Tag Archives: Two Mile Gate

OVERFLOW parking may have to be provided at one of East Clare’s premier tourist attractions due to the boost in visitor numbers in recent years.  The increase in popularity of the Two Mile Gate Lakeside Amenity Park, which includes a state-of-the-art aqua park and a Blue Flag bathing area, was widely welcomed at the recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District Committee. With Ballycuggeran Woods on the other side of the main road from Killaloe to Scariff, some concerns were raised about parked vehicles obstructing the route. The matter was raised by Councillors Joe Cooney and Pat Burke, who were told that the Council is exploring options to facilitate visitor demand.  “Fantastic work has been done around Two Mile Gate,” Councillor Cooney said. “Lots of people stayed local during Covid and have found out about it. The problem now is parking in the area.   The place has been chock-a-block in recent days. That’s fantastic to see, but we need …

    Jet ski operators, who drive at excessive speed on Lough Derg, are putting the lives of swimmers at risk, Killaloe Coast Guard has warned. Killaloe Coast Guard was tasked to assist local gardai deal with jet skis being operated at dangerous speeds near Killaloe Bridge on Monday and Tuesday. A number of vessels were requested to return to the relevant slipways and the owners were spoken to by Gardai. A Coast Guard spokesman told the Clare Champion that some jet ski operators were driving at speed of up to 60 kilometres an hour near Killaloe Bridge in a speed limit area of about five kilometres. He said some jet skis were doing “doughnuts”, which is akin to doing a hand break turn on the water, which in turn creates a backwash that causes issues for boats being knocked against jetties and swimmers. During periods of hot weather, he said large numbers of young teenagers are congregating and swimmers …

THE acting head of tourism in Clare is supporting the proposed development of an inflatable aqua park at a popular Ogonnelloe amenity area, writes Dan Danaher. West Lake Aqua Park has lodged a planning application with Clare County Council seeking permission for a new aqua park that will operate seasonally from May 1 to September 30 at Twomilegate, Ballycuggeran, which is situated a few miles from Killaloe. The aqua park will consist of an inflatable floating obstacle course, floating access pontoon, 20 foot container for check-in and 40 foot container for changing facilities including all associated works at Twomilegate. In a letter to the planning department, acting head of tourism, Deirdre O’Shea outlined this project will provide a new and dynamic tourism product in East Clare. It will, in turn, provide social and economic benefits to the region and to the local community in line with the Clare Tourism Strategy 2030, the Lough Derg Blueway brand criteria, the Shannon Tourism …

OPEN water swimming is becoming a very popular pursuit in Two Mile Gate, Killaloe, following travel restrictions imposed to curb Covid-19 over the past year. This is graphically illustrated by the huge interest and participation in swimming lessons, which started on Wednesday evenings in Ballycuggeran in July. With the demand for swimming lessons already outstripping supply, Swim Ireland are considering extending them for four weeks in September, subject to weather conditions. Swim Ireland coach, Donnacha McGeever, Ballina, believes travel restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic encouraged people to avail of more recreational activities on their doorstep. “I wasn’t doing any open water swimming for the last few years. When Covid-19 came, it was the only social and activity outlet I had to get out into the real world during the winter. “There has been a massive uptake in swimming during the pandemic. I think Covid-19 kept us local and taught us we can enjoy the open water with a wet …

SAFETY works are being sought in South East Clare where a busy summer of staycations has brought record visitor numbers to the area. Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Joe Cooney welcomed the boost to the local economy and commended everyone involved in developing amenities in areas around Ogonnelloe, Ballycuggeran and Two-Mile Gate. However, he repeated an appeal to Clare County Council for safety and traffic management works to facilitate locals and visitors alike. “It’s really important that traffic calming goes into Ogonnelloe,” the Fine Gael member said “We are all aware that this is a long, drawn-out village and with the Killaloe Bypass and bridge crossing set to come on stream, where will be additional traffic travelling through Ogonnelloe. It’s vitally important, going forward, that traffic calming goes in.” The chairperson also noted the ongoing work of volunteers in Ogonnelloe. “There is a very active community council in the village,” he said. “They’ve done wonderful work and they …

KILLALOE Coast Guard has repeated its plea to motorists to stop blocking access to its station on the shores of Lough Derg. Amid record temperatures in recent days, visitors flocked to Killaloe to enjoy the water-based amenities. The parking situation in the Pier Head area was described by the coast guard as “unbelievable”, with blatant disregard for signage asking people to keep the entrance to the rescue base clear. The heatwave proved to be a particularly busy time for the coast guard. Volunteers had to respond to a number of calls and found themselves hampered by the presence of abandoned vehicles on approach routes and in front of the entrance to their station. Last Wednesday (July 21), while responding to a call about a vessel disrupting a swimming area, the coast guard encountered a series of obstructions. “While our crews were responding to this call-out the entrance to Pier head was again blocked by cars [that had] been abandoned in …

  WALKING enthusiasts in South-East Clare have been issued with an open invitation to work off the Christmas excesses by joining Ogonnelloe GAA club on a climb of Clare’s tallest mountain, Moylussa, midday on Saturday, December 29. In its annual Christmas community gathering, the club is going to make the most of its, and the county’s, biggest asset, Moylussa – the tallest point in the Slieve Bernagh Mountains at 532 metres – with an organised walk from midday. Walkers are asked to assemble for 11.45am. Last year, the community put on a special Christmas Musical Gala but, with major renovations on the Community Hall only just completed, it is taking to the outdoors for the 2018 festive season gathering. The starting point for the walk will be Two Mile Gate, with the two to three-hour – depending on levels of fitness – round-trek taking in the top of the mountain and, weather permitting, resplendent views across Lough Derg and well …

Killaloe Coastguard rescued four men following two emergency calls on Lough Derg on Friday evening. The thirty second callout this year was to two men on board a small lake boat near Two Mile Gate on the Clare shore. The duo had been on board a cruiser, which was anchored at Two Mile Gate, but due to the strong wind and rough water they got into difficulty. A friend raised the alarm and rang emergency services. Killaloe Coast Guard launched their rib while a land crew went to Two Mile Gate by road. Within 15 minutes of being paged, the Killaloe Coast Guard crew had taken the two men on board their rescue boat and brought them safely back to the cruiser. After returning to base and standing down, the crew heard a call for help on their VHF radio on CH16. The crew were then tasked by Valentia Coast Guard to relaunch and make their way to Mountshannon where …