This article is from page 12 of the 2014-05-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THE Lisdoonvarna Spa Well has been reopened for the first time in nearly four years, with members of the public now free to enter the historic premises and take some of its famous mineral waters.
The well, officially re-opened last week, will be staffed by paid employees from Monday to Friday with members of the newly reconstituted board of Lisdoonvarna Fáilte volunteers to staff the premises at the weekends.
The famous mineral water already helps to attract around 10,000 German tourists to the Spa town each year and it is hoped that the reopening of the Spa Well could increase that number dramatically.
A fund was also launched last week to begin raising the estimated € 1.3 million needed to redevelop and reopen the famous sulfur baths, which once made Lisdoonvarna one of Europe’s premier spa destinations.
These changes follow a change in the management structure of Lisdoonvarna Fáilte in January with a large number of new people taking up positions on the board of management.
A public meeting will take place in Lisdoonvarna this Wednesday, when members of pubic are invited to hear updates on the recent progress of Lisdoonvarna Fáilte and comment on the future direction of the company.
“The Victorian pump-house is reopened so people can go in and take the water. People come from all over the world to take the water and now people can come in for free and take the waters,” said Paddy Dunne of Lisdoonvarna Fáilte.
“The wells themselves is a longer term project. We launched the Spa Wells Restoration Fund on Monday and that went great. We raised € 1,500 in a few hours. We have a long way to go. Hopefully if we can raise a good amount the Government might be able to come in with matching funding.
A public meeting will take place this Wednesday, May 14, at the Pavillion Theatre from 8pm.
“The meeting is about updating members of the community about the developments and to share ideas about how things might proceed in the future,” continued Paddy.
“We want to keep this process as open and transparent as possible and to involve as many people as possible. We are still looking for people with a background in tourism or finances to get involved with the board of management.”