Is it going to take a tragedy at sea for something to be done about the quay at Helvick?
That's the question being asked by a Dungarvan councillor who says he wants to see works to dredge the area take place as soon as possible.
Councillor Damien Geoghegan told a recent district meeting that it's becoming increasingly difficult to launch the lifeboat there because of the build-up of silt.
However, the government has yet to grant any funding to carry out the necessary work.
"There's political support within the council chamber for the dredging," Councillor Geoghegan told WLR News, "but I do think at this stage that the council officials also need to impress upon the Department that it's a priority of theirs as well.
"We can't have a situation arise where the lifeboat at Helvick can't launch because of the build-up of mud and silt that's there.
"We could end up with a tragedy on one of the beaches, like Clonea, or we could have a tragedy at sea and that would be an appalling vista."
At the beginning of last month, WLR reported that the European Commission had confirmed a decision to deny funding to dredge the quay lies solely with the Irish government.
No funding has been allocated for the preparatory works despite Ireland having been provided with over €900 million from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund - of which 35 million went toward fisheries, ports and harbours.
Councillor Geoghegan also compared the situation to that of the roadworks on the N25:
"I can recall leading delegations to Dublin, meeting Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TFI), and we would have highlighted various different issues that we felt needed to be addressed.
"One of them was Carroll's Cross and for years we were told, 'No, it couldn't happen', and then there was a fatality at Carroll's Cross and now the work has taken place there and it's completed.
"I don't want to see that happening in Helvick. I don't want to have a fatality or an incident or somebody losing their life and then maybe a week or a month later [being told], 'Oh, it's going to happen now'.
"It needs to happen before any incident takes place."
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