Cork County Council may appoint a harbourmaster

CORK County Council will consider assigning a harbourmaster part- or full-time to manage, maintain, and develop water-related infrastructure in public ownership in Cork Harbour.

The commitment was made at the latest southern committee meeting after a motion from Independent councillor Marcia D’Alton was passed.

Ms D’Alton said there is a ‘huge’ opportunity in Cork Harbour.

“Cork Harbour is the largest natural harbour in Ireland. It supports an incredible wealth of industrial, residential, tourism, fishing, and leisure activities. The harbour is a significant home for energy generation. There is a huge opportunity here that we are 100% missing. We need someone either in a part- or full-time role demonstrating a daily Cork County Council presence on the ground, managing, improving and growing Cork Harbour’s marine leisure economy,” she said.

“Cork County Council identifies 13 assets within the harbour area in public ownership and under the aegis of the Municipal District directorate,” Ms D’Alton said.

“The potential of these assets should be grabbed with both hands to drive forward the harbour’s marine leisure economy. We need a harbourmaster, or similar, with a physical presence inCork Harbour every day of the week. Checking assets, identifying new ones, making sure that the harbour’s public marine leisure infrastructure is managed capably on behalf of the public. 

"As it stands, the harbourmasters are almost never seen in Cork Harbour. When I have spoken of this need before, Cork County Council says that the Port of Cork is the harbour authority in Cork Harbour.

“But the Port of Cork company is responsible for the commercial running of the harbour,” she added.

Fianna Fáil councillor Sheila O’Callaghan seconded the motion, and she used Battery Strand as an example of facilities that are left by the wayside.

Niall Healy, Cork County Council’s director of services, municipal district services and rural development, explained the situation in a report to councillors: “Additional budget would have to be provided for in the annual budget process to fund the recruitment of additional staff, and this would need to be considered in the context of budgetary constraints and other competing service delivery priorities.”

Cork County Council divisional manager, Valerie O’Sullivan, said she will report back to members on their progress.

“It is a question of getting agreement that this is required, where they should be deployed, and budgeting for that resource. I will go and discuss it at municipal district (MD) level and with the harbour master to see what we can do. We will report back in a couple of months on progress.”