Clare County Council 'champion' major sports projects for Clare GAA and other organisations

Clare County Council is championing the cause of three significant sports infrastructure projects in the county, as it supports Clare GAA, Active Kilrush and the Kilkee Sub-Aqua Club’s applications for funding under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).

Chief among the projects submitted for consideration to the Department Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is the training grounds of Clare’s All Ireland Hurling champions - the Clare GAA Centre of Excellence at Caherlohan.

The success of the application would allow for the transformation and expansion of the existing facilities, bringing them to a standard fit for champions, and make them more accessible to male and female teams.

Welcoming Clare GAA’s number one position in the funding application, operations manager Deirdre Murphy said the organisation was "extremely grateful" for the council'support.

“The upgrading and development of the centre at Caherlohan will completely transform the facility from one which is poorly presented, unfit for purpose and unable to meet all the needs of existing users, into a high quality, accessible sporting venue which can realise its potential in relation to sports participation at recreational and competitive level," she said.

The second application submitted by Clare County Council focuses on the Active Kilrush Sports Complex and the delivery of a new 1,700 square metre indoor sports facility to serve the town and surrounding community.

Welcoming the inclusion of the €4.9 million sports complex in the application, Active Kilrush Member Cllr Ian Lynch highlighted the need of an indoor sports facility to serve the town and surrounding community.

“Various clubs and stakeholders have worked together through the years to get the best from our facility and now it is time to bring it to a new level for the town and surrounding area," Cllr Lynch said.

"This building will form a cornerstone of our sports amenities and is a key part of our masterplan for the town."

Read Also: Over €8million in funding for county Clare under Community Sport Facilities Fund

The third application put forward for funding support is the development of a centre of excellence for diving and snorkelling by the Kilkee Sub-Aqua Club.

Ger Haugh of Kilkee Sub-Aqua Club said the "ambitious €1.2million project" would serve as a base to store boats and scuba gear, "with specialised search and recovery equipment, dressing rooms and showers and toilets".

“This involves building a two-storey, multi-use regional dive and snorkel centre on the existing site," he continued.

"Our new centre will have the capacity to cater for the growing, diverse numbers wishing to learn and enjoy the sports of scuba diving and snorkelling.

"It will also be a communications and reception centre for families and friends in the event of ongoing recovery searches for missing persons.”

According to the council's chief executive Pat Dowling, this year "has left us in no doubt about the sporting capabilities and interest in sport in Clare, as we continue to celebrate our All Ireland Hurling success."

"It is important that we build on this momentum and continue to support our communities as they grow and develop state-of-the-art sporting facilities for the next generation of sporting heroes," he said.

Read more Sports stories at Clare Live