This article is from page 26 of the 2008-08-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 26 JPG
“AT LAHINCH the sea shines like a jewel”. So the old song goes and on a nice clear day in the Summer – when the throngs mill from prom to strand and the rich salt air fills the lungs – there can be few better places in the eyulee
An ancient outpost on the great Atlantic frontier, Lahinch has a long and proud history. From ancient leg- ends of a secret submerged island in Liscannor Bay, to the birth of Irish golf and then – more recently – Irish surfing, the village has captured the imagination of all those who came.
And now, despite it’s increased size, Lahinch remains very much a village. Not a simple community, bound together with a single shared history and common values, Lahinch is a multifaceted community.
A modern melting pot, where local business people and farmers share bar counters happily with golfer, surfers and artists. Each engaged in the happy pursuit of living life in a
west Clare paradise.
Traditional businesses such as The Corner Stone, Leyden Auctioners, Kennedy’s Centra, Kenny’s Wol- len Mills, the Village Inn, Vaughan Lodge and Fitzgeralds bar provide the backbone of the town’s commer- cial success while new ventures such as the Lahinch Surf school and shop, the Green Room, Ocean Scene and Lahinch Seaworld cater for a new clientele.
When Lahinch is mentioned around the world it is most often spoke of in golfing circles. Ever since 1892, when the Black Watch Regiment dis- covered a secret paradise in the dunes and hills on the Liscannor Road, the village has attracted scores of golfers – happy to judge their skills against the onshore breeze and rough.
Lahinch’s reputation as an inter- national class golfing destination 1s underlined each year by the South of Ireland championships which re- mains one of the premier events on the Irish golfing calendar.
First shaped by Old Tom Morris
and then redesigned by the world famous Alister MacKenzie, the St Andrew’s of Ireland 1s a true jewel in WeTomeruehate
Yet of late, the word Lahinch has gained repute as the home of Irish surfing. While surfing has been prac- ticed in Lahinch for decades, it is just in the last 5 years that it has captured the imagination of the masses.
So these days, a typical Lahinch afternoon in July or August will un- doubtedly include dozens of surfers, each taking their first braze steps (hopefully) into the world of surfing.
And like all of Lahinch’s many communities, the surfers strive to be the best they can for their village. This led the villages surfers to win a place in the Guinness Book of world Records back in 2006 and again a year later for the most surfers ever to surf a single wave.
Proof once more, if it was needed, that the village of Lahinch captures the imaginations of all who visit – leaving the cleansed, relaxed and above all else inspired.