ERDF Stories
Contact NWRA
Northern & Western Regional Assembly
Dillon House, Ballaghaderreen
Co. Roscommon
F45 WY26
Ireland
+353 (0) 94 986 2970
ERDF Stories
Infrastructural development
Part of €51.1 Million Project
An critical investment of €51.1 million heralded a new era for the historic fishing port of Killybegs and its hinterland.
The 2004 redevelopment of the Donegal harbour was co-funded by the BMW Regional Programme of the National Development Plan under the Port Infrastructure Improvement Programme and the European Regional Development Fund and represented the single-ever biggest EU investment in the region.
Coming at a time of challenge for the fishing industry, the new harbour provided an additional 300 metres of deep water berthing space, increasing the commercial potential of the facility, in addition to the normal fisheries activities.
“Killybegs is the engine driver of the whole economy of South Donegal and if we hadn’t done it when we did, we would be losing business, because it wouldn’t be able to cater for the number and size of the vessels it is catering for now,” says Sean O’Donoghue, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO).
Last year, Killybegs Harbour Centre landed 192,000 tonnes of fish, worth €125 million, a growth of €37 million on 2016.
The port is also playing a pivotal role in the development of offshore energy as the port of choice for some of the top multinational companies conducting offshore oil, gas and renewable energy explorations.
The port also welcomes an average of 16 cruise ships annually with passengers welcomed by the Killybegs Cruise Ladies, a voluntary group of local women, who organise craft exhibitions, music and entertainment.
“This is part of an emerging market and we would like to see that number doubling. We believe the potential is there providing we can deliver good experiences,” says Barney McLaughlin, Head of Tourism, with Donegal County Council.
The Killybegs Harbour Centre is now at capacity at certain times of the year and the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine is seeking to extend the pier further to provide an additional 120 metres of berthing space.
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Accept All CookiesManage PreferencesNecessary Cookies OnlyWe use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set optional analytics cookies to help us improve it. We won't set optional cookies unless you enable them. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences.
For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Cookies Page
Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
You can read about our privacy policy in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.
Privacy