Tag Archives: lahinch

North Clare twins the only ones in school for sacrament TWIN boys from North Clare will make their First Holy Communion together on Saturday in a ceremony where they will be the only two candidates to receive the sacrament. Cian and Donnchadh Vaughan, who are nine years of age, were the only two pupils in second class last year at Furglan National School, near Lahinch. When the pandemic caused ceremonies to be deferred, the boys, like hundreds of thousands of other children around the country, faced a long wait for the milestone. “They were on tenterhooks for the summer really,” said mum Patricia, who is principal of the school. “The delay was all for the best really because now we can have all the extended family and friends and we’ll be able to mark the day. “Their big brother Joshua, who is 17, will be there and dad, Frank, as well as the uncles and aunties. “We are very lucky …

Clare hospitality industry reaps staycation dividend as Irish tourists spend more money, writes Owen Ryan WITH schools back and the evenings shortening, the peak 2021 tourist season has ended in Clare. While international visitors were absent again, the fact Irish people couldn’t easily travel meant that west and north Clare got a large number of ‘staycationers’ which allowed local businesses to enjoy a very busy summer. Kilkee-based county councillor Cillian Murphy said that the area has been very busy since reopening from lockdown. “It has been unusual in that there was a short run-in, then craziness and a short run out. In a normal year you’d start in April, it’d get busier incrementally, and then you have the mad summer before winding down in September and October. “This year there was no run in, the doors opened on July 26 and it was championship football! I know from being in business myself and talking to a lot of my friends …

GARDAÍ are conducting an investigation following the discovery of a man’s body in a campervan at one of county Clare’s best known resorts. Gardaí were called at around 3.20pm on Sunday in relation to a campervan parked in the carpark at Lahinch. After enlisting the assistance of fire service personnel, they gained access to the vehicle and found the body of a man in his 50s inside. It’s understood the death is not being treated as suspicious but as a tragic incident. Gardaí sealed off the scene while fire service personnel erected privacy screens around the vehicle which was located next to where hundreds of people were walking the prom. Two units of Clare County Fire and Rescue service from Ennistymon station were mobilised to the incident along with National Ambulance Service paramedics. At the time, the campervan had been parked in the carpark adjacent to the popular promenade in Lahinch. Gardaí spoke with the occupants of other campervans in …

OVER-TOURISM and the emergence of “rusty buckets” is one of the threats to towns and villages in some of Clare’s tourist hotspots, a meeting has heard. That’s according to the initial findings of pilot study looking at the impact of pre- and post-Covid commuting patterns in Ennistymon and Lahinch. ‘InPLACE: Investigating Place, Planning and Commuting’, has initially focused on Ennistymon-Lahinch and Newtownmountkennedy, Wicklow. At the September meeting of the west Clare municipal district (MD), researcher and geographer Brendan O’Keeffe said the study’s initial findings highlighted the danger of over-tourism and the emergence of “rusty buckets” in north and west Clare. Mr O’Keeffe said that while Clare attracts a high level of coach and package tourism, visitors often do not spend money locally and instead are based in larger urban centres away from the communities in question. He told the meeting that to avoid the emergence of what he called “rusty buckets”, tourism “needs to deliver for the local economy and …

ACCOMMODATION providers and businesses in Lahinch have received “Think Before You Flush” resources to help combat sewage related litter and wastewater system blockages. The increase in staycations this year means many people will be flocking to popular destinations like Lahinch. As many working in the hospitality sector unfortunately know, the issue of flushing unsuitable items like wet wipes down the toilet, can have huge implications for wastewater systems and can damage the marine environment. As part of the Think Before You Flush regional campaign, B&Bs, hotels, hostels, self-catering apartments and campsites in Lahinch are receiving information and resources about the “Think Before You Flush campaign”. Unlike toilet paper, which is designed to disintegrate quickly in pipes and sewage systems, the synthetic materials in items like wipes, cotton buds and sanitary products makes them very strong and unable to break down. When these unsuitable items are flushed down the toilet, they can causes blockages in our wastewater network, pumping stations and …

ENNISTYMON and Lahinch are to feature among the case studies of an inter-university study on the impacts of pre and post-Covid commuting on people and places. The InPLACE: Investigating Place, Planning and Commuting two-year research programme has been launched by the International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD). According to the team behind the study, the findings will have significance for a range of public policies, many of which are within the remit of local authorities, and all of which directly influence local communities. Issue such as health, housing, environment, community development, social policy, transportation and spatial planning would all be affected. The InPLACE study represents a unique research collaboration between Maynooth University, Ulster University, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, University College Dublin, and the University of Maryland in the US. The study team is headed by Professor Des McCafferty of Mary Immaculate College. Local level data are currently being collected by Brendan O’Keeffe of O’Keeffe Social Research. Brendan has been on the ground in …

Pandemic’s effect on coastal property market evident with prices in one popular town climbing 39% since last year NEW research from Daft.ie shows the asking prices for properties in Lahinch has increased by some 39% since the start of the pandemic. Searches on the website for Lahinch properties have gone up by 49%, according to research conducted by Dr Tom Gillespie, an Environmental Economist at NUI Galway, who himself moved to the north Clare village just before the pandemic. The figures for Lahinch are included in the Daft.ie Coastal Report for 2021, which found that the prices sought for coastal properties in a number of selected areas around the country is up by an average of 23% compared to those sought prior to the pandemic. The average increase for the country as a whole is just 8.7% in the same period. In his report, Dr Gillespie stated that the increase in achieved prices is likely to be greater than those …

A VIDEO project made in conjunction with community groups Clare has been premiered by Clean Coasts to raise awareness about the issue of marine litter. Both local people and visitors are being asked to enjoy this part of the coast but also to take personal responsibility for the waste that comes from outdoor activities. As the Covid restriction eased in early May, more people started visiting the magnificent coastal area in Clare. A number of Clean Coasts community groups reached out to Clean Coasts, expressing significant concerns relating to the environmental impact of tourists in the upcoming season. The absence of foreign travel, huge growth in take-out food and outdoor socialising had already begun to increase coastal litter. Coastal communities were nervous about what would happen when the season really begins. One group, suggested creating a video about Lahinch to raise awareness about this issue. Clean Coasts Development Officer Ray Ó Foghlu worked with Spanish Point Community Group to source …