Gormley meets rowing club amid fears for town’s weir

ARE members of one of Ireland’s leading rowing clubs “green” enough to think John Gormley will rescue them from the rare lamprey? Time will tell.

The Minister for the Environment was electioneering in Fermoy, Co Cork, yesterday where he fulfilled a promise to meet members of the town’s 125-year-old rowing club who are in a right tizzy about the lampreys.

It’s hard to imagine that these little eel-like creatures, which grow to about 30cm, could sound the death knell of the club which has spawned Olympian rowers Gearoid Towey and Denis Rice. But it’s actually true.

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources wants to remove the town weir to allow lampreys up river to breed.

Only trouble is that removing the weir will drop the water level so much that the rowing club won’t be able to function on its current training course.

Mr Gormley was shown around the club, which has 100 members, and he also inspected the weir. He said there was a need to find a compromise which would suit all parties.

Club members are hoping Mr Gormley will have a word in the ear of party and cabinet colleague, Eamon Ryan, who also happens to be the minister with responsibility for natural resources.

However, the Greens will also have to be seen to protect the lamprey, so a delicate balancing act will be required to resolve the row.

The local town council commissioned an independent report from consultants White, Young and Green (WYG).

It was leaked to a local newspaper on Tuesday evening causing much anger as the majority of local councillors hadn’t been given the report at that time.

Rowing club spokesman Donal O’Keeffe said club members welcomed, with some reservations, the eventual release of WYG’s technical assessment report on the future of the weir.

The consultants offered alternative proposals, including incorporating fish passes in the weir, which was originally built in 1170.

“We have proposed from the beginning that the existing weir be repaired and improved with the addition of new fish passes. The European Commission has suggested that ensuring satisfactory fish passage would be considered an acceptable outcome under the EU Habitats Directive and no further alterations would be necessary,” Mr O’Keeffe said.

He hoped Mr Gormley “would act as an honest broker” on the issue.