THE BIG READ: Cape Clear is a small island with big ideas

Cape Clear residents warn they’re running out of time – and without new homes island life will collapse.

CAPE Clear faces an existential threat unless there’s an urgent and co-ordinated response to its housing crises.

That’s according to Seamus Ó Drisceoil, projects officer of Comharchumann Chléire Teo, founded in 1969 to address the infrastructural needs of the island, and which has made housing its top priority.

‘It begins with the closure of the national school, the beating heart of our community’ warned Seamus, ‘[and] follows with the loss of essential services.

‘The tourism industry will decline due to lack of local entrepreneurs and workers. Our island will become a seasonal place to live with only a few able-bodied retirees holding out in the winter.’

This stark prediction comes despite the fact that the island, which has between 100 and 120 full time residents, has seen recent investments of public and private funds exceeding €15m.

Measures taken include the new harbour and marina with the only storm gate in Ireland, upgraded water system to prevent shortages, digital hub, new library, new mobile phone mast and broadband, electric bus scheme, new heritage centre (under way), new playground (under way), new recycling facilities, and an upgrade to the school building.

‘With other fundamental issues addressed, the deterioration in the housing situation only demonstrates a shocking lack of coherence in public policy here,’ said Seamus.

The consensus is that planning regulations need to be in place, but what works for the mainland, doesn’t work for offshore islands.

‘Like everywhere else, the only way you can build a one-off house here is if you’ve been living here for seven years – except you can’t, because there’s nowhere to rent,’ said Seamus.

Faced with this ‘catastrophic failure of public policy’ the Co-op purchased a field for Gateway Housing, 200m from the school and applied for planning permission in 2022.

Seamus said they were advised by Cork County Council to withdraw the application pending the Government’s Living Islands Policy published in 2023 which recognised the ‘lack of housing, both social and general as a threat to the sustainability of island communities.’ He said they now wish to resume that planning, but have not been successful in attempts.

More positively, two houses are nearing refurbishment under the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (Croí Cónaithe), designed to bring back vacant and derelict properties on offshore islands as long-term homes.

‘We’re hopeful of a possible further seven to eight properties over the next four to five years under this scheme. We are also excited about the upcoming refurbishment of the old Heritage Centre on the island into two apartments. But it’s certainly not enough, we need to see housing schemes brought forward to address the deficit that has been built up over 25 years,’ said Seamus.

Housing campaign advocacy officer Róisín Ní Chinnéide said the community feels disenfranchised. ‘Gaeltacht communities are disproportionately affected by the number of holiday homes – some 32% of housing stock on Cape Clear were unoccupied holiday homes,’ she said.

Judith Gilbert, cathaoirleach of school board of management said: ‘People are continually contacting the school, me, the co-op looking to come and live here but we don’t have the properties to offer them. If just one family or even one person moves from the island it create a ripple effect in a pond, everyone feels it.

‘The school is a barometer of the health of the community and if that closes, it’s a fight for survival. Policy is not changing quick enough; we need long term and a more holistic approach taken to housing on the island,’ she said.

Roisín pointed to work being done in Wales, where the council introduced tax on second homes and long term vacant properties in Welsh speaking communities, which led to an increase in house sales.

‘It’s not about reinventing the wheel,’ she said. ‘Steps are being taken in the right direction but we’ve yet to see any concrete changes to policy.’

Neil O’Regan, who has operated the island shop for more than two decades, thinks Cape Clear needs a sustainable industry – possibly tech related.

‘This in turn would generate a sustainable economy, and people could pay the going rate for rents. If that was in place, people might consider putting their homes for sale, or doing them up because they need proper returns and need to be looked after as well.’

Ruairí Ó Donnabhain has lived on Cape Clear for eight years, four of which have been spent as Irish language planning officer, working to maintain safeguard and celebrate language on the island. He described the situation as a ‘double edged sword,’ in that there’s no problem attracting people to the island, but there’s nowhere for them to live.

‘Over the last two years, 15 people under 50 moved in and stayed. That influx was meaningful to the existing community but unfortunately eight or nine left in September because they were not able to secure long term housing.’

He described it as an ‘existential crisis for the island and the Irish language.’

‘The community are aware of it and are doing their best but the council and government need to row in. Policy needs to be shifted; we are an offshore island, we have it all except houses, and more specific realistic planning is needed going forward.’

Jenny Keaveney, originally from Bantry, teaches at the four-pupil island national school.

‘I lived full-time on the island for the past two years, but this year I’ve moved to Baltimore because the lack of secure housing was just too disruptive,’ she said.

‘Protecting the school is obviously very important but so too is keeping young people here. There’s at least 18 derelict houses on the island that could be restored and that’s so frustrating. I’m just afraid that Cape Clear will end up like An Blascaod Mór, and there’ll be no one left.’

Ceramic artist Simon Kidd is also part of Tithe Cléire. He moved to the island almost three years ago and has moved house five or six times during that time.

He has a studio in the co-op where he also hosts workshops and contributes to the local economy and has the means to build, buy or commit to a long term rental, but options aren’t available. ‘We have a rental until next May and we will leave then if things don’t change. I don’t want to spend my 30s living like this, it’s unsettling and challenging.’

Seamus, who has lived on Cape Clear for over 30 years, concluded: ‘I am angry when I think about the situation here which so many of us predicted. So much money has been spent here, and nearly all our of our critical issues have been dealt with except housing.

‘If we don’t get younger people living here in the next five years the economy will collapse. We are all doing our best, but we can only do so much. It really saddens me – we brought our children up here, it’s such a fantastic community, and a privilege to live her and the idea that it may not continue is just outrageous.’

Funded under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.