A proposed new €1.38 million tourist centre for Achill Island has passed the first stage of an assessment process by Fáilte Ireland, the tourism authority.The Achill Splash and Yawl Centre is to be located at Achill Sound, the gateway to the island.
It is proposed that the centre include an interpretative history of Irish classic boats, including the native Achill yawl, as well as yawl trips. Island tourist information, a cafe and children's facilities are also planned.
Local Independent TD, Dr Jerry Cowley, said the development would provide critical employment on Achill, which is "on its knees" economically and demographically.
Achill's main tourism weakness is that it lacks an all-weather centre, unlike other western tourism spots, he claimed.
The Achill Yawl, reputed to derive from the Viking longship, is intrinsically connected with the island's seafaring and commercial history.
While the traditional yawl was a double-ended, 18ft wooden sailboat with a narrow-pointed stern, those presently being built are up to 26ft long and are square-ended to facilitate outboard engines.
There is a small yawl-making factory in the nearby mainland village of Mulranny, which has recently exported its first yawl to the United States.
The population of Achill has been in decline since the 1940s, when almost 5,000 people lived there. The community is now at under 3,000.