This article is from page 16 of the 2013-05-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
A RESIDENT has described what he called the “neglect” of Ballyalla Lake over the past 30 years as “an absolute disgrace”.
Noel O’Driscoll who has lived across from Ballyalla Lake for 33 years, was speaking at public meeting in Ennis last week.
Mr O’Driscoll said the area has been blighted by the illegal dumping of waste.
He said he has seen all types of waste dumped around the lake. Mr O’Driscoll said numerous promises had been made during election cam- paigns but nothing had ever been done to solve problems at Ballyalla.
He added, “It has been an absolute disgrace the way this amenity has been neglected.”
Around 47 people attended the meeting at the Auburn Lodge Hotel, which heard a number of proposals for Ballyalla including unlocking the lake’s Blue Flag potential.
13 people expressed an interest in joining a working group.
A majority of people present also voted in favour of pursuing Blue Flag status and protecting the area’s unique biodiversity status.
The meeting was called by local councilor Johnny Flynn (FG).
Cllr Flynn told the meeting that Blue Flag status would be accompanied by byelaws that could prevent the use of speedboats and jet-skis, an issue that arose as a point of concern for some contributors at the meeting.
At the May meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Flynn is calling on Ennis Town Council to draft byelaws that would allow for Gandelow boat journeys on the River Fergus, from Knox’s Bridge, to Steele’s Rock to the Post Office Field.
A Gandelow is a boat that had been used on the River Shannon and Fergus Estuary.
Cllr Flynn said the initiative would seek to promote Ennis as the midwest’s premier romance town.
Brian O’Neill, Chairman of Promote Ennis, said Ennis would benefit from having a top class environmentally friendly waterside amenity in close proximity to the town.
He said, “The benefits are simple. It would be more likely for tourist to come to Ennis, to stay for longer to spend more money, which in turn would create more employment. It could be a major employer for the town of Ennis.”
He added, “With the motorway you can now be in Dublin in two-hours. For this reason it’s now feasible for tourists to go to the Cliffs of Moher and back without spending € 1 in Clare. The Wild Atlantic is fantastic for towns and villages in the west of Ireland but it is giving them another reason to bypass Ennis. We need to give people as many reasons to divert into town.”
He said, “There is something missing. From my own conversations with tourists; they are looking for something else to do. Whether it’s a couple or a group of friends. Lees Road is a fantastic amenity but it is mainly a sports amenity. But there is a demand for activity-based tourism, surfing kayaking rock-climbing. There is a demand and the demand is growing.”