Clare County Council has been identified as the organisation which should take sole responsibility for the Cliffs of Moher Trail going forward.
A leaked copy of the long awaited Tobin Report, commissioned by Clare County Council, has suggested that the local authority replace Clare Local Development Company (CLDC) as the agency in charge of the walking trail.
Since the Cliffs of Moher Walking Trail officially opened in 2013, CLDC has been the managing agency, overseeing communication with landowners and maintaining the trail itself.
Clare County Council has been involved in the trail a number of ways, most notably securing funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development for large scale repairs of the trail.
Clare County Council also manages the central portion of the trail which runs through the Cliffs of Moher Experience.
The Tobin Report suggests that the future management of the trail should be conducted by an organisation which would have “full operational control of the trail”.
It also said that the future management body should “have a dedicated, ring-fenced multi-annual budget” and should be “headed up by a public body”.
“There are some good examples in Ireland of trails fully owned and managed by a public body, or semi-state organisations,” the report stated.
“These include forest parks managed by Coillte, and national parks managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
“In these examples the function of the organisation is to manage all activities across the entire estate, including the trails themselves.
“It is recommended [that] Clare County Council, as the trail management organisation utilise its resources and wholly owned subsidiaries to manage, operate, market and maintain the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk, that will be overseen by a dedicated board of experts under a new model proposed in this plan. It is important Clare County Council as the new trail management organisation operate collaboratively with representative stakeholders.
“Utilising the employment vehicle, Clare Tourism Development DAC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clare County Council, it is recommended a full time coastal walk manager be employed.
“This manager will have access to maintenance personnel and contractors to carryout bigger maintenance requirements and upgrade work.”
It had been suggested in recent months that the Tobin Report was commissioned jointly by the four key stakeholders – Clare County Council, CLDC, Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development. However, the report itself names Clare County Council as the sole commissioning body for the report.
Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, investigative reporter and podcaster who has been working in the media in Ireland for the past 20 years. His areas of special interest include the environment, mental health and politics.