Plans In Motion For Caherlohan Improvement Works

The chairman of the new committee charged with finalising Clare GAA’s Centre of Excellence has outlined that work has begun on addressing the considerable issues at the venue.

The still to be completed facility has cost €4.8 million to date, with the pitches still not in a suitable condition for Clare’s intercounty hurling teams to train on. Failure to collect grass clippings from the pitches over a two to three year period have led to significant problems, while the main building is still to be fully completed, with pallets of timber flooring still unopened in the hallway of the building.

Tulla delegate Brian Torpey addressed the concerns around the facility at this weeks meeting of Clare GAA, and outlined that potential solutions need to be acted on.

“Hylands of Kilkenny came up two years ago and gave us an excellent report. They told us what the problem was but more importantly what the solution was.We thought we would get the cheaper solution by spraying sand on it and it hasn’t worked. There is only one way the fields in Caherlohan are going to be sorted and that is if the two two inches are scraped off it and the pitch is relaid. You don’t need a committee of highly qualified people to come and tell you that because we have already been told it” he revealed.

Simon Moroney, who is leading the Caherlohan group, informed the meeting that discussions with the author of that report, Richard Hayden, had taken place in recent weeks. He revealed that some elements of the report state that if remediation works were not completed in the winter of 2018 and 2019, that it would lead to further deterioration of the ground. He stated that there will be only one chance to remedy the situation, and that a lot of money would have to be spent in order to ensure it is done right.