Ironically, on Sunday, the previous day, the seas of Clew Bay had been more Mediterranean than anarchic Atlantic, with hundreds of visitors enjoying day trips to both islands.<\/p>\n
It was a very different scene the following day, with a viral video of parked vehicles being bashed and shaken by the mountainous swell thundering over the quay walls and the lower car park. It not only highlighted the realities of rising sea levels and increasing storm activity but also the shortcomings of essential infrastructure for our island communities. <\/p>\n
After all, the Government\u2019s \u201cOur Living Islands\u201d policy paper was launched by former minister Heather Humphreys in 2023 and its action plan for 2023-2026 is already approaching the final years of its aims: a key one of which is to \u201cprogress the priority island infrastructure projects in the National Development Plan\u201d.<\/p>\n
Indeed, to be fair to the Government, there was very good news down the coast for the community of Inis O\u00edrr last month when Minister for Rural, Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary accompanied by Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers visited the smallest of the Aran Islands.<\/p>\n
They confirmed that \u20ac35.75 million in State funding will be provided<\/a> for a new pier on the island. This necessary development was first mooted and progressed to planning about 23 years ago because of increased passenger numbers and significant safety concerns but the economic crash scuppered the much-needed infrastructure.<\/p>\n This is the largest ever investment in the offshore islands by this department. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026 and will take two years to complete.<\/p>\n Speaking to The Irish Times this week, Antoine \u00d3 Coisdealbha, the manager of Comhar Caomh\u00e1n Teo, the island\u2019s community development co-operative, welcomed how \u201cengaged and positive Minister Calleary was about challenges facing island communities\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pier extension will change the whole narrative of the quality of island life and the tourism possibilities. It is certainly one important step towards the facilitation of the 200,000 visitors who come to the island every year and will also open the possibilities for creating more long-term jobs,\u201d \u00d3 Coisdealbha said.<\/p>\n However, he emphasised the urgency of holistic thinking about island sustainability and development, citing the example of the inadequacy of public toilets built in 1987 to cater for the huge numbers of tourists, as well as the limitations of the sewerage system for the development of housing and tourism on the island.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people up and down the coast saw that video of what was happening to parked cars in Roonagh last month, you didn\u2019t need to be an islander to conclude there is a breakdown in the process, which needs to have an integrated approach,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Of course, the smallest of the Aran Islands isn\u2019t the only outpost awaiting harbour developments for decades. <\/p>\n Safety issues at Roonagh harbour have been highlighted to a plethora of ministers, including two who hailed from Co Mayo \u2013 former taoiseach Enda Kenny and now-retired minister Michael Ring \u2013 for more than 50 years.<\/p>\n Like his father and grandfather before him, Clare islander and skipper Alan O\u2019Grady has been going to sea since he was in short trousers and can tell many tales about hairy times in Roonagh, with ropes and chains breaking and passengers being forced to jump on and off the ferry as a rolling swell breaks suddenly.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the day when [ex-hurriance] Erin hit the west coast, our three kids were due back to secondary school in Louisburgh the following morning. For us Roonagh has proved to be a total disaster really,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though the island service offers up to four scheduled boats every day, we can\u2019t rely on commuting from the island and we\u2019ve had to rent a house on the mainland for the school term because our kids have medical issues.\u201d<\/p>\n He said Jake (18), Emily (16) and Holly (13) \u201chad just landed in Roonagh and walked up the quay on the evening of August 25th when all hell broke loose\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was terrifying for them, and they are well used to rough seas,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The O\u2019Gradys are not the only family forced to make the difficult decision to live on the mainland for the school term.<\/p>\n Clare Island\u2019s community development coordinator Joanne Carroll confirmed that four families with three pupils who were attending the island\u2019s primary school and two future pupils had also taken the difficult decision this school year.<\/p>\n Families should not have to choose between the safety and education of their children and their desire to remain on the island<\/p>\n \u2014 \u00a0Joanne Carroll<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cIt is a devastating blow for a small community where every child counts. Two of those families, in particular, made this painful decision not because they wanted to, but because they felt they had no other choice,\u201d said Carroll.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were forced to uproot their lives due to the lack of adequate infrastructure and support services, particularly around transport and safety for children commuting to post-primary school on the mainland.\u201d<\/p>\n On a positive note, she confirmed that while there are now only eight island children attending St Patrick\u2019s National School, a family with three children has moved to the island for the school year following an initiative by members of the community.<\/p>\n She said \u201cfamilies should not have to choose between the safety and education of their children and their desire to remain on the island\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOur Living Islands must be more than a document. It must be a living commitment, backed by timely, targeted action. Otherwise, it risks becoming a policy of slow decline rather than sustainable renewal,\u201d Carroll said.<\/p>\n Inishturk native Anthony O\u2019Toole urged the Government to implement \u201can equitable approach to infrastructure development across the islands\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Alan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQCNEK2JCFFHZJ56M2ILC57ELA.jpg\")
Alan O’Grady, skipper of the Clare Island ferry, at Roonagh pier. Photograph: Michael McLaughlin <\/p>\n\n
![\"Ministers](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PEUXMZ7DFZELLBQA7D5JDTZBNM.jpg\")
Ministers Dara Calleary and Jack Chambers on Inis O\u00edrr pier last month. Photograph:y Eamon Ward <\/p>\n