Getting to grips with the great outdoors

FORMED in 1985 by a small group of outdoor enthusiasts, the Clare Outdoor Club has grown substantially over the years and now has over 100 members drawn from Clare and surrounding counties, and, indeed from further afield.
“We’ve been a multi-activity club right from the start,” says Hugh Carthy.
“Walking and rock climbing shared the early members’ attention with caving and a variety of water sports. The routine is now well established; we generally schedule walks every second weekend and rotate between Connemara and Kerry, with a few forays to the Galtees and Comeraghs for variety. We’ve got a phobia about leaving gaps in the calendar though and alternate weekends, and some weekdays, are filled by anything from sea-kayaking to windsurfing, moonwalks, cycling, batwalks, archaeology walks, film and slide shows and more leisurely rambles in our own back yard – The Burren,” he continues.
But according to Hugh, the club is not just about the outdoors.
“The social calendar is equally full,” he says.  
“We organise a number of weekends away each year that allow us to get into some of the hills that we wouldn’t normally get to in Donegal, Cork, Wicklow and Down. But we don’t confine ourselves to the home patch. In recent years, we’ve organised long-weekend trips to the mountains in places like Wales, Scotland, England, France, Spain and even Poland where a memorable recent trip saw no less than 40 club members enjoy three days of winter walking in stunning conditions in the High Tatras mountains,” he adds.
“The highlight of the social calendar each year is the summer party. We used to feel confident enough to schedule it as a summer barbecue but the past three years have forced an unwelcome rethink,” Hugh laughs.
This year, Clare Outdoor Club is keeping it local and holding the party in Doolin on Saturday. In honour of the special anniversary, the club is hoping to renew acquaintance with as many past members as possible.
Over the past 25 years, club members have ventured to some of the most challenging environments worldwide and have left footprints all over the Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites and have ventured as far afield as the Altai Mountains in Mongolia, Mount Elbrus in Russia, Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro in Africa, Island Peak, Everest Base Camp and Ama Dablam in the Himalayas, Aconcagua in Argentina, Mount Fuji in Japan and Denali in Alaska.   
Many club members continue to be active in sports outside the formal club structure with some cycling, running, swimming, paddling and sailing all over the world.
The club saw its biggest changes in recent years when it stepped into the information age, something which Hugh believes is particularly useful in keeping members up to date and involved in activities.
“Like everybody else in this age of instant communications, we’ve had to change with the times. Mobile phones are almost de rigeur and a web presence is expected but we’ve recently been making use of an online forum where club members can keep up to date with last-minute changes to the calendar, arrange additional special-interest activities for smaller groups, and generally keep up to date with what’s happening inside and outside the club,” explains Hugh.
“We’ve started using internal subscription mailing lists to target information more effectively for sub-groups within the club and have found that this works well. We’ve also recently resurrected the club newsletter and as well as distributing it monthly to each member, we make it available to download from our website www.clareoutdoorclub.net. We also make use of an external photo-sharing website to archive members’ photographs and there’s a link to it on the website,” Huge adds.
Another change is in the demographic of people involved and like the population at large, the club has become more diverse.
“We’ve been delighted in recent years to welcome new members from overseas who have found themselves working and living in Clare and surrounding counties, both temporarily and long term. Many bring lots of outdoors experience with them; others are glad of the opportunity to get out and explore the country while they’re here and all are equally welcome,” Hugh outlines.
“We are always keen to have new members join the club. We have our AGM each year in September where anybody interested can come along, chat to existing members and have a look at some of the personal equipment that’s needed for comfort and safety on the hills,” he adds.
Clare Outdoor Club regularly arranges training in many of the sports it participates in. As well as the formal series of mountain training courses provided through Mountaineering Ireland, club members have participated in training in sea-kayaking and canoeing, surfing and windsurfing, rock-climbing, navigation and winter mountaineering.
For the club, the hillwalking season starts in September with graduated walks running through the winter months and finishing with some longer hikes in May and June.
Many members use the club walks to build up fitness for assaults on some of the more difficult walking and climbing routes worldwide during the summer months.
The rockclimbing season starts in April, often with a training course for beginners and progresses to more difficult and technical climbing during the summer.
“There are two reasons I am involved in the club,” reveals Hugh.
“One is getting out into the hills – I love that but the social side is just as important for it. There is always something on whether it is weekends away or the summer or Christmas party or cinema nights. We’ve had a great first 25 years and we’re looking forward to welcoming new members onto the hills and waterways over the next 25,” he concludes.
Any past members who would like to go to the club’s summer party can contact a committee member through the website for further details.