*Cllr Liam Grant (GP) admires the correct spelling of the sign in Lahinch.
LAHINCH’s incorrect spelling on road signage has been remedied on a minor scale.
Replacement signage erected in some parts of the North-West coastal town reads Lahinch as opposed to the Lehinch signs that exist in parts of the locality. The incorrect spelling of certain towns and villages on road signage in Clare is a bone of contention for proud locals in areas including Ballyvaughan, Corofin, Clonlara, Ennistymon, Kilnaboy, Lahinch and Miltown Malbay.
In 2012, the name of Lahinch on road signs was changed to Lehinch, the coastal spot has been known as Lahinch since the 1850s. The spelling of Lehinch relates to a 1914 Ordnance Survey Map.
Funds were due to be set aside in 2018 for a plebiscite to be held, this is the direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question such as a change in the constitution. This local vote never took place.
Since his co-option to Clare County Council in October 2021, Cllr Liam Grant (GP) has tried to push the matter higher on the agenda within the local authority. “I’m happy to see some replacement signs going up with the correct spelling of Lahinch. Long before I was ever a councillor I was campaigning for this. The Council haven’t agreed to having a plebiscite but I’m still fighting for one,” he said.
“We need to get the names officially changed back so we can have the correct road signs for Lahinch, Ballyvaughan, Ennistymon, Miltown Malbay, Corofin, Kilnaboy. There’s a few correct Lahinch ones gone up replacing damaged signs. Not stickers this time,” Cllr Grant added.
He said “Plan B” if signs are not improved “is to get Willie Daly to paint all the signs in Clare”.
