High Court gives go-ahead for Sceilg Mhichíl boat trips to resume
The UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is a special protected area for bird life, was due to open to visitors on 8 May.
But legal action by unsuccessful operators in the latest competition for tenders prevented the scheduled opening.
Tours to the island, which was a location for two of the Star Wars films, are in huge demand and the business is vital to the local economy and to boat operators.
In December last year, the Office of Public Works (OPW) had a competition to award 15 permits for boat operators for Summer 2025 and onwards.
The number of permits is limited to protect the island's fragile ecosystem.
The successful applicants were contacted in late March. They can land a maximum of twelve passengers a day on Sceilg Mhíchíl during the landing season.
Two unsuccessful participants in the competition brought High Court proceedings challenging the outcome. Their action, which is scheduled to last three days, will begin on 21 July.
The legal challenge acted as an effective injunction preventing permits from being issued this summer, prohibiting the OPW from entering into legally binding contracts with the successful tenderers.
The OPW made an urgent application to the court to seek permission to issue the permits for this year, which was heard earlier this week.
Mr Justice Garrett Simons delivered his ruling today, finding that the potential prejudice to the unsuccessful tenderers was outweighed by the potential prejudice to the successful participants and the local economy if no landings at Sceilg Mhíchíl were to be permitted for a further six or seven weeks.
He noted that one month of the season had already been lost.
He granted the OPW's application to lift the automatic suspension on the issuing of permits, meaning permits can now be issued for the balance of the 2025 season.
The judge noted the issues raised by the unsuccessful applicants in relation to the granting of the tender remain open for debate at the trial of the action next month.
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