Storms devastate famous Kerry strand

ONE of the most spectacular beaches in the south west, Rossbeigh, Co Kerry, has been further devastated by winter storms.

Last night, a local publican and councillor said the knock-on effect of the breach in the dune system at Rossbeigh could have a devastating knock-on effect along low-lying areas of Castlemaine harbour.

On Monday next, Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Cahill, proprietor of the Ross Inn, will table an emergency motion before a full meeting of the council.

“We can’t replace what’s gone but, we urgently need to protect what is remaining,” Mr Cahill said.

The disappearance of a huge 20-acre chunk of dune area on the northern end of the spit has alarmed locals and visitors alike and has increased fears for the stability of the historic stone tower which has stood at the entrance to Castlemaine Harbour for more than a century.

Mr Cahill said he did not believe the Castlemaine Beacon, which has been leaning off centre for a number of years, would survive a winter of storms now that much of the buffer effect provided by the dunes has been diminished.

With winter storms forecast for the coming weeks, locals fear that gale driven seas will further destroy what has for generations been one of the main resorts in south Kerry.

Late last year, a public meeting was held to discuss the extreme erosion taking place at Rossbeigh amid concerns that Kerry Co Council did not have the necessary funding to carry out anti-erosion works.

Coastal erosion may be a natural phenomenon, but locals say that what has been happening at Rossbeigh could radically alter the seascape if urgent action is not taken.

County council senior executive engineer Eamon Scanlon has already pleaded with locals not to construct rock armour where the sea has broken through. At a recent meeting, he stressed that a foreshore licence was needed from the Department of the Marine before any such work could be carried out.

Kerry Co Council has said it needs to study the area and the nature of the erosion before a case could be made for emergency funding from central government.

From January, the Office of Public Works (OPW) took over responsibility for coastal erosion works. Just €4 million is available nationally for coastal protection works under the direction of the OPW.

Renowned Rossbeigh beach is a counterpart to Inch Strand on the opposite end of Dingle Bay.

Inch became internationally famous thanks to its appearance in the movie Ryan’s Daughter.