Major plans for Dursey Island pass the first stage of grant application process

DURSEY Island’s upgrade  of its iconic cable car has cleared its first hurdle.

An ambitious €7m project will involve the construction of a two-car aerial tramway system from the mainland to Dursey Island and will replace the existing cable car.

There are also plans to build a visitor centre at the departure point at the mainland and a further small visitor centre on the Island itself.  Dursey Island is one of only 15 signature discovery points located along the Wild Atlantic Way, of which three are
located in Cork.  

The other two are Mizen Head and the Old Head of Kinsale.

Dursey also forms the terminus of the 206km Beara Way walking trail

The total cost of the project is estimated to be in excess of €7m.  

The cable car  runs above the Dursey Sound, a 150m wide passage between the island and Lamb’s Head at the tip of the Beara Peninsula.

Tourism figures to date for 2017 show that 8,416 have used the Dursey Island Cable Car service so far this year, 

County mayor Declan Hurley welcomed the news that Cork County Council has successfully passed the first stage of a two-stage grant application process for the project.  

Mayor Hurley said he was looking forward to working with Fáilte Ireland to ensure that Dursey Island, becomes an iconic ‘must-visit attraction’, resulting in significant increased visitor numbers to West Cork. 

The local authority has recently been advised by Fáilte Ireland that it has successfully passed Stage 1 of the process – eligibility and evaluation criteria of the grants scheme for large tourism projects.  

The next step to deliver the project is to submit a Stage 2 application for funding towards the delivery of the project.  

This stage requires that the project must be fully designed and costed and all necessary statutory consents secured prior to sumbission stage.

To assist with the costs involved prior to submitting the Stage 2 application, Fáilte Ireland has offered development grant assistance of €200,000 which the County Council has accepted.

Tim Lucey, chief executive of Cork County Council said the authority was committed to jointly funding a significant investment in the project.