Lands and forestry on the Conor Pass in Dingle, Co Kerry, one of Ireland’s most scenic and famous locations, have been offered for sale for €10 million by an American owner.
Marketed as the “Connor Pass” the 1,000 acres of land and almost 400 acres of forestry is being advertised on its own website.
The move has led to calls from some politicians to purchase the lands, although opinion is divided in Co Kerry with some locals arguing that the money would be better spent acquiring affordable sites for housing.
It is the second time the State is being urged to buy the land high over Dingle. It was previously put on the market in 2007 but the economic crash put an end to any possible State intervention.
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Dingle GP Peadar Ó Fionnáin said the purchase would be much welcomed locally. “People are talking all day [about the sale] and feel it should be in public ownership.”
The site includes four lakes - Pedlar’s Atlea, Beirne and Clogharee - along with a waterfall and mature forest. Its American owner Michael Noonan bought the land in parcels over the years and he farms it with grazing sheep.
Bordered on the west by the Owenmore river, and with views over Dingle Town, Brandon Bay and the Atlantic the land is already visited by thousands of walkers and tourists each year. Pedlar’s Lake was used as the backdrop to the film The Field.
A member of the Green Party, Dr Ó Fionnáin, who recently announced he is running in the local elections for the party, said Malcolm Noonan, the Green Party Minister of State with responsibility for heritage, was already aware of the sale and had been with some weeks.
The GP said he had spoken to the Minister of State - who is no relation to Micheal Noonan - “and the NPWS [National Parks and Wildlife Service] are aware of the sale and are open to acquiring land”.
Were the State to own it and the NPWS to be in charge, it would be managed and developed as an amenity.
It would also offer an opportunity to showcase what could be done with uplands when protected from overgrazing. Broad-leaf forestry is a possibility for some of the land, and developing walkways and cycleways were other possibilities as well as allowing the area to heal from grazing by sheep.
“It is a stunning area. It is an iconic landscape. It could be very interesting for the NPWS in terms of showcasing what could be done with uplands, properly managed,” Dr Ó Fionnáin added.
Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae, however, is opposed to the State purchasing the site. He said the State does not need to buy it to protect it and preserve it for the future as strict planning laws in Kerry mean “you couldn’t build a hen house on it”.
He said he had been getting calls all day from people in Dingle who were telling him public funds should instead be invested in social and affordable housing and affordable sites.
“Literally over the other side of the pass there is a housing crisis,” Mr Healy Rae said.
“Is someone suggesting every time there’s a beautiful site that comes up for sale, we should buy it. That’s nonsense,” the TD said.
The lands in question are accessed from the Conor Pass Road, a public road which forms one of two main access routes to Dingle. The 456-metre (1,496ft) high pass connects the town of Dingle, on the south-western end of the Dingle peninsula, with Brandon Bay and Castlegregory in the northeast.
The pass is considered one of the most stunning mountain routes in Ireland and is popular with cyclists and motorists.
Potentially treacherous in the winter months, it is often shrouded in mist and many drivers prefer to take the lower, coast road along the southern side of the peninsula via Annascaul, to access Dingle town.
