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clareecho.ie
Apr 17 2025
CLIFFS OF MOHER
EXCLUSIVE Council paid €8m for sites adjacent to tourist hotspot
by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
CLARE County Council paid more than €8m for two sites adjacent to the Cliffs of Moher. An external audit of the local authority has revealed that a staggering €8m plus was paid by the Council for two separate sites in Liscannor, located north and south of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre. Elected members of the Council were not aware of the €8m plus costs. Former Council Chief Executive Pat Dowling previously said the purchase of the sites
“was considered key” for the success of the Cliffs of Moher Strategy 2040. He stated, “The Council is committed to ensuring best practice and value for money is achieved in the purchase of lands.” Negotiations on the future management of the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk are expected to become more hostile with the unveiling of the €8m deal as the Council prepares to engage with 36 landowners along the 18km coastal trail. In the same audit which covers 2023, governance
Championship fever hits Banner County CHAMPIONSHIP fever is descending on Clare with the county’s senior hurlers, footballers and camogie side in action this weekend, writes Páraic McMahon. Tickets are like gold dust for Clare’s first championship outing as All-Ireland senior hurling champions when they welcome the high-flying Cork to Ennis this Sunday. Clare’s camogie side face off with Cork in a curtain raiser to this game and they have been boosted by the return of three experienced players for this clash. Peter Keane’s championship reign as Clare football manager commences on Saturday. Clare face Tipperary at 2pm and are aiming to qualify for a third successive Munster final and secure a place in the All-Ireland SFC. Large crowds are expected in the county town, particularly on Sunday with cafes, restaurants and pubs hopeful of recording a spike in business. See our full championship supplement from pages 29-38.
standards of the local authority have also been questioned after the auditor experienced difficulties securing information on an acquisition worth almost €1m in Bunratty. “It proved challenging and time consuming to obtain all the necessary information as a complete file was not maintained,” they stated. That a complete file was not maintained in the eyes of the external auditor is “a fairly damning indictment of how the organisation is doing its business,” Cllr Shane Talty (FF) told The Clare Echo. FULL STORY P10-11