FEAR HAS BEEN EXPRESSED on the future of the spectacular Cliffs of Moher coastal walk.
Currently managed by the Clare Local Development Company (CLDC) under the National Walks Scheme, the coastal walk appears to have hit a stumbling block with one year to run on this contract and local authority officials stating that the present arrangement was no longer feasible.
Running along the top of the Cliffs from Doolin to Hags Head, the 13km trail has proven to be a massive hit with visitors to North-West Clare offering incredible views of the rocks and surrounding sea.
In a joint motion to the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Liam Grant (GP) and Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) asked for the stakeholders involved to repair parts of the walk, particularly those from Doolin to the visitor centre. “Repairs and upgrades would greatly improve the safely of the world class trail. Clare County Council need to start taking some responsibility for the upkeep of the path,” the proposal stated.
Acting senior executive officer in the West Clare MD, John O’Malley replied, “permissive access agreements are in place with the landowners for the maintenance and upkeep of the walk and the boundary. Due to the iconic nature and ever increasing popularity of the walk, environmental/habitat protection needs, repairs and maintenance issues there are challenges in ensuring that the walk is kept up to standard which requires funding and personnel resourcing”. O’Malley referred to the Council’s commitment to improve 2km of the coastal walk.
Lack of engagement between the Council and CLDC is evident, Cllr Grant believed. Landowners must be on board to ensure it remains an attractive walk, he said. “Anybody doing the walk from Doolin to Hags Head aren’t arriving on bus, they are generally staying for the day and that is what we want to encourage,” he added.
Community consultation is already completed with thirty nine different landowners in agreement to let people walk on their lands from Doolin to Hags Head, Garrihy stressed. “This is one of the most spectacular walks in the world and adjacent to one of the most popular attractions in the world, the Cliffs of Moher,” he added. “There is a year left to run on its contract, work in advance of the sky falling down might be advisable here, it really ties another way to travel where there isn’t a Greenway proposed, it is wild and beautiful”.
Cooperation of the landowners was acknowledged by Director of Service, Leonard Cleary. “The issue as I see it is a capacity for the maintenance of the walkway and trail, it is an enormous task, step one is to have strategy in place and step two is engagement, there is huge maintenance required and financial resources”. Council resources were invested into the upgraded 2km stretch, he said to develop “a much safer” walkway.
He added, “Going forward, it isn’t feasible to continue with the existing model. Clare County Council offered to sit down with the CLDC with a view to leading out the walk, we would like to go out and bring our technical capacity to lead out with our expertise”. New collaboration is needed, “if the Department and CLDC are interested in the model proposed then we will work with the IFA and land agencies to develop a new model, the current model is not fit for purpose, that is not anybody’s fault, the high volume of visitors and popularity require an adjustment to our thinking”.
