Farmers on Dursey Island who had been left stranded on the mainland as their lambing commenced, have been informed that Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys will provide funding for Cork County Council (CCC) to procure a ferry to be used while the island’s cable car service is closed.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal while enjoying a celebratory pint on Wednesday evening, farmer Martin Sheehan said: “It’s great news anyway.”

However, the Cork man said the minister “providing the money is one thing, whether the council will get the ferry is another”.

Lambing

The CCC made the decision last month to close the island’s cable car service from 1 April for a period of eight months to allow a new system to be installed.

Sheehan is one of eight beef and sheep farmers on the island, all of whom are preparing to start lambing next week.

He now hopes a ferry will be provided by CCC by Monday, just in time for him to be able to access the island and shepherd his flock as they lamb.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that while CCC has been given the funding to procure a ferry provider for the period the cable car isn’t running, this may take a number of weeks.

It is understood that Minister Humphreys has also provided funding for an emergency temporary ferry to be provided before one is formally procured, so as not to leave the island’s farmers and its residents stranded.

Details

Cork TD Christopher O’Sullivan has worked for a number of weeks on the cable car issue facing Dursey Island, according to its farmers.

There’s nothing that could replace the cable car

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal on Wednesday, O’Sullivan said that while “more detail will follow” a “lot of credit” has to go to Minister Humphreys, without whom this temporary solution “wouldn’t have happened”.

The Cork TD described the funding for CCC to procure a ferry to run while the cable car is out of service as “sticky tape” but said it is “better than no access [to the island] at all”.

“There’s nothing that could replace the cable car because it could run in almost all weather,” he said.

He said the Dursey Island farmers and residents will be able to use the ferry “most days” but when “challenging weather comes, that’s a different kettle of fish”.

O’Sullivan said that the “sooner the cable car is back up and running, the better”.

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Farmers left stranded on Dursey Island as lambing starts