*Lahinch Playground.
LAHINCH playground’s present state is “disgraceful” with a North Clare councillor claiming that only the swings are functioning properly.
Responsibility and maintenance for the Lahinch facility which is one of Munster’s busiest playgrounds will be taken over by the local authority once upgrade works are undertaken.
€165,000 was granted to Clare County Council in August for the refurbishment of Lahinch playground under the Community Recognition Fund 2024.
Opened in 2010, insurance premiums for the playground jumped from €400 then to €6,000 in 2018.
In a proposal before the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) and Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) called on the Council “to urgently proceed with design and redevelopment works at Lahinch Playground”.
They outlined, “This needs to be completed in advance of the 2025 peak season. An ongoing management and maintenance plan then needs to be formalised for the facility”.
Senior executive officer in the West Clare MD, Eoin Troy stated, “The need for the redevelopment of the community Playground is acknowledged. The support and engagement from local councillors is appreciated. At this stage a draft specification has been completed and engagement has taken place with the local playground committee. Funding is in place and works will commence when tender has completed. We are committed to ensuring that the project moves forward as quickly as possible and that a clear timeline is established”.
Efforts of the late Gerard Hartigan, his family and wide circle of friends in forging the community development of the playground fifteen years ago was recalled and commended by Cllr Talty. He said they “kept it open during huge setbacks and storm damage, I believe it is the busiest playground in Munster in terms of footfall and visitors so it is a critical piece of infrastructure”.
He said it was “envisaged” that the project would have gone out to tender in advance of Christmas to have some chance of being ready for the tourist season. “We’ve suffered from turbulence in changing roles,” he acknowledged while pointing out John Treacy had been overseeing the project but that it is now falling to the SEO.
“It needs to be a priority project,” Cllr Talty stressed. He said it had been sought to be completed prior to the 2025 season. “I know meetings have taken place with the committee, it is highly unlikely that full comprehensive works can take place this side of the season, the minimum amount of works, safety and cosmetic works must be done to improve its appearance and make it a playground that we can continue to be proud of”.
Cllr Slattery also commended the role of Gerard Hartigan in starting the project. “The present state of the playground is disgraceful, except for the swings, that is all that is working”. He continued, “years ago they might have a few barrels or trunks for a see-saw because that would be better than what is there”. He noted damage sustained at the playground had resulted in expensive claims.
Previous requests for Lahinch Leisure Centre or the Council to take over the playground were referenced by Cllr Slattery. He recalled, “I approached committee members and they were delighted because they wanted out, they were resigning and then we got the grant, all of a sudden the committee came on board and they hadn’t resigned, I see ye have met the committee but they have resigned, it is my understanding that they no longer want to be there and I have an email to that effect. This work has to be done”.
Addressing the meeting, Troy said the current insurance in place was taken out by the local community group with the support of Cllr Talty. He said meetings took place last week with “a specialist playground company” to keep the playground open for the summer. “It will be upgraded,” he confirmed. “It is currently not insured by Clare County Council, the intention as per the proposal approved by senior management last year, after the CRS funding is approved to an acceptable standard, the Council will take over the responsibility for the maintenance and management”.
He explained that the project was currently at design stage and they were “relying on specialist contractors”. Troy flagged, “the durability of equipment has to be taken into consideration because of its seaside location, only a finite amount of companies can deal with this, we are at their behest, we expect to go through procurement shortly and we can have timelines after that”. He said, “the hope is to have this completed within 2025”.
Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) questioned if this deadline could be extended without losing any of the money granted for the works. The SEO confirmed the funding for Lahinch is set aside until 2026. A meeting with the planning department is required for the Kilrush playground, Cllr Lynch added.
Work is ongoing with the construction of the playground in Doonbeg, said Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) who chaired its development committee. “You have to be very cognisant of where we are with the salt air,” she advised. The Cathaoirleach of the West Clare MD praised the “amazing amount of knowledge” that John Treacy has regarding playgrounds, “what works in Doonbeg won’t work in Tulla,” she commented. A workshop with playground groups in the county would be worthwhile to share and gain learnings. “Once they finish in Doonbeg they are moving onto Mullagh, we gained a lot of knowledge and need to share it”.
A site for a potential playground is being explored in Ennistymon, Cllr Slattery revealed. “Lahinch is one of the busiest playgrounds because there’s none in Ennistymon or Liscannor so all those people are coming to Lahinch”.
