Naval Service
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-17
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Seán Crowe (SF), Dublin South-West

I am still at a loss regarding the damage to the LÉ Gobnait . The Minister of State might come back to us again on that matter. The damage to the LÉ Aoibhinn raises questions as to whether Carlisle Pier in Dún Laoghaire is adequate or appropriate for naval use. As the saying goes, "Any port in a storm", but that did not prevent a ship from being damaged and potentially taken out of service. Maybe that could be looked at.
It may not be enough to simply take over a pier and stick up a sign saying, "Irish Navy: No Access After This Point". What precisely constitutes the forward operating base on the east coast? When will that be achieved? Why was Dún Laoghaire chosen for this purpose? Would it be possible to conduct significant repairs on damaged vessels there? For instance, if the LÉ Aoibhinn had lost some of its structural integrity, say if there was damage to the hull or something like that, could repairs be carried out without having to tow her to Cork? If we are to conduct operations on the east coast and the west coast, we need capacity to support these operations locally. Is Dún Laoghaire suitable in this regard? Had more serious damage been done, could repairs have been carried out there?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:38+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-17