Anxiety grows for residents of Achill Island as erosion of the coastline continues.
The Achill Island post office at Dugort teeters on the edge of a rapidly crumbling cliff face, high above the Atlantic Ocean. The postmistress is extremely worried about the dwelling house behind the post office which is now on a cliff edge.
At the moment you just wonder how long more it really can last already there are cracks appearing at the back of the house.
This is not an isolated incident. There are a number of homes located on the edge of cliffs. Their owners live in fear of storms. One resident cannot sleep at night worrying about the tide coning in.
People can’t live like this anymore.
Councillor Pat Kilbane outlines the havoc that coastal erosion has reeked on Achill Island. The seriousness of the situation has,
People living in danger of their lives, and they’re in fear of their lives on certain winds and on certain occasions.
Pat Kilbane and other local councillors are appealing to the Department of the Environment for a one off £2 million grant to save the endangered houses.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 6 January 1999. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
