North and south Dublin harbours to benefit from €38.3m funding package

Harbours across north and south Dublin are set to benefit from a funding windfall after the Minister for the Marine Charlie McConaloge allocated €38.3m to maintain, upgrade and repair harbours throughout the country.

The Capital Investment Package will support 79 local authority harbours across 12 coastal communities, with significant allocations for working harbours.

Dublin harbours are set to receive €8.4m in funding which include Loughshinny Harbour, Skerries Harbour, Howth Harbour and Balbriggan Harbour in Fingal County Council and Dun Laoghaire Harbour and Coliemore Harbour in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Fianna Fail TD for Dun Laoghaire Cormac Devlin welcomed the news.

“Coliemore Harbour is one of Ireland’s oldest harbours dating back to the 13th century, when it was the leading port on the East Coast.

“The harbour has been in continuous use for hundreds of years but was damaged by a rockfall in August 2020 and has been partially closed since.

“This funding will enable Dún Laoghaire – Rathdown County Council to carry out the estimated €100,000 works to repair and reopen the harbour.”

Minister McConaloge said that the investment “underlines the importance this Government places on the contribution of the wider seafood sector to Ireland’s economy and to rural coastal communities in particular.”

The Local Authority programme, which forms part of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marines’ 2021 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, sees the department co-funding up to 75% of the total cost of approved projects with the Local Authority providing the balance.

In regard to the Local Authority scheme, the Minister said: “It was important to me to place added importance on the Local Authority scheme this year.

I am pleased to be to in a position to announce an enhanced €4.2 million programme in 2021 to assist coastal local authorities in the repair and development of fishery and aquaculture linked marine infrastructures under their ownership.

“This year I have redirected savings due to Covid limitations on other projects to increase the monies available to the local authorities resulting in a 35% increase in 2020 allocations.

“Together with funding from local authorities, the total amount to be invested in local piers and harbours in 2021 under this scheme comes to €5.6 million.”