Cork County Council says it is ‘committed’ to creating a pathway across the River Ilen in Skibbereen, while the legal matter of the ‘bridge to nowhere’ between Levis’ Quay and The Marsh continues.

In response to a query from The Southern Star, the council said it ‘would not comment on any ongoing legal matters’,  but ‘remain committed to realising the pedestrian
connection’.

In December 2007 then-mayor of Skibbereen Brendan McCarthy, today a county councillor, welcomed the ‘excellent job’ done by the developers ‘on building a new bridge from Levis’ Quay to The Marsh…and, although not yet open to the public, it will be a fantastic amenity when the overall project is complete’.

The bridge is still leading to nowhere 18 years later; it is intended to connect the Marsh car park to Levis’ Quay, and ‘has been on hold for many years’, in the local authority’s own words.

In August, the council was granted almost €50,000 to support planning approval that is already in place for a walkway, pedestrian bridge, and car park at
The Marsh.

In Skibbereen’s Town Centre First plan, published in April 2024, the bridge was identified as a critical component of the infrastructure of the town, and key to diverting traffic away from the centre of Skibbereen by allowing people to park outside of the town and walk the short distance across the river into Skibbereen.

The bridge, according to the report, would also ‘help regenerate this part of the key opportunity area’ of Levis’ Quay. 

At the time of the report’s publication, an unresolved legal dispute between the council and the developer of the bridge was ongoing, which continues today.