Rubbish undermining tourist potential of Moylussa

INDISCRIMINATE dumping at the summit of Clare’s highest mountain is undermining the tourist potential of the area.

 

That’s according to Ennis Fine Gael chairman Cillian Griffey, who was “shocked” during a recent visit to find an “unsightly collection of scaffolding poles, corrugated iron and half-burned car batteries” at the top of Moylussa, a few miles from Killaloe.
Moylussa, which is accessed through the Coillte car park at Ballycuggaran just after the University of Limerick Activity Centre, is 532m or 1,748ft in height. `

Clare County Council launched an investigation into this illegal dumping after receiving this complaint from Mr Griffey. A council spokeswoman outlined the authority spoke to the some of the land owners who said this waste was originally dumped between 25 and 30 years ago.
The authority was told two radio enthusiasts used a mule to transport radio equipment up to the top of the mountain with the intention of setting up a radio mast, which failed and they subsequently never removed this material.

Even though this land is in private ownership and the council doesn’t have any legal responsibility, the council pledged to work in co-operation with the landowner to remove this material from the site.

The authority also appreciated that this matter was brought to its attention with a view to improving the view of the area for mountain climbers and tourists.

With The Gathering happening next year, Mr Griffey believes it is imperative that every effort is made to encourage tourists to come to Killaloe and take advantage of activities and scenic surroundings.

“There will be an influx of tourists to all areas of the country and it is all our duties to make this county look as good as it can be to make a positive impression on people that have chosen our great country and county to visit.

“We should be humbled and honoured that they have chosen County Clare and Moylussa, being Clare’s highest mountain, should be promoted and supported as another untapped tourist attraction.

“Any tourist who would witness the unsightly collection of rubbish at top of Moylussa would be given the wrong type of message. It would not be a big job to clean it up but it could prove interesting to get it down off the mountain,” he believes.

“Something urgent needs to happen here to make this mountain more accessible to climbers and once they climb it, to let the view speak for itself and not be overshadowed by dumping.”

Concern about the rubbish at the top of the mountain was also expressed by a hill walker on the mountainview website. “These views have also been highlighted on the mountainview.ie website where mountaineers and tourists come to Clare and spend money in the local economy, only to find unsightly dumping at the top of Clare’s highest mountain, which is less than satisfactory,” he adds.