A pier for Cromane has appeared on election literature at almost every general and local election since prior to the beginning of the 20th century:
• May 1895 - locals petitioned the members of the Congested Districts Board, forerunners of the county council, to develop a pier at Cromane. They were told “not to hope for too much all at once”, according to the Kerry Sentinel newspaper report of May 31st of that year.
• 1997 - A pier for Cromane was one of the key election pledges of Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae prior to his first election to the Dáil.
• 2004 - Former Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O’Donoghue, also made it an election issue in the past and bitter rows have broken out between himself and Mr Healy-Rae over who obtained €7 million in grant money announced that year for the pier. None of the grant money announced as recently as last year is now available, it is understood.
However, local election candidate Michael Cahill of Fianna Fáil said recently that he hoped the matter was not yet dead in the water and the council could explore the other road options available to them. The fishing industry which has been plagued by closures due to conservation issues was worth €5 million to Cromane, he said
The century-old campaign for a pier in the sheltered fishing harbour of Cromane in Dingle Bay in Co Kerry has received yet another setback with the decision by An Bord Pleanála to annul the county council’s compulsory purchase order of about three-quarters of an acre of ground needed for part of a new road to the proposed pier.
The pier and breakwater at Crow’s Foot Cromane for the salmon, mussel and oyster harbour was given permission in 2005 after years of wrangling.
However, afterwards there was disagreement over the road access. Now An Bord Pleanála has ruled that as the route outlined in the compulsory purchase order was different from the one that went into public notice in 2005, it did not comply with statutory provision and the order could not be confirmed.
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