This article is from page 37 of the 2008-07-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 37 JPG
AS much as €1 million will be spent on surf-lessons in Clare this year with millions more being generated in related industries, accommodation and food. An estimated 20,000 surf lessons will be given in the county in 2008, with the industry now direct- ly employing 15 full-time staff and more than 60 extra people at peak Wb eslene
With two new surf-based_busi- nesses having set up in Lahinch and Miltown Malbay in the past four months, the county now boasts nine surf related businesses. The oldest, the Lahinch Surf Shop, has existed in Lahinch for decades and was Ire- land first surf shop. The other eight, however, have all been established in the last seven years.
“The season really hots up in July and August, but it’s starting to get busy in June and in September as well. There is some level of surfing going on all the year round though,” said Sinead Finn, Manager of the Lahinch Surf School, who operate schools in Lahinch, Spanish Point and Kilkee.
“The Irish Surfing Association were on to us recently inquiring how many lessons we give in Lahi- nch each year and we estimate it to be roughly 7,000. If you add in the
school in Kilkee and Spanish Point the figure is probably around 12,000 each year.”
The surf industry in Clare has con- tinued to grow rapidly year on year
and at present shows no signs of slowing down.
“We don’t seem to be effected by the the recession or the loss of the Shannon-Heathrow flights or any-
thing like that. The vast majority of the people who come to surf are Irish people. We still do get a lot of tour- ists coming through. We have been getting a decent supply of Europe- ans, especially German people,” said Sinead.
“A lot of the people who we deal with are just dropping in, they hap- pen to be in the area already and decide to try surfing. That said, we do get a lot of people coming over from England who are booking a full package weekend of surfing – ac- commodation, surfing the whole lot. As well as that a lot of Irish people come back again and again. And in the second, third and fourth visit they are coming specificially to surf.
‘To be honest the biggest thing that effects us is nothing to do with the re- cession, it’s the weather. If we could get a few weeks of sun then Lahinch would be booming.”