Generations of local knowledge and expertise is in danger of being lost unless charter boat operators in Kilmore Quay receive government support.
That s the stark message being relayed by those who work at the Quay, the small band of operators who have been left to fend for themselves since the pandemic began.
Eamonn Hayes owns the Autumn Dream and has been running fishing and tourism trips from Kilmore Quay since 2002.
He is one of ten charter boat operators in Kilmore, a number which he says is likely to decrease in the coming months if something doesn t change. I m afraid the future paints a very worrying picture, not only for Kilmore Quay but for charter boats operating in every coastal county of Ireland, Eamonn says.