17 river barrier projects locally are set to get a share of €13.6m funding under the Barrier Mitigation Programme.
Minister James Browne & Minister of State Christopher O’Sullivan announced the funding for 103 spots across the country for the initiative which is led by Inland Fisheries Ireland to restore free-flowing rivers by addressing physical barriers such as dams and weirs impacting our waterways.
All have met the relevant criteria and are set to proceed through the various project phases within the next five years.
These include 12 in Carlow:
And five in Kilkenny:
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD said; “The 103 fish barrier mitigation projects being initiated across Ireland are an important step towards accelerating improvements in water quality, particularly with respect to river connectivity and fish migration. This lays a great foundation from which future success can be achieved to improve water quality. My Department is proud to continue to fund the National Barrier Mitigation Programme through the Government’s current investment in water quality initiatives in 2026.”
Work began in 2018 to create a barrier inventory and prioritisation programme, operated by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), who have been cataloguing, assessing and prioritising the need for mitigation of longitudinal barriers (such as dams or weirs, for example) across Ireland, in recognition of the impacts of manmade barriers to the free flowing of waterways and indeed on the species living in our rivers.
The Barriers Mitigation Programme (BMP) was established in 2024 as a measure to address these physical impacts and the announcement today of the 103 projects represents significant progress in the protection of our rivers.
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan TD emphasised; “Today’s announcement is an investment in the health of our rivers and the species that call them home, and a vital contribution towards the achievement of Ireland’s targets for free-flowing rivers under the Nature Restoration Law. It’s essential that we continue to make efforts to improve the ecological status of our freshwater habitats, not only to improve the fortunes of iconic and threatened species like Atlantic salmon, European eel and lamprey, but also for everyone who loves and cherishes their local river.”
The Barrier Mitigation Programme supports requirements under the Water Framework Directive and conservation objectives in Special Areas of Conservation and for the Habitats Directive Annex II and V listed fish species, as well contributing to climate mitigation. It will also contribute to the EU Biodiversity Strategy, which sets a European wide target of making at least 25,000km of rivers free flowing again by 2030. Furthermore, Article 9 of the EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL) provides for the restoration of the natural connectivity of rivers and natural functions of the related floodplains.
Barry Fox Deputy CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) added; “IFI is deeply committed to restoring natural connectivity in our rivers by removing obstacles for migrating fish. The agency is delivering an ambitious programme of barrier mitigation works nationwide. These works will contribute to the long-term sustainability and productivity of our rivers into the future.”
