The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
WHILE Kilkee Waterworld had been due to remain open until the end of October, it will now close for the year on August 29, to allow repairs to begin.
Speaking on Friday, its manager Tracey Corbett Lynch said, “We’re closing for refurbishment until next season. This year we had a new model in place where we’d open to provide swimming lessons, and the plan was to open for nine months of the year. We would have ran until late October this year but the extraction system and the boilers aren’t equipped to continue running, they need a complete overhaul.”
She said that while the early closure is disappointing, it is required. “It’s disappoininting, but it’s a decision of the board simply because the extraction system doesn’t work. We need to work on the refurbishment to open early next year. The plan is to open earlier again next year.”
She said that the Drift Cafe will still remain open on weekends.
In a statement the board and management of Kilkee Waterworld said, “After 25 years of hard work in a challenging environment, the extraction system and the boilers in Kilkee Waterworld both need to be fully replaced, along with a significant body of other repairs needed to ensure a continued safe and fun place for our customers to enjoy, and our staff to work in.
“To be sure we will reopen as early as possible next Spring the board and management have had to make the decision to close on August 29 to allow us to get a head start on a significant works programme that will ensure the sustainability of KWW for the next 25 years.”
It added, “As a small gesture to say thank you for all the support in reviving the business since the pandemic we will open our doors for the last time on September 3-4 for a weekend of free swimming (Details to follow).”
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
