This article is from page 2 of the 2014-03-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
CLARE is in line for a double tourism boost with the news that the world famous Lisdoonvarna Spa Well is set to reopen to the public later this month and that country singer Garth Brooks is considering playing an intimate charity gig at the nearby Pavillion Theatre.
The wells, which have been shut for nearly four years, are set to reopen before the end of March – once the results of a chemical analysis of the famed spa waters are released. Once the water is certified, tourists will once again be allowed to visit the Spa Well and take the water.
More than 10,000 German tourists already travel to Lisdoonvarna each year, even though the wells have been effectively closed for a number of years, and this number is likely to swell once the wells reopen.
The proposed reopening of the famed sulfur baths themselves will require a large investment before it can be realised with Lisdoonvarna Fáilte estimating that € 1.3 million would be needed to brings the baths back on line. This figure includes between € 20,000 and € 30,000 worth of damage sustained during the recent storms.
The Minister for Tourism, Michael Ring, was in Lisdoonvarna last week to see the facilities.
“The wells are open at the moment and hopefully in a week or two, once the water is tested, we will be able to give it to people again. We will be giving people free samples, we won’t be charging for it,” said Lisdoonvarna Fáilte chairperson, Paddy Dunne.
“We will be able to get the pumphouse open but it will take some serious investment to get the bath houses open again. This will be a huge boost for the whole county. If we get the pump house going well hopefully an investment will be made available for the baths.”
Meanwhile, Mr Dunne also confirmed yesterday that Lisdoonvarna Fáilte has been in contact with representatives of Garth Brooks, with a view to bringing the US singer down to Lisdoonvarna for a one-off concert.
“There is the possibility of Garth Brooks coming for a private show. We contacted them, and they got back to us looking for more information, so you’d never know. They got back to us last Friday so we will see what happens,” said Paddy.
Lisdoonvarna Fáilte have recently elected a new Board of Management and are hopeful to add three new members to the board, especially people with a background in tourism.
The current board includes Tina O’Dwyer, Donie Garrihy, Pat Haugh, Kate Burke, Marie Urquhart, Gemma Dowling, Cllr Joe Arkins, Peter O’Dwyer and Tom Connolly. Anyone interesting in becoming involved is asked to contact 065 7075644.