West Cork ferry users have to clamber over boats

Lives are being put at risk by dangerous “overcrowding” at a floating dock or pontoon in one of the country’s busiest fishery harbours.

Passengers aboard a car and passenger ferry, as well as islanders who sail to Castletownbere from Bere Island, are being forced to walk across a number of boats, often in poor weather, to access the mainland.

John Walsh of the Bere Island Project Group said: “We recently had a case of a woman expecting a baby who had to walk across several boats to get to dry land and then drive to Cork to have the baby.”