The Government has confirmed it will not proceed with the Narrow Water Bridge project.

Fianna Fáil TD for Louth Seamus Kirk said he was "extremely disappointed" with the decision.

Mr Kirk said: "The project not only represented a new era in north-south affairs, it would have had a radical impact on tourism in the region.

"The Government has refused to allocate additional funding to allow the project to proceed, a decision which I believe is extremely short sighted. The construction phase alone would’ve created jobs and brought much needed investment to the local economies on both sides of the border. It would also create a new tourist attraction in an area that has been neglected for decades.

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"Tourism in the Cooley peninsula and Mourne mountains, which is a beautiful part of the country, is severely under-developed, primarily because the connection between the two areas is completely inadequate. The Narrow Water Bridge would’ve filled that gap and given a major economic boost to the region. The loss of this project is extremely unfortunate and is a lost opportunity. It has been extremely challenging to encourage investment into this area, and the level of public money spent there remains at relatively low levels."

(CD)