*Kilfenora.
KILFENORA is lacking a plan for parking in the village with the current system described as “haphazard”.
In a proposal before the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) appealed to Clare County Council “to devise a traffic plan for Kilfenora village to address better use of available space for pedestrians, cars, trucks, buses and cyclists”.
According to senior executive engineer in the West Clare MD, Tony Neville, “A multi-Department approach is required to establish the ideal use of open space within Kilfenora village. This will include our colleagues within Planning (Urban Design) and Road Design. Our colleagues within Rural Development are also in the process of finalising a Town Team for Kilfenora. This team will be critical to any future developments within the village”.
“There doesn’t seem to be any huge plan for parking in the village street,” remarked Cllr Killeen. “It was very busy all summer with the shuttle bus using the Burren Centre,” he flagged. “A cycle parking space is barely visible and a certain amount of street space too, it needs to be redesigned and accommodate a number of buses”.
He added, “It is haphazard and needs to be looked at, it would be a private/public car space in Kilfenora”. Cllr Killeen asked the top table if a private space was explored by the local authority as a stop for the Burren/Cliffs Explorer.
Director of Tourism Development, Siobhán McNulty stated that a private partnership was explored. “We didn’t come to an agreement in time for the Burren/Cliffs Explorer but that will be part of the review and its potential for 2026”.
Work has been ongoing in Kilfenora “for the last number of years” to try devise plans, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) acknowledged. “Our future President, sorry our Presidential candidate Heather Humphreys was down to open the Burren Exhibition Centre in May 2024”.
Wastewater has been “updated massively” in Kilfenora, Cllr Garrihy highlighted. “It has the infrastructure and capacity to take people to live there, the local community group have set up a campaign to try crowdfund buying Linnane’s Bar which is where the Kilfenora Céilí Band started from”.
Wording used by elected members with requests is important, Cllr Garrihy said, “I’m stopping calling these things masterplans because when you say that it sends them off into Orbit and nothing seems to happen with them”. He continued, “it is a timely motion because we’ve invested huge amount of taxpayers money into the infrastructure, now let’s follow that with a plan”.
Analysis of the shuttle bus’ pilot season will be important for both its “future development” and that of the village, Cllr Killeen observed. “We do have our finger on the pulse and we know what is happening,” he concluded.
