This article is from page 14 of the 2013-02-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
CLARE County Council’s water safety officer has literally found himself between a rock and a hard place, as a “traditional bathing area” in Kilrush has been deemed unsuitable. The bathing area at Alveroo, known locally as The Rock, is missing the one thing that gave the bathing spot its name.
Former mayor of Kilrush Liam O’Looney (FF) now wants Clare County Council to replace the rock at the 150-year-old bathing area, before the summer season. He is supported in his request by the other members of the town council.
Water safety officer Liam Griffin has concerns about returning the rock however, and has advised against it. “I have visited the area known as The Rock, Cappagh, Kilrush, in order to carry out an inspection. As an International Life Saving Federation of Europe Risk Assessor, I would not recommend this location as being suitable for bathing for a variety of reasons. In that regard, I would recommend that the local authority should not carry out any reinstatement of the concrete section or conduct any works that would encourage the public to bathe at this location,” he said.
The water safety expert added that it was policy to select suitable bathing locations throughout Ireland, “which are regarded as safe and suitable to recommend to the public to use as bathing areas. All recommended bathing locations in the county have been comprehensively risk assessed with a view to public safety.
“In County Clare we have 12 such designated beaches, which are recommended for bathing. Ten of those locations are located along the west coast of Clare. We have one such location at Cappagh, Kilrush, and this beach enjoys Blue Flag status. Two lifeguards are employed at this beach during the bathing season.”
Cllr O’Looney said he was disappointed with the water safety officer’s response, adding that no specific reasons were given for his conclusion. “I think people are going to continue to swim there,” he said.
Cllr Ian Lynch (FG), who is also a member of the RNLI, argued “placing the rock there does not make it any less safe. If anything, putting the rock back would indicate end of the water.”
Mayor of Kilrush, Cllr Mairead O’Brien (Ind), was also concerned that the life buoy at the marina had gone missing three times in the last six months. She said in a bid to counteract the situation a special talk on water safety was to take place at the local secondary school.