'An accident that shouldn't have happened' - Mayo Cllrs call for pier safety action

Mayo County councillors have called for an immediate and structured maintenance plan for the county's piers and slipways following the death of a north Mayo man whose car slipped into the water at Belderrig pier last month.

Joachim McNulty, a lifelong fisherman who had used Belderrig pier for over 40 years, died on February 18 after his car slid on an algae-covered surface and entered the water. His daughter Joanna has spoken to The Mayo News about the tragedy, stating: "At the end of the day, if the pier was properly maintained, his handbrake on the car would have saved him."

The incident prompted Councillor Michael Loftus — who attended the scene that night as a member of the Gráinne Uaile Sub Aqua Club — to table a Notice of Motion at Mayo County Council's March monthly meeting.

"At 9 pm, we got a call from the guards in relation to a car gone in off the pier at Belderrig," Cllr Loftus told the council. "We could see the car when we got to the actual site at the bottom of the pier, upside down. Joachim McNulty's car had slipped in on the slipway. He had done everything possible to actually stop the car going in. He had his hand brake pulled and everything. So this was an accident that shouldn't have happened."

Cllr Loftus paid tribute to the emergency services who responded that night, including firefighters from Belmullet and Crossmolina, the Coast Guard from Killala and Belmullet, the RNLI, ambulance crews, gardaí, and local people. He described the conditions on the slipway as extraordinarily dangerous.

"I want people to realise it's as difficult as walking in grease. And that was what it was like that night," he said.

More than 18 days after the tragedy, Belderrig pier had still not been cleaned, a fact that drew strong condemnation from councillors. Cllr Marie-Thérèse Duffy said: "It's not acceptable that it hasn't been cleaned after a tragedy like this. It's beyond belief that that pier still hasn't been cleaned, given what's happened there."

When asked how often Belderrig pier is maintained by The Mayo News, Mayo County Council responded that, "Mayo County Council undertakes the cleaning of slipways at various locations across the county several times each year, with the frequency determined by activity levels at each site. This work is carried out primarily to support safe access for boat users.

"The schedule of cleaning work is aligned with the use of facilities and the cleaning programme for 2026 has already commenced, which will incorporate  relevant slipways including  Belderrig.

"Mayo County Council will further review the resources available for this activity when formulating its budget for 2027.”  

Cllr Loftus warned that without action, further tragedies were inevitable. "This really is something that is going to happen again if we don't do something about it. And it happened in Donegal, in Buncrana, where a family was lost, and this is what's going to happen here if we don't do something in relation to the piers."

His motion calls on the council to put in place a structured, fully funded work plan for the regular inspection, cleaning and maintenance of all 26 to 28 piers and slipways under council responsibility across County Mayo. He asked that Belderrig pier be prioritised immediately and that a schedule and budget be confirmed within a week.

"What is life worth if we don't look at our people in our community and say, we can help you by cleaning this?" Cllr Loftus said. "We should be doing this automatically."

Cllr Duffy seconded the motion and went further, proposing that safety barriers be installed at all piers to prevent vehicles entering the water. Cllr Jarlath Munnelly also voiced support, noting he had raised a similar motion the previous year seeking a regular maintenance schedule.

"The piers and harbours in Mayo have never been busier between leisure activities, people swimming and everything else that's happened since Covid," Cllr Munnelly said, adding that concerns raised about dangerous slipways at locations including Killala, Ballycastle, and piers near Belmullet had repeatedly gone unaddressed.

Cllr Peter Flynn raised the lack of clear responsibility within local municipal districts, noting the absence of a named person to contact about marine infrastructure. He said his own father had suffered a bad fall on a slipway the previous year. "We need to have basic housekeeping in relation to all our piers and our public areas," he said.

The call for action has also reached national level. Senator Mark Duffy raised the matter in Seanad Éireann, proposing a standardised maintenance standard for piers across the country, with service level agreements for cleaning schedules, lighting, and safety barriers.

Joanna McNulty, meanwhile, said she had been contacted by people from across the county who had already raised safety concerns with Mayo County Council about various piers — with no response. She urged the council to act without delay.

"No family should ever have to go through what ours has endured," she said. "My father cannot have lost his life in vain."

Mayo County Council did not respond to several requests from The Mayo News for the public point of contact within Mayo County Council for members of the public to report when a pier needs cleaning or maintenance.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme