My Department owns, operates and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl under statute. In addition, my Department also has responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of North Harbour at Cape Clear, as well as the maintenance of a small number of specific piers, lights and beacons throughout Ireland, in accordance with the Marine Works (Ireland) Act 1902, and piers, lights and beacons constructed under the auspices of the Congested Districts Board.
Greencastle Harbour is owned by Donegal County Council and responsibility for its maintenance and development rests with that Local Authority in the first instance and its parent Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage thereafter.
My Department co-funded works on phase one of a larger Greencastle Harbour Development project up to 2011, which involved the construction of a rock breakwater.
€8.37m was invested in this project between the years 2007 – 2010. Funding for capital projects was, of necessity, significantly reduced due to the economic conditions prevalent in 2010. Further funding of €453,000 was provided for in my Department’s 2011 capital programme to enable the Department to suspend the project in a safe and acceptable manner. In February 2012, my Department formally handed back responsibility for the Greencastle Harbour Development project to Donegal County Council, following completion of works to safeguard the partially constructed breakwater.
My Department continues to provide funding to assist the 14 coastal Local Authorities, including Donegal County Council, in carrying out small scale projects for the development and repair of Local Authority owned piers, harbours and slipways under the annual Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, subject to available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities. Between the years 2010-2019, Donegal County Council has received funding of € 3.6m under this programme, with €739k of this allocated for works at Greencastle Harbour.
Funding of €3.1m has been approved for the Local Authority element of my Department’s 2020 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. Donegal County Council has secured funding of €433,500 under this programme, to undertake 7 Harbour Development and 4 Marine Leisure projects. Of this funding, €90,000 has been allocated to repair works at Greencastle Harbour.
In addition, my Department is currently undertaking Phase 2 of a major, multi-year capital investment project in Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre, County Donegal which will extend the landing pier at Smooth Point by 120 metres. The overall investment in this project is expected to be in excess of €21m.
I am currently examining all aspects of my Department’s Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, including planning for future programmes.
I am very much aware of the importance of Greencastle Harbour to both the fishing industry in Donegal and nationally and plans for the completion of the Greencastle Breakwater Project is being considered by me in the context of this examination of the Department's Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme.
