Tag Archives: Holy Island

Gardaí in Killaloe have arrested a person in connection with the arson attack on the Holy Island Tours trailer which occurred at Mountshannon Harbour in the early hours of Tuesday morning [June 26] and are currently investigating a second arson in the same location. Inspector David Finnerty of Killaloe Garda Station said they have arrested a “person of interest” in relation to the arson attack at the harbour on Tuesday and are detaining this individual under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. Under this provision the suspect can be detained for up to a maximum period of 24 hours. The arrest has come as a result of enquiries carried out by garda on Tuesday and due to the cooperation of members of the public. Gardaí received a report this morning, Thursday, of a fire on a boat in the vicinity of Holy Island Tours, however they confirmed that the boat was unconnected to this business. Although it is …

CLARE County Council has confirmed that it has received 18 written submissions to the Draft Inis Cealtra Visitor Management and Sustainable Tourism Development Plan. Submissions were made by members of the public and statutory authorities to the draft plan and the associated strategic environmental assessment, the habitats directive assessment and the strategic flood risk assessment. The process of reviewing and considering these submissions is underway. When it is complete, the draft plan will be amended to become the final plan. Brian McCarthy, senior planner, outlined the details on foot of a motion by Councillor Pat Burke. He asked the local authority to detail the number of submissions received from the public following the launch of the draft plan and to outline the next steps in the process. Mr McCarthy said, “It is intended that the Inis Cealtra Visitor Management and Sustainable Tourism Development Plan will be presented to the local community in July 2017, thus concluding the plan-making process”. Councillor …

A SIX-month-old baby had a lucky escape in Mountshannon last weekend, when a local angler helped to rescue the infant from the back seat of a car that rolled off the pier, at pace, into Lough Derg. The incident occurred at approximately 1.30pm on Saturday last, when a Dublin family were visiting Mountshannon for the weekend. They parked their car at Knockaphort Pier, opposite Holy Island, and left the vehicle for a brief moment, leaving their infant strapped in a car seat. The windows were down but suddenly the car started to move and gained momentum, as it rolled down the decline to the pier and into the lake. John Barry, who was preparing to go out fishing, narrowly escaped its path. “I was in the water at the bow of my boat when a car passed me by, going at a considerable clip and it came dangerously close to me. I was standing beside my boat, up to my …

Waterways Ireland “missed the boat” to provide a new canoe trail this summer, according to a local councillor. Councillor Pat Burke expressed disappointment that the proposed Lough Derg Canoe Trail, which was supposed to start with preliminary works last spring, will not be completed in time for this year’s high tourist season. He had asked Clare County Council and Waterways Ireland to provide an up-to-date progress report on the planned toilet, shower block and canoe storage facilities at Dromaan and Mountshannon Harbours in East Clare. “Waterways Ireland has missed the boat for the 2016 summer season. We were told previously that work would commence in the springtime; now works will not begin until the end of August. It will be next summer before anyone will be able to avail of this canoe trail,” he said. The Lough Derg Canoe Trail project is an initiative of the Lough Derg Marketing Group and is being funded under the Lough Derg Stimulus Fund. …

A team of specialists has been appointed to prepare a Visitor Management and Sustainable Tourism Development Plan for Holy Island on Lough Derg. Clare County Council has announced that Dublin-based Solearth Architecture has been engaged to prepare proposals in relation to improving access to the island and the provision of tourism facilities on or near the island, as well as proposals on the marketing and promoting of the island as a visitor destination. In June last, the council acquired 41 acres on Holy Island which, together with the two acres already in the ownership of the Office of Public Works (OPW), resulted in the entire island being brought into public ownership for the first time. Dating back to the 7th century, the island is one of the most important historical and ecclesiastical sites in Ireland, and it has important links to Brian Ború. Buildings on the island include a 24-metre high round tower, an oratory, and a number of churches. …

Clare County Council has announced a comprehensive plan relating to the future tourism development and visitor management of Holy Island (Inis Cealtra) on Lough Derg. At a ceremony in Mountshannon today, the Local Authority confirmed it has acquired 41 acres on the island which, together with the two acres already in the ownership of the Office of Public Works (OPW), now means that the entire island is in public ownership. The Council also announced its intention to procure professional experts to prepare a Visitor Management and Tourism Development Plan for Holy Island which will provide a framework, in consultation with key stakeholders, for tourism development and visitor management of the Island, whilst also ensuring the cultural heritage and natural assets that contribute to the Island’s uniqueness are maintained and protected. Still used as a burial ground, the ruins and buildings still standing on Holy Island date back as far as the 7th century when the monastic site was established by …

CLARE TD Michael McNamara has written to the Minister for Tourism, Transport and Sport, Paschal Donoghue calling on him to support and provide financial assistance to Clare County Council to secure the purchase of Inis Cealtra (Holy Island). Inis Cealtra on Lough Derg is included among the early monastic sites on Ireland’s UNESCO Tentative List and is one of the most famous of such sites in Ireland. He highlighted to the minister that among its many attractions are a well preserved round tower, the ruins of six churches and a cell-like structure, which is one of the most extraordinary buildings in Ireland. “A Lough Derg Tourism Audit carried out in 2012 found that Lough Derg is not reaching its full potential in terms of attracting visitors and that Lough Derg has no defined ‘iconic’ visitor attraction that can act as a motivator for visits. “Inis Cealtra, with its iconic round tower, has the potential to be that driver of tourism …

CLARE County Council has confirmed it is at an advanced stage of negotiations to secure the purchase of Holy Island (Inis Cealtra) on Lough Derg. It is understood that a purchase price has been agreed between Clare County Council and the landowner and it is now at a stage where the council is seeking funding from Government to purchase the island. Ger Dollard, director of services with Clare County Council, confirmed that the acquisition of the island has been under consideration for a number of years and that an opportunity recently arose to bring the site into public ownership. “We are fully aware of the significance of this location and would be anxious to see it forming part of the local tourism product and be available to the wider public. We are conscious of the strong heritage, environmental and conservation considerations associated with the island and, for that reason, have commenced the preparation of terms of reference for a visitor …