Skellig Michael: Tourism chiefs plead with OPW to issue temporary boat permits

Unesco World Heritage site may not reopen until June — 'a complete disaster' which risks 'lasting damage to businesses and Ireland’s reputation as a world-class tourism destination'

Skellig Michael attracts 15,000 visitors a year, with many multiples of that number visiting villages and beaches on the south Kerry coast including here at St Finian's Bay, Ballinskelligs. Tourism chiefs say the failure to reopen this year is damaging tourism across South Kerry. File picture: Dan Linehan

Tourism chiefs in Kerry have issued an urgent plea to the Office of Public Works to issue temporary permits to boat operators to resolve the bitter stand-off threatening to destroy the entire visitor season to Skellig Michael.

The Unesco world heritage site did not open to tourists for the scheduled start of the visitor season this weekend due to a legal dispute over the awarding of landing permits.

Now fears are growing that access to the spectacular monastic outpost — which has become a mecca for Star Wars fans in recent years after featuring in two blockbuster movies — is likely to remain suspended until late June at the earliest due to the anticipated timing of a judicial review.

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in 'Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens', one of two Star Wars films featuring scenes shot on Skellig Michael. File picture: Disney/Lucasfilm

The Office of Public Works (OPW) faces separate High Court challenges from three South Kerry boat operators who were unsuccessful in the recent competition run by the State body to award permits to ferry passengers to the Kerry island.

The three long-established businesses have taken issue with the selection process employed by the OPW for awarding permits to vessels for the 2025 season, which is restricted to just four-and-a-half months to protect the fragile ecosystem of the island.

While the proceedings remain unresolved, the OPW insists it cannot legally issue landing permits for the current season, unless the court directs otherwise.

Last week the OPW lodged a motion seeking permission to issue boat operator permits for the current season to the applicants who were successful in the recent selection process. However, with the initial High Court hearing scheduled for this Wednesday, it is understood that the full judicial review will not take place until late June at the earliest.

The Skelligs including Skellig Michael as seen from the Coomakesta Pass near Waterville, Co Kerry. File picture: Dan Linehan

In the meantime, tourism representatives in the region have urged the OPW to meet them to find a workable solution, which they have proposed could be in the form of the issuing of temporary permits to the 15 boat operators who were successful in the recent competition.

Tourism bosses warned that a prolonged closure of the island would not only have “devastating consequences” for the local economy, but would also severely tarnish Ireland’s reputation in the global tourism market.

Last summer 15,762 people each paid around €125 a ticket (just under €2m in total) to access the island. But tourism representatives point out that this sum is a fraction of what those visitors spent in restaurants, bars and hotels in the south Kerry region.

Skellig Coast Tourism Network chairman James Murphy is one of many in the region calling on the OPW to issue temporary permits to boat operators to ensure the season can get underway.

James Murphy, Portmagee Whiskey CEO and Skellig Coast Tourism Network chairman; Danielle Favier, Fáilte Ireland; Emma McGrath, Skellig Coast Tourism; and John Fitzgerald, Atlantic Seaweed, at last week's Fáilte Ireland networking event in the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan

Mr Murphy, whose network represents over 120 tourism businesses in the region, described the site as “the cornerstone of tourism across South Kerry”.

He said: “The failure to confirm permits for the 2025 season risks serious and lasting damage to businesses, livelihoods and Ireland’s reputation as a world-class tourism destination.

“Every single business in the region will be affected by this delay, and the effects will be felt throughout Kerry. 

Tourists who had booked trips over to Skellig Michael are already cancelling their trips and changing their plans. It’s a complete disaster, and I fear businesses will be forced to close down because of this. 

He added: “We need the OPW to stop digging their heels in, and come down and talk to us and get this sorted.

“We need to find a solution to this, because that’s what everyone wants. Immediate confirmation of temporary permits for 2025 is essential. Without it, our businesses, communities and the future of South Kerry tourism are at serious risk.”

Meanwhile, the OPW confirmed in a statement it had lodged a motion before the High Court on May 7, seeking permission “to issue boat operator permits for Summer 2025 to the successful applicants in a recent competition”.

It also said it had made all the necessary pre-season maintenance and safety preparations for the upcoming season, adding: “The OPW is acutely aware of the key role the island plays in the tourism economy of south Kerry and the wider region.”

A source close to the boat operator community said: “The likelihood now is that this won’t get to court 'til late June or early July, and even then we don’t know what’s going to happen. 

"That’s in the hands of the court, and the island could remain closed off for the rest of the season.

“The only way round this that I can see is for the OPW to issue temporary permits to the applicants who were successful in the competition, so we can get the season underway.”