Conor Pass sale gets closer
THE American owner of the scenic Conor Pass in Co. Kerry has said he is ‘happy’ with how negotiations are going over a potential deal to turn it into a new national park.
Michael Noonan confirmed to the Irish Daily Mail that he is currently in negotiations with the Government.
The Chicago businessman had sought €10million for the 1,400 acres near Dingle, which he put on the market in August, and which includes two lakes, mountain grazing land and forestry.
At the time the land went up for sale, the Taoiseach said the State would be interested in acquiring the property at the Conor Pass if it could be secured at a ‘reasonable’ price.
Now, it appears the Government is close to a deal.
Both sides are understood to be working towards the land
‘I’m happy with how it’s going’
being taken into the ownership of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), to be developed and managed for tourism.
Mr Noonan said: ‘We are still negotiating with the Government. I can’t really say anything more yet but I am happy with how things are going.
‘It has been reported that the Minister (Darragh O’Brien) has said a deal will go through, but we are not there just yet.’
He has previously said he would love to work with the Government to help to establish a national park. He noted then: ‘If the Government buy it for €10million, they will get €3million back in taxes, which will be a real sweet deal for them which nobody else can get.’
Minister for Education Norma Foley, the Kerry TD who has pressed for the State to buy the lands, also said yesterday that negotiations were ‘going in the right direction’. ‘It’s very positive and promising,’ she said, adding that Mr O’Brien, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, was ‘very positively disposed to this’.
Mr Noonan bought the land 25 years ago, and it has been classified as a Special Area of Conservation. It is one of
Ireland’s highest mountain crossings, and the glaciated landscape with its sweeping views over Brandon Bay is popular with tourists, walkers and cyclists.
Kerry county councillor Breandán Fitzgerald said this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the county.
The Fianna Fáil councillor told Radio Kerry: ‘Having a national park on your doorstep will mean that people who want to visit west Kerry... will have unobstructed walks, treks, through an unspoiled landscape like the Conor Pass. The possibilities are endless.’