More than 17,000 people visit Loop Head Lighthouse

The eldest daughter of revolutionary figure Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara visited Loop Head Lighthouse last weekend, as the historic building closed its doors to the public, following the successful summer period.
Figures released this week show that 17,423 people (13,441 adults, 3,982 children) visited the lighthouse from May up to last Sunday.

 

The lighthouse was opened to the public for the second successive summer season on May 18. It is estimated that the 18-week period was worth approximately €650,000 to the local economy.

Preliminary estimates indicate that 71% of the total visitor figure was represented by domestic visitors, of which approximately 50% were holidaymakers and 35% were day trippers, with local visitors accounting for the rest. Overseas visitors accounted for 29% of the figure.

Dr Aleida Guevara March, a doctor of medicine based in Havana, Cuba, took time out from the Che do Bheatha festival in Kilkee to visit the 18th Century lighthouse. The three-day festival was held to mark the anniversary of the visit to the town of Che Guevara and his entourage in September 1961.

“It was an honour to have accompanied Dr Guevara and the Cuban ambassador, Teresita Trujillo on their visit to the lighthouse, which they both enjoyed immensely. Dr Guevara was very impressed with the new exhibition and particularly enjoyed the tour of the tower and the superb views from the top,” Cillian Murphy, chairman of Loop Head Tourism commented.

“The closure of the lighthouse brings to an end another great season, which saw huge benefits to the local tourism operators. The figures reflect a high concentration of family business and this is the marketplace Loop Head Tourism is keen to be targeting and produce growth in the industry into the future. This, in turn, will make the whole community on the peninsula more sustainable in the long term. Once again, this project shows the benefits of local community and statutory agencies working in partnership,” Mr Murphy added.

Ruairí Deane, Shannon Development tourism product development executive, said one of the reasons behind Shannon Development’s involvement in the project is to help establish an anchor visitor attraction in West Clare with strong overseas appeal.

“Loop Head Lighthouse is now a wonderful success story that highlights what true partnership between State agencies and community bodies can achieve. It demonstrates tangible deliverables for the local economy, for the tourism industry and, most importantly, for the people who live on the breathtaking Loop Head peninsula. What started out as a pilot initiative has blossomed into a major attraction and we are confident that with the continued support of all concerned, it will grow further and continue to deliver a significant revenue stream to the local economy in the years ahead,” he said.

Ger Dollard, director of services, Clare County Council noted that Loophead Lighthouse is in the top 10 attractions in Clare as regards visitor numbers.

“Though only operational for two years, in comparison with other visitor attractions Loop Head now ranks in the top 10 most visited attractions in County Clare and in the top 20 equivalent list for the Shannon Region,” Mr Dollard explained.