Special Report: Voluntary groups need State support to turn back tide of coastal erosion

Pádraig Hoare commences Irish Examiner Ocean Week by visiting a community group in west Kerry that is working to undo the damage we are doing to our coastline

Martha Farrell, Secretary of the Maharees Conservation Association with some of the newly planted Marram grass which will protect against the erosion of the sand dunes on Magherabeg beach on the Maharees peninsula in West Kerry. Picture: Dan Linehan

The Maharees and Castlegregory in west Kerry have been described as the best worst-kept secret in Europe.

On a sunny July day, that statement is hard to argue, with the rolling hills, glorious beaches, and mighty waves all combining to create a holidaymaker’s nirvana right here in Ireland.