A new engineering report has raised serious safety concerns about one of Ireland's most famous coastal walks.
Wicklow County Council has been under extensive pressure to restore full public access to the iconic Bray to Greystones cliff walk, including from Tánaiste Simon Harris.
However, a newly prepared report reveals multiple hazardous areas with fractured rock faces and loose stones along the path.
The walk was partially closed to the public in early 2021 after a landslide with a further rockfall in November 2022 that sent three large boulders crashing onto the path.
The report by RPS Group identified several areas with rock fractures that were likely to lead to more danger.
An overview of the cliff walk said there were landslide scars that were visible but had yet to reach the path.
It said: "In general, the entire cliff slope shows signs of landsliding. Meaningful remediation of the coastline regression in this area would require extensive coastal protection on the foreshore."
In one section, engineers said that "initial examination of the face would suggest potential for more failures as a result of adverse intersection of discontinuities."
At another point beneath the walkway, there was evidence of a landslide from the path to the beach 50 metres below.
"Such steep faces will collapse over time and undermine the walk," the report said.
The appraisal also noted considerable evidence of a rock fall near a railway tunnel that passes beneath the land.
It said: "The face contains a number of large loose and partially detached rock pieces with evidence of large rock fall at the toe of the slope."
At another location, a rock wall was "undermined by up to about one metre" while the report noted other areas with a "potential incipient [developing] rock failure".
Local Social Democrat TD Jennifer Whitmore said the report was a concern given how important the cliff path was as an important recreational and economic resource for Co Wicklow.
She said: "This makes it a nationally important site and Government must provide resources and funding to assess and remediate this walk.
"However, people’s safety is paramount and if there’s information available that there’s a risk to walkers, it’s important that this is made publicly available as soon as possible."
Asked about the report - which was released following an appeal under FOI laws - Wicklow County Council said it was currently being examined.
A spokeswoman said: "The draft report is being reviewed by Wicklow County Council and Iarnród Éireann for comment before the final report issues. Next steps [and] actions will be assessed based on the final report findings."
