago but I have not got around to dealing with it for a number of logistical reasons. Since I tabled the matter I have learned that there is a proposal by the office of the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley, to provide a ferry service to transport animals to and from the island at certain times of the year. Perhaps it will assist people who also want to repair houses. At present two properties are being upgraded so blocks, plaster, timber and bits and pieces must be transported to the island. People who either live on the island or originally came from it and still view it as their home need access on a daily or weekly basis. Today I was told by an island representative not from Dursey Island that the next proposed ferry to transport bulk loads to or from the island, or transport cattle to the island for summer grazing or transport cattle, sheep or other animals off it, will be in August. A cable car that has successfully transported animals for over 30 years is being stopped.

Local councillors and the council gave a commitment to provide a ferry which must be funded by the Department. However, it has been suggested that people must wait until August for a ferry service. That is not on. As I said here before, the people who live on Dursey Island and farm the land, some of whom live on the mainland, have the same rights as people who live in Dublin 4, Cork city or wherever. It is ridiculous to leave the islanders totally cut-off and isolated without access to the island. It is not good enough to simply provide a ferry to the island in lieu of the animals and other materials not being taken on the cable car twice a year. There should be a monthly service weather permitting. Many people say that one could use boats but Dursey Sound is known traditionally as one of the most inhospitable stretches of water due to severe currents.

In this weather, it is normally inaccessible by any boat. Only a lunatic or a madman would envisage trying to land on the island in these appalling conditions. I hope the Minister of State has some good news for the island about the cable car and the ferry. I have spoken about the rights, worries and concerns of the island people and those near Dursey who access the island regularly. Many access the island on a daily basis. Their rights are being encroached upon and they deserve better treatment.

This is a case of passing the buck from Cork County Council to the Department, and there is also the matter of health and safety and regulations. There should be joined-up thinking to deal with the problem people on Dursey Island have. I refer to people who live on the island or own land on the island and regularly farm it. One of my hobbies is affected by this, because the area is part of the Beara walkway. The two or three hours of walking are a wonderful experience. From a tourism point of view, it is a terrible drawback that there is no access to the island. The islanders deserve all the facilities we can give them.

I am coming to the conclusion that we might as well say goodbye to Dursey Island because of the problems with the cable car and the loss of a ferry to transport animals and materials. It will be like An tOileánachor "Farewell to the Blaskets". I would hate to see another island off west Cork becoming depopulated. The Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy McGinley, and the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Brian Hayes, will understand the plight of the islanders, and I hope the latter will give me a good news story.