€5,866,000 has been announced for Castletownbere under the Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Scheme, with €110,00 allocated to works at Cape Clear.

The news was announced on Monday morning this week by Ministers Timmy Dooley and Martin Heydon, and is part of a €27 million allocation for capital projects in Ireland’s publicly-owned harbours.

The funding for Castletownbere includes €2.6 million for the small craft harbour at Dinish, for which planning permission was approved back in November.

Another €100,000 is for the removal of rock under the oil tank and decommissioning of it on Dinish, and upgrades to the bridge. €340,000 is earmarked for traffic management on Dinish, €100,000 for Syncrolift fendering replacement, €20,000 for improvement works, and another €250,000 for the replacement of the pontoon and gangway at Syncrolift.

Also included in the Castletownbere pot is €20,000 for disability access, €400,000 for safety and maintenance, and €1.5 million for water and power metering.

€66,000 is for a vehicle and machinery, €20,000 for energy saving measures, and €50,000 for upgrades to the harbour lighting. The final €150,000 is for waterwater treatment plant upgrades

On Cape Clear, €100,000 has been announced for safety and maintenance works, and €10,000 for disability access.

The funding will assist Cork County Council in the repair, development and maintenance of Castletownbere harbour and coastal infrastructure, with funding overseen by the Department.

The news was welcomed by Fine Gael Senator Noel O’Donovan and his party colleague Cllr Caroline Cronin.

Cllr Cronin said the announcement was ‘enormous and very welcome’, saying she was particularly pleased to see the Small Craft Harbour funding, as well as €250,000 for a new pontoon and gangway on Dinish.

‘Castletownbere is one of Ireland’s most well-known fishery harbours’ said Senator O’Donovan.

‘It is the workspace of so many people in the area and it is crucial that it receives this funding to support the modernisation and improvement of its infrastructure so that it can maintain its place as one of Ireland’s leading harbours.

‘This funding will help improve the working conditions and the standard of Castletownbere’s harbour and coastal infrastructure, but Councillor Caroline Cronin and I are committed to furthering the cause of the fishing community and industry to ensure that people’s livelihoods can continue, and that fishing can be seen as a reliable and stable industry to become a part of.’