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Saving Malin Head Coast Guard
Station
12.02.08
MALIN HEAD is not only
Ireland's most northerly spot, it's a centre of
marine, weather and aviation communications.
The proposed closure of the Coast Guard Station,
coupled with plans to automate the Met Éireann
Weather station and the axing of the area's only
public bus service last year is all adding up to
make it Ireland's most northerly blackspot. |
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Malin Head Coast Guard
Station watch officer Dara O'Malley Daly from
Ballyshannon said losing the station would have a
knock-on effect for future generations.
"I think people need to realise that losing the
Coast Guard is like losing an industry in an area.
How can we attract other companies if we lose the
Coast Guard? We have a decentralisation plan for
Buncrana. But how can we expect people to
decentralise to Buncrana when we |
are actually taking
people out of Inishowen at the same time?
He said few communities in Ireland had such a strong
maritime history.
"The extent of the marine knowledge is vast here in
Malin Head. All the people have been at sea, either
in the merchant navy or on fishing boats and the
last six entrants coming into the job have actually
been involved in the fishing industry both in
Greencastle and in Killybegs.
“They would have been fishing all along the coast of
Donegal and down the west coast and when someone
gets into difficulty and they mention an headland or
a rock, these people know where they are." |
Michael (Doc) Doherty
who owns the Seaview Stores and Seaview Tavern said
the loss of the Lough Swilly bus service was being
felt.
"Losing the buses has been a big loss because we
don't have any public transport in and out of the
area anymore. Consequently, businesses like the
hostels are feeling the pinch because many |
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who come to stay with
them have no transport other than thumbing or a
bicycle. This has a knock-on effect on our place
because these people won't be able to come for food
now.
“And closing the Coast Guard is just another example
of an important service being taken away from the
area and being centralised back towards Dublin.
This will be a huge loss because those workers use
the shops and the restaurants and other local
services.” |
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Meanwhile, Rodney
Lockwood who runs the Sandrock Holiday Hostel
with his wife Margaret is concerned about the
future. "Things have deteriorated in the past
year. A few years ago we had promises that they
were going to enhance the radio
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station rather than close it down and then on
top of that, the weather station is supposed to
become automated and the people there will lose
their jobs. All these people help to keep the
local economy going.
“The loss of the bus service has affected our
business in that the backpackers who travel by
bus, just can't get to us without hitch-hiking
or paying for a taxi from Carn.” Margaret
Lockwood says the Coast Guard station has become
one of the local tourist attractions. "Apart
from the serious issue of people losing their
work, we have quite a lot of people staying at
the hostel who go and visit the station because
they're interested in that kind of thing. It's
an historical part of the locality and it's
important it stays,” she said. A meeting to
discuss the closure of Malin Head Coast Guard is
scheduled to take place today in Dublin between
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey, Inishowen
Development Partnership co-manager, Andrew Ward
and local marine expert Seamus Bovaird.
To see more images of Malin Head
click here . |
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