Minister Charlie McConalogue breaks ground on the Greencastle Harbour Breakwater project

A ceremony was held on Monday afternoon in Greencastle to mark the official commencement of the Greencastle Harbour Breakwater together with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion.

The project represents an investment of approximately €18M in the harbour with 95% funding from the state. Donegal County Council proposes to construct a curving rock armour breakwater to the south-west of the harbour entrance to create safer entry for all vessels including the Greencastle to Magilligan ferry. This will reduce vulnerability of vessels within the harbour to wave climate, improve the safety and effectiveness of the harbour for all users including for tourism and leisure users availing of pontoon facilities. It will also minimize impact of the natural tidal flow through the mouth of Lough Foyle.

The community of Greencastle is dependent on the fishing industry and the marine industry in general with almost 200 people directly or indirectly employed. Greencastle is the second largest white fish port in Ireland and is also home to a large inshore fleet mainly engaged in shellfish and crab, making it a key town in Ireland’s seafood sector. Greencastle has significant fishing support services including fish processing, marine engineering, boat building and net making.

The investment made by Minister McConalogue in Greencastle is one of a number of investments being made by the Minister and the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in piers and harbours right around Donegal’s 1,100km of coastline. In total funding of over €27M has been awarded to marine infrastructure in the county through the Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Programme. This coupled with co-funding of €3M from the council will support coastal and fishing communities and enable them to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise.

Foyle and Marine Dredging has been appointed as the Main Contractor for the project and is collaborating with the project consultants Doran Consulting, Donegal County Council’s Piers and Harbours team as well as colleagues in the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and other stakeholders.

Commenting on the event, Minister McConalogue said: “Today is an important day for the community of Greencastle and for Inishowen. The Greencastle Harbour Breakwater project has been the top of my agenda and I was delighted to unveil a commemorative plaque to mark the beginning of works on the project. It will be a game changer for Greencastle and the marine community here. I thank all those involved in the project including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Donegal County Council, Foyle and Marine Dredging and Doran Consulting and all the local harbour users and community who has worked to make this happen for many years.”

Councillor Liam Blaney commented: “I thank Minister McConalogue and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for the investment made in marine infrastructure in Greencastle and the wider county. This investment will improve the sustainability of resilience of our coastal communities going forward. I thank all involved in making this project a reality.”