A new board for the Jeanie Johnston Famine ship company will be in place in the near future.
The new chief executive is likely to be Mr Denis Reen, chairman of the Aqua Dome in Tralee and former president of the Rose of Tralee, a spokesman said yesterday.
The High Court will today hear of recent restructuring arrangements approved by creditors, before the new board takes over.
Under the new arrangement, the ship is owned by Kerry Group, Tralee Town Council, Kerry County Council and Shannon Free Area Development Company.
The ship is to sail from Cork at the weekend for Dublin. It is expected it will undertake a voyage to the US and Canada in the new year.
Meanwhile, the profit raised from the sale of surplus timber which originated in the Killarney National Park was put back into the replica Famine ship project, a spokesman for the outgoing board of the company said.
Kerry County Councillor Mr Brendan Cronin (Independent) has asked the Garda to investigate the cutting down of Douglas fir trees in 1999 "in a sanctuary without a felling licence" for use in the replica Famine ship.
He also called for clarification on the subsequent sale of some of the timber.
Mr Jim Finucane said the Jeanie Johnston company was extremely grateful to be given 166 Douglas firs felled in the park for use in the ship.
Referring to a report in the Tralee Chronicle of April 22nd, 1853, Mr Finucane said: "The bottom line is there is a direct historical connection between the park, what was then the Kenmare Estate, and the original ship. Sixty-five of those who emigrated on the Jeanie Johnston in 1853 were tenants from the slopes of Mangerton who had been cleared from the estate."
It cost the Famine ship company more than £16,000 to have the trees cut, transported and kiln-dried by a saw mills in Co Wicklow. There had been a lot of waste as the specification was for long lengths.
The planks were used in the lower deck and in tongue-and-groove panelling, Mr Finucane said.
Surplus planks were sold for £22,000 by tender through Giles estate agents in Tralee and the £6,000 or so profit used in the ship-building.
The outgoing board of the Jeanie Johnston (Ireland) Company was grateful to Dúchas and "regretted the unpleasant publicity and embarrassment that has ensued", Mr Finucane said.
Mr Paddy O'Sullivan, regional manager in Killarney, said Dúchas was a sponsor of the ship and "the trees were going to be taken down anyway".
The national park has a policy of taking out non-native species. Tens of thousands of coniferous species will be removed eventually and replaced with native broadleaf species such as oak.
At the time, his predecessor was not aware a felling licence was required, Mr O'Sullivan said. "At the time everyone thought the donation of the trees was the right thing to do."
Mr Cronin made his complaint to the Garda in Killarney last week. He estimated the value of the Douglas firs at €350,000. "These were magnificent trees, 120 ft high," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Seán Cromien, former secretary general of the Department of Finance, is directing a review into the Jeanie Johnston project on behalf of the Department of the Marine, Kerry County Council and Tralee Town Council.