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Skellig Michael opening delayed again with tour guides unavailable
The Office of Public Works (OPW) has come under fire after the start of the already-delayed visitor season to Skellig Michael had to be postponed once again as there were no tour guides in place on the island.
The UNESCO world heritage site has been closed to tourists since May 10 due to a legal dispute over landing permits.
The start of the four-and-a-half month landing season was initially delayed after the OPW was issued with legal proceedings from three tenderers who were unsuccessful in an open competition to award boat licences.
The OPW maintained that it wasn't in a position to legally issue landing permits to the 15 successful boatmen whilst legal proceedings were in place.
However, last Thursday the High Court gave the green light to the OPW to lift the suspension and issue permits for the 2025 season.
The OPW then confirmed it would be in contact with the boat operators to complete the process, and that boat trips to the island were "expected to begin on Saturday, 7 June".
But despite the favourable weather conditions over the weekend, it has since emerged that landings were not possible as the island's tour guides had not yet arrived on the site for the start of the season.
The boat operators who have been issued permits for the season have since been told that the season has now been scheduled to start on Tuesday, June 10, meaning they've lost another three days of business.
'Desperately disappointing'
Boatmen and tourist representatives in the region have spoken of their frustration and anger at the latest setback.
Donal McCrohan, chairman of the Skellig Boatmen's Association, said: "This is desperately disappointing for everyone around here, and it's something that no one anticipated.
"After the court decision on Thursday, we would have expected to be out on the boats by Saturday, and to add to the disappointment, the sea conditions have been excellent. After losing so much of the season already, every single day is vital.
"That's three more days we've lost, and I've had to cancel the people who were booked with us."
He said "We're all suffering round here at the moment and the place is empty. It's got to the stage where you start to wonder what else could go wrong."
Paul Devane, who's a boat operator and local restaurateur in Portmagee, said: "We've been told the delay is because there are no guides there. But we don't want any further setbacks at this stage. I'll be happy if there's no further delays, and the landings can start on Tuesday."
The Skellig Coast Tourism Network, which represents 120 businesses in the spectacular region, said its members were furious at the latest postponement to the start of the season, which it described as "another three vital days lost during an already short summer season".
The OPW has been approached for comment.
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