Elaine Loughlin: Why aren’t the Greens demanding we buy Conor Pass?
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“How is that not already a national park?” has been the reaction of many to news that Kerry’s Conor Pass is on the market.
With the exception of Micheal Healy-Rae, every man, woman, and child on this island seems to think the State should purchase the iconic parcel of land. For the sake of the planet, why on Earth has Eamon Ryan not publicly declared that he will make it his mission to do so?
After all the talk of rewetting, rewilding, and increasing biodiversity, the Green Party leadership has gone to ground when handed a golden opportunity.
The release of 1,387 acres, which includes four lakes, a waterfall, salmon stream, and numerous ancient ruins, has already piqued interest, mainly from international investors.
Several local buyers have also enquired about splitting the land, however, the owner has stated his preference is for the landmark to be purchased as a whole.
For the many thousands of people who each week travel the narrow road that dramatically winds and climbs its way across the Dingle Peninsula, taking in some of the most breathtaking landscapes on this island, ownership is probably not something that crosses the mind.
Perhaps having swerved an errant sheep some, may have thought the traditional practice of commonage farming continued on the rugged hills.
Or maybe some assumed the State, having recognised the importance of preserving areas of natural beauty and the value in providing the public amenities, had long ago purchased the tranche of land.
The majestic, glaciated landscape of mountains, lakes, forests, and sweeping valleys has in fact a single owner — Irish-American retiree Michael Noonan who now wants to off-load his portfolio having first started buying it up in plots for his retirement fund 25 years ago.
At a time when preserving what nature we have left and restoring the biodiversity we have lost should be an immediate concern, the €10m asking price would be a small amount to pay for a considerable asset we could be proud of.
It would allow the State to provide significant recreational space for hiking, cycling, walking, and exploring.
Crucially, it would provide a real opportunity to restore a native rainforest ecosystem that has been all but wiped out on this island.
Buying up the Conor Pass would be about more than protecting what is currently there, it would mean transforming it, because the green image of Ireland that has been slowly cultivated over hundreds of years through farming practices has actually been harmful to wildlife and has precipitated the loss of native flora and fauna.
It’s a message that Eoghan Daltun, who has rewilded his 73-acre farm on Beara peninsula, has being tirelessly trying to get across in recent years.
While we now tend to view our mountain landscapes as places of unsullied natural wilderness, Daltun in , states that if we look closely, these terrains are actually barren wasteland when compared to the species-rich native forests they once were.
“An incredibly rich and complex old-growth forest system, complete with every trophic layer (layers of the food pyramid), can be reduced down to just grass and sheep, and the result is still almost unanimously considered ‘natural’.”
Director of Friends of the Irish Environment Tony Lowes said the Conor Pass contains “all kinds of habitats” and if allowed to regenerate, “the skies would fill and the river there is going to be again full of fish, as they once were before”.
However, he pointed to a lack of investment over successive governments: “We put in five national parks in the last 20 years of the last century, and we haven’t put in one this century.” But momentum is now building behind campaigns to finally put nature first.
By lunchtime yesterday, an online petition calling on the Government to intervene and purchase the Conor Pass created by former Green Party member Saoirse McHugh had gained more than 4,000 significates.
Sinn Féin spokesperson for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, arts and culture Aengus Ó Snodaigh also issued a plea to the Government to consider purchasing the land.
“It is not often that almost 1,400 acres of outstanding natural beauty comes up for sale,” he said.
“The Conor Pass is a gem of the West Kerry Gaeltacht in terms of both cultural and natural heritage as the gateway to Corca Dhuibhne.” But in a case of economics yet again trumping the environment, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar made it clear that the Government will only be interested if the price is right.
“This is taxpayers’ money and if there is a reasonable price that we can pay then I think we’d like to take it into public ownership, but the price has to be reasonable.” To put the figure €10m in context, Budget 2023 set out an overall package of €11bn, including €4bn of once-off measures.
Out of that multi-billion euro pot, the Government has allocated €91m for the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund for this year alone and the Arts Council has received €130m.
The Fine Gael leader has set down a marker, strongly indicating that he will be looking for value for money.
It’s beyond baffling that Ryan and his senior party colleagues have not taken a public lead on this and come out strongly to insist that public possession of the land is now a coalition red line issue for them.
Earlier this year, Ryan sparked fury among farmers when he suggested to this paper that he would consider the compulsory purchase of lands for national parks.
In an interview with the , Ryan said he wanted to start extending our national parks to create “really special areas”.
“I think we will put money into that, we need to,” Ryan said, which prompted the IFA to come out strongly against what the organisation described as his “inflammatory” and “delusional” remarks.
Now when the chance to buy up a parcel of the country’s most well-known land arises, there has been disappointing silence from Ryan.
This week Minister of State for Parks and Wildlife Malcolm Noonan was giving nothing away, insisting that he could not comment on any individual site that is offered for sale.
But the Green Party representative did agree that the Conor Pass is an “iconic landscape” and with the right management has “the potential to be a very special place for nature”.
Backbench TD Patrick Costello, did, however, take to Twitter to state that he would be in favour of securing the plot along with two grassroots members who intend to stand for local election in Kerry next year.
Perhaps the party leadership is eager to tread carefully as Noonan works to negotiate the best price behind the scenes.
Allowing one of the most iconic parts of Ireland to remain in private hands and perhaps become a Trump-style resort for US tourists to jet in and out of would be an unforgivable move by the Irish Government.
Interestingly, the online sales brochure points out that there are a number of championship golf courses nearby.
It may seem like an outlandish idea, but in an area which attracts significant numbers of wealthy tourists to Waterville, Tralee, Hog’s Head, and Ballybunion, having another exclusive golf club on the circuit would be a very much welcomed by those who spend a few days touring Kerry by helicopter.
For the Greens in Government, the purchase and protection of the Conor Pass should be a no-brainer that they get fully behind.
Imagine having almost 1,400 acres of mountains, lakes, and most importantly restored native rainforest to hand onto future generations. What a priceless political legacy that would be.
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