Councillors fume over state of cliff walk

KILKEE Town Councillors have expressed their disappointment at the ongoing condition of the iconic cliff walk in Kilkee, which has been in a state of disrepair since Clare County Council carried out remedial work there last November. Last week’s town council meeting heard that Cyril Feeney, Clare County Council inspected the Cliff Walk on March 23 in the company of landscaping company representatives from Hawthorn Nurseries.
The meeting was told the grass was showing signs of recovery and those who inspected the walk were confident that the grass will grow naturally in one to two years.
However, Councillor Paddy Collins disagreed with this prediction.
“There is no sign of growth. There aren’t even weeds,” he claimed.
The December meeting of Kilkee Town Council heard stringent criticism of the work along with claims that grass, which has been removed, will never be replaced and that it will take 30 years for some species of flowers to be seen in Kilkee’s West End again. Stretches of the walk were left in an unsightly condition, with mounds of earth and newly opened drains visible.
Earlier this year Kilrush Gardaí investigated the theft of 27 of the 32 safety signs erected along the cliff walk. Just five of the signs put in place by Clare County Council were left untouched.
At last week’s meeting, Mayor of Kilkee Elaine Haugh Hayes expressed disappointment that Cyril Feeney wasn’t at the meeting to give a first hand update of the state of the cliff walk.
“I really thought that Cyril would be here,” Councillor Elaine Haugh Hayes commented.
Town clerk John Corry said remedial works will be carried out on some of the deep ruts still visible along the walk, while outgoing town manager Nora Kaye expressed satisfaction with the state of the cliff walk.
“All things considered, things are looking good for regrowth,” Nora Kaye maintained.
While the councillors weren’t happy with the general state of the walk, they were relieved that many of the signs have been taken down by the council.
“It looks a bit better without the signage. That is a fact,” Councillor Lily Marrinan-Sullivan asserted.
However, Councillor Marrinan-Sullivan said she was unhappy at the absence of a clear plan of action.
“I thought we were going to have a plan,” she fumed.
“This isn’t good enough for any of us. We need to mind what we have,” Councillor Haugh Hayes concluded.