In the past week work has commenced on perhaps the most crucial part of the current harbour works which is the deepening of the Inner Dock to allow the ferry and other vessels access all stages of the tide. Like the other phases of the project, the task has been approached with commendable gusto with up to 4 machines working at any one time and visible progress has already been made. Of course the work has necessitated the drying out of the dock and this has temporarily adversely affected the ferry service with the vessel having to be removed to a safe haven on the mainland in bad weather. This weekend past the ferry spent 3 days at Oldcourt.

The big question is will this phase be completed by Christmas and that remains to be seen. However on a very positive note there is a proposal that may see a small marina secured inside the deepened dock area and if this can be accomplished it would again make the Island an attractive destination for visiting yachts and encourage the yachting fraternity to return in greater numbers. We very much hope that this will prove possible.

Islanders are happy to put up with the necessary difficulties and inconveniences caused by the current Harbour works because of the long term benefits to the Community. However, it should be borne in mind that these works were originally scheduled to take place in April and May of last year, during the fine weather and were considerably delayed because of various delays in the planning process some of which, it seems, could and should have been avoided. The difficulties of the Island Community are also shared by the contractors and their hardworking staff who are faced with the additional challenge of the inclement winter weather conditions.

As one Islander recently put it on Radio na Gaeltachta, those responsible for the delays are ‘going home for their dinner, while others suffer the consequences ‘.