Two similar Famine ship projects emerging at the same time damaged both concepts, Mr Sean Reidy, the chief executive of the Dunbrody replica Famine ship in New Ross, Co Wexford, has said.
The Dunbrody was launched last year and has attracted 60,000 visitors, exceeding expectations.
Mr Reidy had already begun promoting the Dunbrody project on behalf of the John F. Kennedy Trust when news of another Famine ship project reached him.
Both were competing for State, corporate and US support, Mr Reidy said. "The Jeanie Johnston has been the bane of my life over the past eight years," he said.
"The main reason they emerged together was that one was in the Shannon Development area, the other in the Bord Fáilte area. The primary funding agencies were operating separately on the island."
Mr Reidy called for an end to the competition. "Both projects can work," he said.
However, he also said a comparative analysis should be undertaken. The Dunbrody, which was bigger than the Jeanie but had no modern steel sailing features, came in at a final cost of €6 million, including FÁS input, Mr Reidy said. This was €2.5 million over budget.
The Jeanie Johnston, including FÁS input, is expected to cost €15.8 million, according to the figures in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report. This is almost four times the original cost.
Work to bring the Dunbrody to modern sailing standards would cost about €1.5 million, Mr Reidy estimated.
The Dunbrody was built to full seagoing standards all the way through, Mr Reidy stressed. And while sailing was not an immediate priority, "there is a logic to having the ship sail" , he said.
Meanwhile, the success of the Jeanie Johnston project was "totally dependent" on one council employee, documents released by Kerry County Council under the Freedom of Information Act state.
Mr John Griffin, the visitor attraction manager of the Kerry County Museum, was "the driving force behind the Jeanie Johnston". He was seconded full-time from Tralee UDC to manage the project in 1998.
However, in 2000, before the ship was completed, he was offered a more limited role on the project as adviser.
"It is clear from the review of the Jeanie Johnston project, which has been prepared for Kerry County Council by Ernst &Young, that the success of this project is totally dependent on John Griffin's involvement and commitment," Mr Michael McMahon, the Tralee town clerk, wrote to the Kerry county manager, Mr Martin Nolan, on May 19th, 1999.
Mr Griffin's role was multi-faceted, documents show. He was company secretary as well as general manager of the project. He was fund-raiser, in charge of the day-to-day running and he organised materials and oversaw accounts in the early years.
The Ernst & Young report singles out his "enthusiasm, innovation and long working hours" as critical factors in developing the project and says he was "an excellent front man for the project". However, it expresses concern about internal management controls and the need to delegate work.
"Having one person [John Griffin] too involved in all aspects of the finances conflicts with good internal control practices . . . John needs to delegate more in view of the onerous nature of his position.
"He may have some concerns that he would lose control over the direction of the project which he regards as his creation," the report states.