A long-awaited project to improve safety at the pier on the Aran island of Inis Oírr may begin by the end of the year, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys has said.
She announced this week that Galway County Council will begin the tender procedure to identify a contractor for the work.
As Afloat reported in 2021, the project is said to be a “key priority” for the Department of Rural and Community Development.
It is listed as one of the Government’s infrastructure commitments in the Project Ireland 2040 plan, the minister said.
She said that the work “will address safety issues that have arisen over the years, in particular in relation to the risks posed from waves breaking over the pier”.
It is expected the tender procedure will take about six months.
“The development of the pier at Inis Oírr is an extremely important project and one that I know the community is anxious to see completed,” she said.
“I anticipate that I will be in a position to approve the awarding of this contract before the end of the year,” she said.
“This will enable the contractor to begin the construction of this important project in 2024,” Humphreys said.