Plans to make Cork beaches more accessible to wheelchair users

Cork County Council is looking at installing special mats on the sand and the purchase of special all-terrain wheelchairs which can be immersed in the water and adapted for use on kayaks

Teresa O’Sullivan giving her sister Hanna O’Sullivan from Portmagee a spin on Ballinskelligs Beach, Co Kerry, testing the specially adapted beach Hippocampe wheelchair. Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan

Plans are being drawn up to make a number of beaches in Co Cork more accessible to wheelchair users and others with mobility issues by next summer.

Currently, only one beach is operating a specialised wheelchair-user service and the council has sought funding from the Government's outdoor recreation scheme to upgrade beach access infrastructure and purchase specialised equipment at a number of other locations.