The opening of the jewel of South Kerry is still ‘in limbo’
THIS weekend would have been the official opening of the summer season in South Kerry, when tourists return in their droves to visit the UNESCO heritage site of Skellig Michael.
This year, however, due to COVID-19, the first boats heading for the island will not depart, and the opening date for the tourist attraction in the current climate remains undecided.
Fifteen boats operate in the region, bringing tourists to the island. With numbers limited to 12 visitors per boat and a maximum of 180 people a day, the boats are full on a daily basis.
The interest in the UNESCO heritage site has increased enormously since Star Wars filmed on the island, with the huge interest in the Hollywood blockbuster catapulting Skellig Michael and the Iveragh Peninsula into the tourism spot-light like never before.
The season traditionally only runs form Mid-May to end of September as weather hampers many trips to the island, but there have been calls for this to be extended to cater for ever-increasing interest.
However, COVID-19 has changed the tourism outlook this year, leaving not only the opening of Skellig Michael in limbo but the entire region.
The OPW has not yet confirmed when or if the UNESCO site will be open. According to the Government roadmap, tourism sites can be open on May 18. However, clarity is still being sought on Skellig Michael.
“Of primary concern in any decision to re-open a heritage site is the health and safety of visitors and staff in how they visit and occupy the site, including how they would access and exit the site,” an OPW response to The Kerryman said. “These considerations will inform a decision as to when Skellig Michael will re-open to the public.
“In the shorter term, OPW is also considering the possibility of inspecting the site and addressing any maintenance needs within the framework of the Government’s plan to resume work activity in the open air, with proper social distancing, from May 18 next, and a decision in that regard will be made shortly.”
With a huge decline in tourism numbers, South Kerry is expected to be one of the worst-affected regions, not least the boatmen who rely on Skellig Michael but also all tourism providers in the area.
Boatman Jamie Duff said this week the implications of not opening the island are ‘devastating’.
“We are all in limbo. It is a unique tourist site and access is different to most other sites. It is already limited,” he said.
“If we do open who is going to come? The implications for South Kerry are devastating.
“It is one of the big reasons why people travel here, and if we eliminate it, it will have a knock-on affect.”
Concerns around social distancing on boats travelling to the island and on the island itself have been raised. If capacity is reduced further it would not be viable for boat operators to travel to the island.
Boatman, Fionan Murphy, said that the it is not just about boat operators but the entire region and its link to Skelig Michael.
“Skellig Michael is the jewel in the crown of South Kerry. It brings a huge amount of people,” he said.
“Tourism in Killarney is an industry, here it subsidises peoples incomes for the winter.”
He said that the 2020 season is only one worry as the years ahead could also be rocky as travel is impacted by the world-wide crisis.
“A larger concern is the coming years. When will travel become normal again.” he said.