The Office of Public Works has announced that the world famous heritage site at Sceilg Mhichíl off the south Kerry coast will not open to visitors this year because of the concerns over the Covid-19 crisis.
The site had been scheduled to open this weekend, but in light of the difficulties caused by the ongoing health crisis, the OPW along with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht have concluded that it is not feasible to maintain visitor and staff safety at Skellig and the island must remain closed to visitors.
15 boats each day are licenced to travel to the island and are limited to 12 passengers each. The OPW said the character of the passenger journey to Skellig is highly challenging when considering Covid-19 risks.
On a constantly moving platform like a boat, there are multiple touch and clutch points which passengers will hold onto and they will also need direct assistance to safely board and get off at the destination pier.
In these circumstances, prevention of virus transmission is extremely difficult, and it is not feasible to guarantee passenger safety, a spokesman said.
In addition, social distancing on the island would be very difficult to maintain given the narrow traffic routes at the Monastery.
There are also risks to the on-island guide staff who are required to live in close proximity and share wash and toilet facilities.
The OPW has said it has taken this decision extremely reluctantly, mindful of the iconic place Sceilg Mhichíl holds in the minds of visitors and Irish citizens alike, and considering its status as a UNESCO world heritage site.
The site attracted over 16,000 visitors in 2018 and has become a huge international attraction after it was used as a location for the Star Wars movies in recent years.
Jamie Duff of The Skellig experience and one of the 15 boat operators to the famous site said they are absolutely devastated by the development and said it had wide economic consequences for the economy of south Kerry, which depend so much on tourism income.
While they understand the seriousness of the crisis, the Skelligs draw a huge amount of tourists to the area, who not only want to take the boats, but who also stay in the local B&Bs and eat in the local cafes and restaurants.
He said they had been hopeful that they might get part of July, August and September to reopen tours but that is not now going to happen, and they are very very disappointed.
In Co Clare, the Cliffs of Moher, which is the most visited outdoor tourist attraction in Ireland, is opening its car park facilities on Monday but only to local people who live within 5km of the site.
The famous cliffs attracted 1.6 million visitors last year, but is facing a catastrophic drop in figures this year because of the Covid pandemic, and could lose over 1 million visitors.
Site director Geraldine Enright said 75% of their visitors are international tourists, and they will be largely affected by how the health crisis has affected international travel.
She said they will be lucky to get several hundred thousand visitors this year.
