New harbour master and major upgrades planned for Aran Islands pier this tourist season
Along with summer tourist traffic, the pier on Inis Oírr, the smallest of the three Aran Islands, will be seeing upgrades over the course of the next two seasons.
The Inis Oírr pier is getting a refurbishment and an extension to give the water edge near the town reprieve from choppy water and eliminate topping over during storms.
Senior management in Galway County Council presented the game plan for the works that are expected to span over the next two summer seasons at the March Connemara municipal district meeting.
A team of resident engineers on the island are working to see 135m of additional berthage which will aid in protecting the waterline and pier from larger waves. 30,000 tonnes of rock and core material will be brought in and place between the open waters and the backside of the pier.
Floating barges weighing 600 tonnes and landing crafts weighing 160 tonnes will be on the job.
The goal is to see minimal disruption to holiday traffic, but management sais this will be “the most difficult part” of the project.
Galway County Council will be relying on a newly hired harbour master for “good housekeeping and tidiness,” including the mediation of cargo and passenger traffic conflicts while the works are ongoing.
The salary for this position is roughly €914.82 to €1,077.37 per week per the listing.
Works have commenced in recent weeks and will be ongoing into next year. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.