asked the Minister for Lands whether his attention has been directed to the conditions under which the people of Iniskeeragh Island, off Burtonport, County Donegal, are living, and whether he is aware that if they are left on the island in its present storm-battered condition over next winter there is grave danger of their houses being submerged by the sea and the occupants drowned; and, in view of this, whether he will provide holdings on the mainland or on the adjoining arable islands to which these people could be transferred.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Conditions in Iniskeeragh Island.
Mr. Boland
The question of what action, if any, should be taken for the relief of the inhabitants of Iniskeeragh Island is under consideration by the Land Commission.
Is the Minister aware that the matter is one of some urgency, because there is real and genuine danger that if these people are left on Iniskeeragh much longer they may be swept away in the night? I do not know if the Minister understands the conditions obtaining there. The island is a very small one. You could easily throw a stone across it. Last year, the sea broke down the protecting wall and came up into the kitchens of the islanders. If a storm coincided with a neap tide it is quite possible that the island would be submerged and the people drowned before anybody could get to them. In the light of these facts, will the Minister emphasise to his Department the necessity of taking action this summer?
Mr. Boland
I shall do that.