Tag Archives: Lahinch Leisure Centre

TWO Clare-based businesses, have been shortlisted as finalists in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Energy Awards 2022. The Falls Hotel and Spa and the Lahinch Leisure Centre in partnership with Tipperary Energy Agency, are among the cohort of energy-conscious businesses and communities that have been selected for their dedication to an energy-efficient way of working. The annual awards recognise and reward excellence in sustainable energy in business, communities, research, buildings, renewables and the public sector. A total of 33 applicants across 10 categories have been shortlisted. Winners will be announced at the national awards ceremony in October, this will return in person for the first time in three years following online ceremonies during Covid. The Falls Hotel & Spa has been nominated for its six-year campaign to reduce its CO2 emissions. The hotel’s sustainability journey started with smart energy changes, such as switching all of the light fittings to LED, fitting aerators on all water supply systems and using …

A UKRAINIAN refugee, who was forced to flee Odessa, is thoroughly enjoying working in North Clare where her safety is guaranteed. Anastasia Hordieieva (31) is working as a swim teacher in Lahinch Leisure Centre, as part of an eight-hour shift three days a week. In an interview with the Champion, Anastasia revealed she only started to have a good night sleep when she felt safe in her new Lisdoonvarna hotel residence. “When I was travelling through Romania I couldn’t sleep properly and would wake up after just two hours. Now, I can have a good sleep. “The war in Ukraine is a horrible nightmare,” she outlined. On March 20, Anastasia arrived in North Clare on her own, having escaped the horrors of the Ukrainian war. Her mother, who is an accountant in a pharmacy company, is still living in Odessa, as she has to take care of her grandmother, who recently suffered from a heart attack. On February 24, Anastasia …

CONSTRUCTING something like the Lahinch Leisure Centre on a new green field site would cost between €17 and €18 million compared to the €6 million it cost to refurbish the existing facility, according to a former manager. Councillor Joe Garrihy said the new revamp, which was done at about 30% of the cost of a new building, represents great value for money. Urging community groups in towns to look at what has been achieved in Lahinch, Councillor Garrihy said a new leisure centre, public toilets, rescue centre, public realm works and upgraded Lahinch Sportsfield are now all within walking distance. “When community, state agencies and stakeholders work together collectively, you can achieve a lot more. We now have a centre that will generate year-round business with tourism providing the cherry on top.” Councillor Garrihy said a state-of-the-art facility had to be provided when the roof started leaking years ago and was close to blowing away. When the Fine Gael councillor …

LAHINCH Leisure Centre was spending up to €120,000 just to heat its swimming pool a few years ago. Now, as part of a major €6 million retrofit the complex has been transformed into a Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB). In an interview with the Clare Champion, John Hayes, Senior Building Services Engineer with contractors Tipperary Energy Agency recalled the centre was spending €120,000 on oil just to heat the pool and half the building. Mr Hayes estimated the centre will now spend €85,000 annually to heat the entire building. “Now the heating system is heating all the building at a fraction of the cost. Lahinch Leisure Centre is a great example of what can be achieved in public buildings. “A lot of swimming pools are still putting in gas boilers. We had an option to keep the old oil boiler as a back-up but we decided to go fully green. “Lahinch Leisure Centre is a flagship project to show this …

THE €6 million redevelopment of Lahinch Leisure Centre will attract thousands of visitors to this North Clare hotspot and create in the region of 100 jobs. That was the confident prediction of Rural and Community Minister Heather Humphreys before she officially unveiled the new state-of-the-art leisure facility this week. Minister Humphreys said the spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean from the centre reminded her of Seamus Haney’s poem Postscript where he urged people to drive out West to the Flaggy Shore. As part of the government’s Our Rural Future, she outlined old buildings were receiving a new lease of life to regenerate rural towns and villages. In February 2019, she recalled the centre secured €2.9 million from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund, which was one of the first in the country to receive money from this fund and also received €250,000 from the LEADER programme. Funding from the RRDF also provided improvement for the public realm, car park, promenade and …

MINISTER Heather Humphreys was in Lahinch this morning to officially open the Lahinch Leisure Centre, a shining example of smart energy usage and generation. As part of its €6m renovation and expansion, the Centre has enjoyed an extensive energy retrofit under the auspices of the Tipperary Energy Agency. Now, alongside its top of the range insulation and ground source heat pump that heats the pools, solar panels on the roof generate much of the centre’s energy requirements. Alongside that, the ductwork throughout the centre is made from recycled materials. Indeed, no fewer than 3,717 plastic bottle have been repurposed to this effect The centre’s green journey began in September 2018 when engineers from the agency completed an energy audit to understand how much energy the building was using and pinpoint necessary works to upgrade the facility. Following the audit Tipperary Energy Agency were appointed Mechanical and Electrical Design Engineers and Energy Consultants. Prior to the retrofit, the leisure centre (part …