A leading archaeologist says there could be a simple solution to the ongoing impasse over access to the ancient monastic island of Inishmurray off the coast of north Sligo.
Boat trips to the island have been banned on safety grounds by the Marine Survey Office of the Department of Transport.
It’s believed the ban followed trips to the island by passengers from cruisers to Donegal.
The ban has particularly hit local boatmen who bring visitors to Inishmurray, and there are now fears the ban might extend into a second tourism season.
However, Sligo archaeologist Martin Timoney points out that decades ago, a native of the island, the late Dr Patrick Heraughty, suggested that the turbulence of the water at the landing spot at Clashymore on the island could be eased by dropping rocks and concrete structures, known as dolos, into the narrow channel there.
Mr Timoney says a similar solution is working at the island of Tristan de Cunha in the more violent seas of the mid South Atlantic.
