Marine budget set to increase in Mayo

The maintenance budget for Mayo’s piers and harbours has been "substantially increased" for 2025, according to Mayo County Council's Head of Marine Michael O’Boyle 

Mr O'Boyle was speaking at last week's meeting of Westport Belmullet Municipal District after attending what he described as "a very proactive workshop with the working group for Westport Harbour". The group has ambitious plans to develop a state-of-the-art marine recreational amenity for both seafarers and land-lovers.

Over the course of a lengthy discussion on Mayo’s marine potential, it soon emerged that Westport’s ambition is well matched, if not overlapped, by Achill and Belmullet, whose public representatives spoke of daily ferries to connect the two land-heads while Cllr Gerry Coyle wanted, for once and for all, the unsightly old tanks sullying the view at Blacksod Lighthouse to be removed and transported to their rightful place, namely, the nearest scrap merchants. He was told the matter is already in hand.

“The big story is we got quite a substantial increase in our maintenance budget and are getting back to a level of funding similar to that in place prior to the economic crash in this country," Mr O’Boyle told councillors, adding that the investment would be "very important for dealing with local issues" and would make life easier in terms of providing a better level of service to Mayo’s many coastal and tourist amenities.

“There has been an explosion in the utilisation of our piers and harbours with people swimming and boating and canoeing and engaging in elements that just were not around pre-Covid," he said.

While the council's marine section had been able to achieve some coastal works under the 18-month Brexit Adjustment Fund, the 2012 to 2022 budget was very limited "with small money and timeframes and no money for preparatory or design works", Mr O'Boyle said.

“But for next year, the Department (of the Marine) is bringing in a new scheme that hopefully will prove more expansive through you, as members, by putting in place a proper programme for works in advance," he added.

Mr O'Boyle also encouraged councillors to look for an increase in the council’s marine budget 2025 and cited new developments of pontoons at various piers as well as the novel sinking of a ship in Killala Bay for lovers of deep-sea diving as some of the innovative attractions drawing the fresh-air-loving public to our coastal amenities.

The marine chief also welcomed repair work on the steps at the pier in Rosmoney but warned that "the pier there is completely undermined and will require a big project for next year". 

"There are things to decide such as the many large standing boats there. Is that the right place for them, with emergency boats needing to use the slipway?” 

Highlighting such matters served to nudge thoughts towards the need to discuss policy around the development of individual piers and harbours. Following calls by Achill and Belmullet councillors Gerry Coyle, Sean Carey and Paul McNamara for improvements at popular piers across North Mayo such as at Purteen, Rossport (where it was noted that in the absence of public toilets, derelict houses were being used ‘as facilities’) and Inishkea, Mr O'Boyle said he hoped to address the issue of public toilets in tandem with the council's tourism sector.

"As for Inishkea and the islands, we would see this as part of the whole blue area of Achill and we have already done an awful lot of work with farmers through Parks and Wildlife as well as Fáilte Ireland in order to develop that island in a sustainable way.” 

Lobbying hard for Mayo’s scenic coastline, Cllr Chris Maxwell wanted development at Roonagh pier (the gateway to Clare Island) to include carparking facilities and large-boat landing supports. Happily, the Head of Marine was able to disclose that the council is working with the Department of Rural Development, which manages the islands, and that a capital development programme is to be rolled out imminently, with a focus on Roonagh, and each stage to be done "very much in consultation with stakeholders and the islanders".

Cllr Peter Flynn, reporting "a very close shave" with the Coast Guard Lifeboat attempting to access Rosmoney pier recently, said he was very happy to learn remedial work was underway there, adding that Mayo piers in general, were "a mess, particularly during summer, such as around Roonagh, where the carparking is chaotic". 

“Westport Quay is another example where people abandon boats and equipment and then nobody is to be found when we try and remedy the situation. We need to put a structure in place,” he asserted.

Mr O'Boyle recalled that draft bye-laws were circulated to members of the Marine SPC during 2024 and it was agreed that these would be forwarded to councillors in advance of a workshop, so that a full marine plan could be presented to a Mayo County Council plenary session before 2025.

Mr O’Boyle concluded: “We know bye-laws are very legalistic but they are also very effective. However they must be followed up with administrative support and complete back-up. It takes a long time to draw up these legal documents but it is because of bye-laws that we were actually able to move some large boats from Westport Quay and we are anxious to get the bye-laws up and running to build a whole system around them.”