44-year-old Queen of Aran vessel
THE Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht issued a statement this afternoon on the ferry options for Tory island following on from the islander’s rejection of the 44-year-old vessel the Queen of Aran.
The three options put forward by the Department include the building or purchase of a new vessel within two to three years; the development of the pier at Machaire Rabhartaigh in order to accommodate a new vessel; and to subsidise the provision of a separate fast ferry service in the meantime for the island to supplement both the Queen of Aran vessel scheduled to commence on April 1st, its existing heavy cargo service and the island’s weekly winter air service.
This fast service would require a small boat, with a capacity of between 12 and 20 passengers, operating alongside the main service and the island’s subsidised weekly winter air service.
In the statement the Department made a commitment to commence the planning process to build a new vessel for the island. They said they are also committed to commencing the process to upgrade the pier at Machaire Rabhartaigh and that meetings with Donegal County Council are being arranged.
A meeting has also been arranged with the Department of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland in relation to the boat they built for Rathlin and a delegation from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Tory island will visit Rathlin in the coming weeks.
The islanders have said that the Queen of Aran service is not suitable for the seas around Tory and that they want a vessel that can complete the journey within a half an hour.
Responding to the islanders concerns the Department claim that the Queen of Aran service will be “a considerable improvement”.
They say the vessel will have a lift for passengers with impaired mobility, it will be faster than the current vessel and carry more passengers, and that a dedicated bus service will be provided between An Bun Beag and Machaire Rabhartaigh on days when it cannot dock at the latter pier and that previously, islanders had to arrange taxis from Bun Beag to Machaire Rabhartaigh.
The Department also say the operator will provide additional cargo services as part of the contract which is to run for five years.
Senior Officials from the Department called a press conference this afternoon outside their offices in Galway to give this latest statement.