Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that improving landing facilities on An Blascaod Mór (The Great Blasket Island) is a priority for the Government.
While conservationists have raised concerns about the potential negative impact construction work could have on island wildlife and sealife, Mr Varadkar said safety issues in relation to landing visitors must be addressed.
He was speaking today during his first visit to the west Kerry island.
Famed for its folklore and literary tradition, over 10,000 visitors land on An Blascaod Mór every year, but due to shallow waters the ferry boats are unable to dock at the island pier and people must be transferred to smaller dinghy boats.
Director of the Blasket Centre Lorcán Ó Cinnéide says new landing facilities must be constructed in order to improve safety and make the island accessible to less mobile and elderly visitors.
"People are having to trans-ship by dinghy from boats which are moored into a slipway and up a very rocky incline. The boatmen do a fantastic job and are very safety conscious, but it's self-evident that we need to have a better solution," he said.
In 2002, €8.5 million was earmarked for a new pier on the Blasket, along with improvements to the pier on the mainland in Dún Chaoin. However, due to delays caused during the planning process, the project was eventually abandoned.
The OPW is currently carrying out preliminary work in preparation for a new planning application.
But the island is both a Special Protected Area and a Special Area of Conservation. It is also classed as a protected site under the EU's Natura 2000 legislation.
An Taisce has already expressed serious concerns about the "devastating impact" large-scale construction could have on wildlife and marine mammals. An Taisce has also said that easier access could result in the island being over-run with visitors.
Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW Patrick O’Donovan said Kerry County Council, the Department of the Gaeltacht, the Office of Public Works and the National Parks and Wildlife Service would carefully consider the impact of any construction work.
"I know that we are working in a very constrained environmental place on the west coast of Ireland. Every designation possible is here, we know that, but that still does not negate our responsibilities to look after people as they get from the boat on to the slipway," said Mr O’Donovan.
It’s understood that the OPW is considering numerous design options, including the installation of a seasonal pontoon system as a possible alternative to a heavier concrete structure.
The Taoiseach said that the island was of immense cultural importance and that it is important that people could visit in a way that is both safe and sustainable.
"Providing new landing facilities on the Blasket is a priority for the Government. We know from other places, for example the Skelligs, that it can be done in the right way. I know it can be controversial, but it is about getting that balance right. I’m pretty convinced that if we all work together we can achieve that," he said
Mr Varadkar is the fourth sitting Taoiseach to visit An Blascaod Mór. He follows in the footsteps of Éamon de Valera who landed there in 1947. Charlie Haughey was a regular visitor to the island, while Mícheál Martin spent an afternoon on the island last year.
The last permanent residents were evacuated from the Blasket in 1953. The island community was renowned for its literary output, which features the memoirs of Tomás Ó Criomhthain, Peig Sayers and Muiris Ó Súilleabháin.
