The renowned family-run Wexford resort, which has been in business for over 120 years, has seen the coastline along its property whittled away to nothing
Because, in those winter months when the tourism season slows down, Rosslare Strand, like the rest of Wexford’s coastline, is buffetted by heavy storms, by the steady, constant rainfall which characterises our winters. Those storms have, bit by bit, began to eat away at the coastline in Rosslare Strand, so much so that nothing more than a patch of grass separates Kelly’s Hotel from the waves, from disappearing into the sea.
Established in 1895, the hotel is now owned and operated by Bill Kelly with the assistance of his daughters Laura and Grace. The fourth generation of his family to run the hotel, Bill has bore witness to many of those storms and watched on as the coastline at the edge of Kelly’s has whittled away to nothing.
“Protection works need to happen before the summer, the beach needs to be replenished,” he says as we survey a section of rock which, six months ago, was covered by grass. “Entire sections of the shoreline are now visibly collapsing. Nature is bigger than any of us, we’re always going to be at risk, but it’s the fact we’re not doing the correct maintenance that’s the problem.”
“We’re too eco-friendly, it’s a case of ‘we can’t do that, we might kill a fish’. There needs to be a realisation that you’re killing businesses, and you’re killing livelihoods.”
Billy Kelly at the area behind Kelly’s Resort Hotel where the erosion is evident. Photo: Jim Campbell
In 2018 a coastal erosion and flood relief scheme worth in excess of €7.5m was announced for Rosslare Strand. It was to provide the kind of long-term security craved by Bill and the residents of the village. To date, no works have taken place and the scheme remains in the planning stage.
Describing the situation along the entire coastline in Rosslare Strand as an “unfolding crisis”, Bill points to a set of steps which collapsed in the winter just past, to a collection of holiday homes which are on the brink of tumbling down the cliff, and a beach – once golden as far as the eye could see – which has become littered with stones and gravelly sand.
“This is about safeguarding the existence of Rosslare Strand as a functioning beach, protecting homes and livelihoods, and preventing the slow destruction of an entire coastal community,” he says. “If decisive action is not taken now, the cost – financial, social, and environmental will be exponentially greater in the near future. Rosslare cannot wait another winter.
“At what stage do you say, ‘we need to do something about this’? After the road is undermined then all the houses on the other side will be undermined too. At some stage the government has to start taking this seriously and doing the work, taking corrective action.”
Billy Kelly and Cllr Lisa McDonald at the back of Kelly’s Hotel where the erosion is evident. Photo: Jim Campbell
Today’s News in 90 Seconds, Wednesday March 25
He has received support at local level from Fianna Fáil councillor Lisa McDonald who, during her time as a politician, has fought to secure funding for a number of coastal communities at risk of erosion and rising tides. And she believes that, until the organisation responsible for funding coastal protection works is restructured, she will have continue to fight for communities like the one in Rosslare Strand.
“The Office of Public Works (OPW) needs to be completely changed, it’s a junior ministry currently but it needs to become a senior ministry,” she says of Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran’s role. “We’re not taking climate change seriously, the money for erosion schemes is going to have to be increased so that we can start to protect our amenities, if this was in, say the Netherlands, it wouldn’t be allowed to get this far.
Severe damage to the concrete steps in Rosslare due to erosion. Photo: Jim Campbell
“The West of Ireland has the Wild Atlantic Way, Co Wexford has its golden beaches and the government is standing back and letting them wash away, that’s what causes me huge angst; we’re not dealing with this as a matter of urgency.”
As someone who looks out onto the ocean on a daily basis, Bill is as qualified as any to diagnose the problems in Rosslare Strand and, most importantly, to come up with a potential solution.
“We have seen it before here, which is encouraging in one sense,” he says, referencing works carried out in the 1980s. “The implementation of the groynes and the replenishment of the beach itself made the difference back then. And those kinds of remedial works can make a difference again, the problem is they’re not being done.”
And while rock armour has been installed in some of the worst hit areas in the county, Bill contends that, long-term, this is a measure which only compounds the problem.
“The rock revetment placed here to protect the coastline has created a greater erosion of the beach, when a wave hits the rocks it brings more sand away with it so the level of the sand continues to drop,” he says. “Marram grass was planted to renourish the beach in one area and that section lasted 20 years, but further down they just installed the rocks by themselves and you can see the damage it’s done to the far end of the beach.
Locals are concerned about the extent of the beach erosion in Rosslare. Photo: Jim Campbell
“There’s sand out there,” he says, pointing to the sea, “bring it in, pile the beach, the highmark needs to be increased. It doesn’t need to be pumped in from half a mile away like it was the last time, it can be taken from right here. It’s all about getting the waves to break further out.”
With 260 staff in the hotel alone and approximately €40m invested in the business over the last 30 years, Kelly’s is an integral part of Co Wexford’s tourism industry, an institution which will continue for many more generations to come. But only if the sea doesn’t claim it first.
“My children are scared,” Bill says, “they’ve committed their future to running the hotel.”
Allaying those fears somewhat, chief executive of Wexford County Council (WCC) Eddie Taaffe has confirmed that he is in discussions with the OPW about securing funding for interim works in Rosslare Strand.
“We’re seeking €500,000 funding to carry out emergency repairs to the existing flood defence works,” he said. “There’s been very significant damage there, particularly to the dunes at the back of the beach, but we’re confident that if we receive that funding the works will take place before next winter.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.