Tag Archives: Ballycuggeran

TWO of Clare’s top outdoor amenities will share funding worth €768,204 under the Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors initiative. A sum of €500,000 has been allocated to develop the Cliffs of Moher North Coastal Walk, with another €87,304 going to the Cliffs and Burren Geopark for upgrade works. Meanwhile €180,900 has been allocated to Ballycuggaran/Two Mile Gate in the east of the county for the upgrade of facilities there. Minister Heather Humphreys launched the Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors initiative today, a five-year strategy aimed at developing outdoor recreation nationwide. Deputy Joe Carey said that the funding for the Cliffs of Moher looped walk is particularly significant and he had made a strong case to Rural and Community Development Minister Heather Humphreys in support of an application from Clare County Council for funding under the ORIS scheme. “With the backing of local landowners, the IFA and the Clare Local Development Company, the council is ready to proceed with this project and can meet ten …

OVERFLOW parking may have to be provided at one of East Clare’s premier tourist attractions due to the boost in visitor numbers in recent years.  The increase in popularity of the Two Mile Gate Lakeside Amenity Park, which includes a state-of-the-art aqua park and a Blue Flag bathing area, was widely welcomed at the recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District Committee. With Ballycuggeran Woods on the other side of the main road from Killaloe to Scariff, some concerns were raised about parked vehicles obstructing the route. The matter was raised by Councillors Joe Cooney and Pat Burke, who were told that the Council is exploring options to facilitate visitor demand.  “Fantastic work has been done around Two Mile Gate,” Councillor Cooney said. “Lots of people stayed local during Covid and have found out about it. The problem now is parking in the area.   The place has been chock-a-block in recent days. That’s fantastic to see, but we need …

THE acting head of tourism in Clare is supporting the proposed development of an inflatable aqua park at a popular Ogonnelloe amenity area, writes Dan Danaher. West Lake Aqua Park has lodged a planning application with Clare County Council seeking permission for a new aqua park that will operate seasonally from May 1 to September 30 at Twomilegate, Ballycuggeran, which is situated a few miles from Killaloe. The aqua park will consist of an inflatable floating obstacle course, floating access pontoon, 20 foot container for check-in and 40 foot container for changing facilities including all associated works at Twomilegate. In a letter to the planning department, acting head of tourism, Deirdre O’Shea outlined this project will provide a new and dynamic tourism product in East Clare. It will, in turn, provide social and economic benefits to the region and to the local community in line with the Clare Tourism Strategy 2030, the Lough Derg Blueway brand criteria, the Shannon Tourism …

SAFETY works are being sought in South East Clare where a busy summer of staycations has brought record visitor numbers to the area. Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Joe Cooney welcomed the boost to the local economy and commended everyone involved in developing amenities in areas around Ogonnelloe, Ballycuggeran and Two-Mile Gate. However, he repeated an appeal to Clare County Council for safety and traffic management works to facilitate locals and visitors alike. “It’s really important that traffic calming goes into Ogonnelloe,” the Fine Gael member said “We are all aware that this is a long, drawn-out village and with the Killaloe Bypass and bridge crossing set to come on stream, where will be additional traffic travelling through Ogonnelloe. It’s vitally important, going forward, that traffic calming goes in.” The chairperson also noted the ongoing work of volunteers in Ogonnelloe. “There is a very active community council in the village,” he said. “They’ve done wonderful work and they …

SPEEDING jet skis on Lough Derg created such a commotion that a cow on a Clare farm became distressed and miscarried its calf, according to a local Dáil deputy. The nuisance caused by jet skis on Lough Derg was criticised by Deputy Michael McNamara during a Dáil debate about the need to tackle the inappropriate use of quad bikes. Commenting on the increased number of people on the water this summer because of the lockdown and the initial good weather, Deputy McNamara recalled jet skis were used on lakes where they had never been seen before. “I spoke to a constituent about it yesterday. She told me of an incident on her family farm, which adjoins a lake. A cow was so panicked by jet skis on the lake that she threw a calf,” he said. Last June, Killaloe Coast Guard appealed to jet ski operators to operate in the open waters of Lough Derg away from restricted zones near …

ACCESS to those with disabilities to one of East Clare most popular amenity areas needs to be improved, in the view of members of the Killaloe Municipal District committee. There was strong support for measures to improve access to Two Mile Gate Lakeside Amenity Park, following a motion tabled by Killaloe-based Councillor Tony O’Brien. Located a few kilometres outside the town at Ballycuggeran, it is a designated Blue Flag bathing area and has seen record visitor numbers over the summer months. “As things stand currently, people with disabilities are unable to access the amenity park and improving the infrastructure is essential,” the Fianna Fáil member said. “The park is a fantastic facility on the eastern shore of Lough Derg. It’s a major tourist attraction and very popular. It’s necessary that everyone should be able to access it.” Councillor O’Brien welcomed the response from the executive of the council which said the authority had applied for Clár funding to carry out accessibility …

Ireland’s bathing waters are of still of a very high standard, even if they are a bit cooler than popular European holiday destinations, according to the EPA. Around three-quarters of all Irish bathing waters (128 coastal and 9 inland waters) met the new stricter standard of ‘Excellent’ quality based on an assessment of data for the period 2011-2014. Eleven bathing waters in County Clare achieved the ‘Excellent’ standard rating, including Ballyallia Lake, Ballycuggeran, Bishopsquater, Cappagh Pier in Kilrush, Fanore, Kilkee, Lahinch, Mountshannon, Lough Derg, Spanish Point and White Strand – Doonbeg and Miltown Malbay. Current water quality at most sites around the country is extremely good with only a few problems having been reported to SPLASH (splash.epa.ie), the national bathing water website. The website has an interactive, colour-coded map that allows people to check out any of the 137 EU identified bathing waters. Peter Webster, senior scientist at the EPA and author of the 2014 Bathing Water report commented, “Despite …

Clare County Council has commenced work on developing a walkway along the shore of Lough Derg from Killaloe to Ballycuggeran and Two Mile Gate. The existing 0.5km walkway runs from the centre of Killaloe to Brian Ború’s Fort (Beal Ború). Work on the 1.8km extension to the walkway is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. The €100,000 project is funded under a €2 million stimulus package recently announced by the Government for the development of tourism in the Lakelands Lough Derg Region. Councillor John Crowe, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, has welcomed the project, adding that it is part of a “coordinated approach to enhancing the overall tourism infrastructure around Lough Derg.” He continued: “The new walkway, in conjunction with the development of new walking routes and the erection of new signage around the lake, is aimed at creating a greater sense of arrival and enhance the visitor experience in exploring the area. This work is being …