Mussel farm won't strong arm Kinsale

Outraged Kinsale residents will create a flotilla of boats near a local beach tomorrow in opposition to a proposed mussel farm.

The peaceful marine protest will take place at the Dock beach near Kinsale town tomorrow, Friday, at 6.30pm.

The protest flotilla is expected to include sailing boats, fishing vessels, kayaks, paddle boards, and swimmers, with residents and supporters also invited to gather on the shoreline.

“Kinsale has a long history of defending itself for hundreds of years, and now we are defending our harbour and our beach,” said protest co-ordinator Jon Hynes of Kinsale Outdoor Education Centre.

The protest was called following a public meeting of over 300 people at Temperance Hall in Kinsale last Sunday, where locals expressed overwhelming opposition to the newly approved 25 hectare seabed (bottom grown) mussel farm. A number of TDs and councillors attended.

The licence for the development was granted in May of this year, nearly seven years after the initial application, which faced widespread resistance at the time from stakeholders including Cork County Council.

Many residents believe that the licence was granted without adequate public consultation or environmental scrutiny.

People have already signed petitions, both online and offline, calling for the licence to be revoked.

The proposed site is just offshore from Kinsale's only public beach, known as the Dock beach.

Sunday's meeting saw representation from a wide cross-section of the community, including environmental groups, fishers, swimmers, tourism operators, and residents' associations.

Local fisherman Elton O’Hea, who has over 30 years’ experience of fishing out of Kinsale, said the proposed mussel farm would pose a huge risk to his livelihood.

“I really rely on the proposed site to set 140 shrimp pots,” he said.

“Losing access to this area would reduce my annual catch by 50% putting my income and future of my family-run business at serious risk,” added Mr O’Hea.

The Kinsale Swimmers, a year-round sea swimming group, raised concerns about the dredging involved in mussel farming, warning that it could stir up silt for up to six weeks making the beach temporarily unusable and harming water quality. The group also cited the long-term effects of mussel waste which they claim could degrade the bay's delicate marine environment.

Environmental advocates attending Sunday’s meeting highlighted that the site lies within a sensitive, tidal ecosystem, which is home to seagrass beds, crustaceans, and otters, species protected under EU law.

Speaking at a recent meeting of Cork County Council, local councillor Gillian Coughlan (FF) said the size of the proposed muscle farm is approximately 12 GAA pitches and called on the Council executive to oppose the development as it did in 2018 when the license was first applied for.

“To say that the people of Kinsale are disappointed and dismayed at this decision is an understatement,” said Cllr Coughlan.

“In my opinion no cognisance has been taken of the social and economic impact on the people of the town and visitors alike,” she added.

Fine Gael Cllr Marie O’Sullivan added: “It’s just mad that we’re having to discuss this.

“This was an ugly thing that raised its head back in 2018 and to be honest I thought it had been put to bed,” she said.