Aran islanders protest against cut to winter ferry service

Several hundred Aran islanders turned out to protest on Thursday morning over the suspension of the sole winter passenger ferry service between Inis Mór and Connemara.

Some 900 residents on the largest of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay are affected by the cut to the winter service provided by Island Ferries Ltd in a row over passenger levies.

Inis Mór resident Dara Molloy, who is a Celtic monk and priest, said that the 8am protest was timed for what would have been the morning ferry service from the island.

“This is causing severe hardship to people who have medical and other appointments,” Mr Molloy said.

Inis Mór co-op manager Cathy Ní Ghoill described the sense of isolation that residents felt when the last ferry on Wednesday evening pulled out from the berth it normally uses overnight on Inis Mór.

Efforts to resolve the situation are due to be considered at a statutory budget meeting of Galway County Council on Thursday afternoon, following a compromise tendered by Island Ferries over the issue of levies for the redeveloped harbour at Cill Rónain.

Aer Arann has increased its flights to and from Indreabhán to try and facilitate stranded residents, and Minister of State for the Gaeltacht Seán Kyne confirmed that he is considering use of the Naval Service to assist.

Mr Kyne said he had spoken to Minister of State for Defence Paul Kehoe, and the secretary-generals of the two departments had been in touch.

He has also said he is available to assist at any stage in resolving the impasse between the ferry company and Galway County Council

However, it is understood that Naval Service transport - as proposed by Sinn Féin on Wednesday - would involve use of rigid inflatables, which would not be suitable at this time of year.

The row arises from a by-law passed by Galway County Council in 2011, stipulating that passenger levies must be collected to pay for the harbour development at Inis Mór, in addition to normal harbour dues.

Last December, Island Ferries lost a Supreme Court appeal over the by-law. The company says it has no problem with harbour dues, but says the additional levy during off-peak season makes its service unsustainable.

The Inis Mór service in winter does not enjoy a State contract, whereas sailings to the two smaller islands of Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr are subsidised and will be maintained.

Ms Ní Ghoill says that that the island’s co-op warned the Department of Gaeltacht four years ago that a contract for all three islands was necessary to ensure a sea link over the winter months. This has come into sharper focus, due to the current uncertainty over the future of island’s air service, as a contract with Aer Arann expires on December 31st.

Island Ferries had threatened to cut the service from November 2nd , but then agreed to two extensions, pending the outcome of discussions with the local authority.

Mr Kyne has described as “positive” the ferry company’s compromise proposal, whereby it agreed to collect the passenger levy - but at half the rate proposed by the local authority, as in 40 cents, rather than 80 cents per ticket.

Island Ferries spokesman and solicitor Jason O’Sullivan said the compromise would mean that some €200,000 could be paid in back-dated levies to the local authority - instead of the estimated €400,000 sought by the council, as in €100,000 a year since 2012.

The compromise also involves cancelling an annual five euro charge to islanders, and Mr O’Sullivan said that the administrative costs of collecting this were probably greater than the actual yield to the council.

The next scheduled meeting of Galway County Council’s full chamber is not until December 19th.