CALLS have been made for urgent resurfacing works on the road between Cooraclare and Cree, with councillors warning it could become a safety risk as traffic increases during the Irish Open.
The issue was raised by Cllr Dinny Gould (IND) at the July meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, where he called on Clare County Council to review the R483 between Cooraclare and Cree, citing serious subsidence and the additional traffic expected to use the route during the championship.
Cllr Gould said the stretch of road, extending for approximately three kilometres, was “in a bad way” and had become “dangerous to drive”, particularly for buses and heavy goods vehicles.
He warned that traffic on the route was expected to increase significantly during the Irish Open, with ferry services operating twice an hour bringing additional visitors through the area.
Cllr Gould asked whether the road would be considered as part of this year’s roads programme, saying people in Cooraclare and Cree were “very disappointed” that more had not been done.
“It will be the laughing stock of West Clare if the road is left this way during the golf,” he said.
Cathaoirleach of the district, Cllr Michael Shannon (FF), also supported the motion, describing the stretch between Cooraclare and Cree as “one of the worst parts of West Clare regional roads”.
He said he feared “they will wake up one morning and a bus will have gone inside and people will be injured”, adding that “the road itself needs to be addressed urgently”.
Cllr Shannon said he would continue to call for additional funding to carry out the necessary works.
Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) said the road is an important regional route, particularly as it provides a link to the ferry services connecting West Clare with North Clare.
She commended council staff for the work already carried out on nearby roads ahead of the Irish Open, but said it had only served to highlight the poor condition of the remaining stretch.
“When one section of road is done, it really highlights the one that isn’t done,” she said.
Cllr McInerney stressed that the resurfacing works were needed “no matter what is coming”, saying the road required attention regardless of the upcoming championship.
Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) also supported the motion, saying the road was structurally “in an awful way”.
He warned that conditions become particularly “lethal” during the winter due to frost and heavy rain, while in the summer “the road is just tar”.
Describing the level of local frustration as justified, he said: “There’s a lot of anger over this and rightly so,” adding that residents felt the road had simply been “left behind”.
Responding, Senior Executive Engineer Alan Kennelly acknowledged the deteriorating condition of the road but said the Municipal District did not currently have funding available to carry out the works.
“It is in need of some attention,” he said, adding that the road would be “considered seriously”.
In a written response, Mr Kennelly explained that the section of the R483 between Cooraclare and Cree is a “bog rampart” road, meaning it is built on peat and therefore remains susceptible to settlement, surface deformation, cracking and drainage-related defects.
He noted that works completed near Alva, outside Cree, last year had successfully addressed a long-standing flooding issue, while the affected 300-metre section is due to be resurfaced as part of this year’s roads programme.
Mr Kennelly added that resurfacing works between Behan’s Cross and Cree have recently been completed, with further improvement works along the route programmed for later this year as part of the 2026 Municipal District works schedule.
