The people of Rathmullan have been let down by the years of failure over funding for its pier, local election candidate Eimer Friel has said.
The Milford Electoral Area candidate for Fine Gael has called on Donegal County Council to fund a new engineer’s report on the state of the pier so that central Government funding can be accessed.
“The fact is that there has been no interest that I have seen on the current council over the past five years – or the years before that – in funding a newly updated report on the state of the pier in Rathmullan,” said Friel.
“The pier needs upgraded but Donegal County Council cannot apply for funding from central Government until a proper assessment is carried out.
“I understand that this is because of a lack of political will on the council. This cannot be allowed to continue.”
Ms Friel said if elected she’d make funding a new engineer’s report on the pier a priority.
“We need to spend money on that report as soon as possible,” she said.
“When we know what’s needed to secure the future of Rathmullan pier, at least we can then make an argument for infrastructural funding from Government. But without that report – which should have been commissioned years ago – nothing is going to happen.
“The last report was written more than a decade ago and it has gathered dust. A new updated one is needed as soon as possible.”
Friel added: “Rathmullan is becoming increasingly important for our fishing industry and is a key port for the Naval Service and the town requires a new upgraded pier to secure that importance into the future.
“I want to commend the local community groups which continue to highlight this issue. As a former resident of Rathmullan, I know how much the pier means to the people of the town and its importance as economic driver for both business and tourism.”