#ISLAND NEWS - Cill Rónáin Harbour in the Aran Islands has been voted by the public as Best Engineering Project of the Year for 2012.

Silicon Republic reports on the announcement, made at the third Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards last Friday.

The harbour on Inis Mór is twice the size of Croke Park and was constructed from more than 77,000 of stone blocks from Connemara, a choice aimed at protecting the breakwater from erosion by the sea.

Its modern design is also the result of scale model testing by a UK-based hydro lab, while during construction the process was overseen by a marine mammal observer to ensure the disturbance to local marine wildlife was minimal.

The harbour was shortlisted along with other waterfront projects such as the Clonmel Food Relief Scheme, the Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre, the Michael O'Shaughnessy Bridge over the Eglinton Canal in Galway City, the north Co Dublin Waste Water Treatment Scheme and Titanic Belfast.

Silicon Republic has much more on the story HERE.