*Crowds at the 2019 Irish Open in Lahinch.
A LASTING LEGACY left by The Irish Open in Lahinch needs to be replicated in Doonbeg.
West Clare has warmly welcomed confirmation that Trump Doonbeg will host the 2026 Amgen Irish Open next September.
Elected members in the West Clare Municipal District have begun the process of trying to reap potential benefits from the decision and will make pleas for additional funding from the Department of Transport to improve the county’s road network in advance of the tournament.
At Tuesday’s meeting of the West Clare MD, Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) referenced the Irish Open as the justification for Clare County Council and Department of Transport to “allocate additional funding to deliver critical improvements to the Regional and Local Road network from Kilmihil through Cree to Doonbeg, as well as surrounding access routes, to ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable transport links for residents, businesses, and visitors”.
She stated, “The awarding of the 2026 Irish Open to Trump International Doonbeg is a landmark opportunity for West Clare. This event will attract international visitors, widespread media attention, and provide a direct economic boost to the local and regional economy. When Lahinch hosted the Irish Open, significant investment was delivered in roads, services, and infrastructure, with long-term benefits for the community. West Clare deserves similar levels of support to maximise the benefits of the Irish Open and to ensure a lasting legacy for the region”.
Routes such as the road from The Crossroads Pub through Kilmihil, Cree, and into Doonbeg needs to be prioritised for upgrades “to meet safety standards, cater for increased traffic, and underpin balanced regional development”.
Senior executive officer in the West Clare MD, John O’Malley confirmed, “The West Clare MD are working with colleagues across the Transportation Section and Management Team on plans for improvements along the routes outlined by this Motion. We are currently liaising with the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland in relation to the schedule of works involved and the request for increased focus and funding on these routes”.
Hosting The Irish Open is “a once in a generation opportunity for Doonbeg,” Rita stated. “When Lahinch hosted The Irish Open, the benefits were clear and there was considerable investment in roads and services, it has left a legacy and we want the same for this Municipal District. The road network is very much under pressure, without targeted investment we have a risk of safety concerns”.
A dedicated and specific plan is needed “for this huge event,” said Cllr Michael Shannon (FF). “We have the example of Lahinch which was handled so well, every access road from Ennis to West Clare will have to be looked at and a programme of works from next week on to be planned on how we’re going to plan it, implement it and make it work, we’re talking about hedge cutting and all of that has to be addressed”. He added, “We need West Clare to show its best card, its image will be beamed around the world, we need to have a positive and good time”.
Linking in with The Walker Cup which takes place in Lahinch at the beginning of September is important, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) said. He flagged, “the mere announcement of Irish Open doesn’t dictate the flow of funding” and reminded colleagues that Lahinch was successful with a RRDF application in February 2019 obtaining €2.86m “which was responsible for the public toilets and a lot of the work place, that took years of planning from the likes of Bill (Slattery) and Joe (Garrihy) when he was in Sea World let’s try leverage that for West Clare as much as we can but countywide it will be a huge couple of weeks”.
Both event will be coordinated by the Chief Fire Officer, Adrian Kelly, the meeting was informed by Cathaoirleach of the West Clare MD, Cllr Bill Slattery (FG). “This is huge,” he told his colleagues as he stressed the need to start devising a plan.
“With the golf coming to Doonbeg and back by Cree, I propose that TII does N68 plus N67 to bring it back by Trumps by Doonbeg, not everyone will come via Kilmihil, now is our chance to get the bad bump by Guerins fixed,” commented Cllr Dinny Gould (IND).
A behind closed doors meeting between elected members and the staff of the West Clare MD took place subsequent to the bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday.
