National Surf Lodge / Camp - Lahinch

Candleman

seems as though this is gaining real momentum
Seamus Carroll leading out on a big development, to be built adjacent to the prom
accommodation (100+ rooms), restaurant, cafe, retail units, board design/development centre, indoor flow-rider
this will be world class

i surf down there frequently, bit of a bitch of a drive from foxrock but the waves are well worth it
this development will transform the town and put west clare on the worldwide surf map

has anyone heard about some surf park being developed also? Last time i was down a good few of the locals were talking about this surf resort facility being built - kinda like a ski resort but out in the water
sounds awesome IMO

Edmc

You talking artificial surf reefs etc.? Was talk of that being built over in Bournemouth but don't know if it ever went ahead. Modifying the seabed is a seriously tricky business - if that's the case I wouldn't have thought Lahinch needed any further enhancement. The east coast on the other hand...

kodute

Candleman wrote: »

seems as though this is gaining real momentum
Seamus Carroll leading out on a big development, to be built adjacent to the prom
accommodation (100+ rooms), restaurant, cafe, retail units, board design/development centre, indoor flow-rider
this will be world class

i surf down there frequently, bit of a bitch of a drive from foxrock but the waves are well worth it
this development will transform the town and put west clare on the worldwide surf map

has anyone heard about some surf park being developed also? Last time i was down a good few of the locals were talking about this surf resort facility being built - kinda like a ski resort but out in the water
sounds awesome IMO

He is turning the amusement arcade into a hostel. I'd question if Lahinch really needs any more accommodation.

There is no surf park, it was a joke.

Candleman

kodute - most of the accommodation is over-priced and under equipped
i stayed in a b&b beside looneys and it was like going back to ireland in 1955
but with a hefty price tag attached for my time travels
more accommodation should put these chancers out of business or at least force them to up their game

kodute

Sounds like you got the raw deal there.

http://www.lahinchaccommodation.com/surf.html
Haven't stayed here myself but from what I hear its the dogs nads. Its beside the Golf Hotel and does reasonable rates for private rooms too.

The lahinch hostel is also good for a spin if your into the dorm room thing. The do offer to keep your wetsuits/boards out back too.

conno16

i have mentioned this surf park before on boards to mixed reports
it involves a series of pulley systems, much like the basis for a ski resort that takes you out (up to 750m) into the ocean so that one can quickly catch a new wave
day - week passes would be available for purchase
planning permission seems to be the difficulty but it will happen eventually
DKM consulting have now been recruited to complete an economic assessment
and an engineering company is carrying out a feasibility study involving three different areas: lahinch, spanish point, a cove between miltown and lahinch

OldGuysRule

conno16, it will not happen. Who hs recruited DKM? Who is proposing the surf park development? Who are the engineering company doing the feasibility study?

Regarding the surf development proposed for the prom, it is more like 29 rooms, a bistro, a couple of retail units ('cause Lahinch is so short of empty ones at present!) and a surf board rental space (again a well known shortage in Lahinch). As for the florider, I would have thought the fact that it is less than 100m from the fairly consistent beach might undermine it, but let's see.

Candleman, not sure of your exposure to the 'worldwide surf map' but west Clare has been there for quite some time.

conno16

lets just say i work in the industry and am familiar with the territory
a surf park could transform the whole clare economy, would be very foolish to rubbish/lampoon this without looking into it properly
just because it has not been developed on a large scale to date does not mean we should refuse to research the concept
world class beaches, good local infrastructure running from kilkee to lisdoonvarna, an airport starved of flights - clare is perfect to become the home of surfing
everyone knows lahinch beach is a poor surfing spot for anyone who knows what they are at
we should sacrifice it to develop the surf park in the town and use the other locations such as doughmore, fanore etc as our major sells
makes so much sense as far as i can see

Low Pockets

conno16 wrote: »

lets just say i work in the industry and am familiar with the territory
a surf park could transform the whole clare economy, would be very foolish to rubbish/lampoon this without looking into it properly
just because it has not been developed on a large scale to date does not mean we should refuse to research the concept
world class beaches, good local infrastructure running from kilkee to lisdoonvarna, an airport starved of flights - clare is perfect to become the home of surfing
everyone knows lahinch beach is a poor surfing spot for anyone who knows what they are at
we should sacrifice it to develop the surf park in the town and use the other locations such as doughmore, fanore etc as our major sells
makes so much sense as far as i can see

How are you involved on the industry?
(just helps to know how you'll profit from this after Reading your comments)

OldGuysRule

You have not answered the questions, who has recruited DKM? Who is behind the proposals? Who is the engineering company you refer to? I would look into it further if you will tell me who is behind it. Have they discussed it with the local surf industries, the local surf club, the ISA? Would seem like a pretty basic starting point.

On what basis have you decided that Lahinch is a poor surfing spot and I do not think tha many local or Clare surfers are best pleased with your opinion that the place can just be sacrificed. I am assuming you do not live any where near there. I, for one, do not want Lahinch or the rest of Clare turned into a crappy Newquay.

How much of an impact do you really think surfing will have on Shannon?
Do you think that, say it were even remotely possible to add 100,000 to the numbers flying through Shannon just for surf, that it would make a huge difference to the airport? Break that down then, almost an extra 300 surfers dropping into the line up around Clare per day. What impact is that going to have? It will ruin surfing in Clare for anyone who has ever spent any time there. And that is assuming year round visits.

Also Doughmore is not a place that you encourage people to head to. There are access issues, parking issues, environmental issues and it is a dangerous beach.

kodute

+ 1 on everything you said OldGuysRule


Sorry conno16, it is a joke. Its just not feasible. Even if it was, its still not a good idea.

I do however wish you all the best with whatever other ideas you come up with. Keep that enterprising spirit going.

spaceHopper

conno16 wrote: »

lets just say i work in the industry and am familiar with the territory
a surf park could transform the whole clare economy, would be very foolish to rubbish/lampoon this without looking into it properly
just because it has not been developed on a large scale to date does not mean we should refuse to research the concept
world class beaches, good local infrastructure running from kilkee to lisdoonvarna, an airport starved of flights - clare is perfect to become the home of surfing
everyone knows lahinch beach is a poor surfing spot for anyone who knows what they are at
we should sacrifice it to develop the surf park in the town and use the other locations such as doughmore, fanore etc as our major sells
makes so much sense as far as i can see

Do you surf?

conno16

my position and the organisation i work for are both irrelevant to this discussion
the DKM report has been commissioned by a leading international consultancy firm on behalf of a client that is planning to acquire a number of different sites in the west of ireland

It is also completely irrelevant who the engineering company are - suffice to say they are well known in Ireland (although not Irish) and were extremely pleased to contribute to this project

Lahinch is being proposed as a hub - therefore the surf park, accommodation etc will all be based centrally from there with spoke operations strategically located in adjacent beaches stretching from north kerry to south mayo. therefore lahinch will actually seriously prosper should this development be progressed.

I'm sure a consultation exercise with local communities will be commenced should this proposal move through the initial stages - at present, the timing is not opportune or appropriate

your comments re doughmore are ill-informed

one component of the DKM report is dedicated to shannon airport in particular - rest assured the topic will be researched in detail (and by experts that know what they are talking about, rather than some local with a D in his leaving cert maths exam)

you'll gather from my previous posts in this forum that I am a keen surfer, know the west of ireland and am most familiar with the surfing industry both in ireland and abroad

thank you for your time and have a good evening.

cornbb

conno16, don't post in this thread again or you will be banned. It was an interesting thread until your trolling started.

Everyone else, please don't rise to this sort of baiting.

rodento

It could work for the following reasons

1. Perfect location, everyone loves to have a room overlooking the sea

2. It'll be cheaper to build.

3. It should also be cheaper to staff and run

4. Its getting fashionable to holiday at home and everyone wants modern facilities

NickDrake

OldGuysRule wrote: »

You have not answered the questions, who has recruited DKM? Who is behind the proposals? Who is the engineering company you refer to? I would look into it further if you will tell me who is behind it. Have they discussed it with the local surf industries, the local surf club, the ISA? Would seem like a pretty basic starting point.

On what basis have you decided that Lahinch is a poor surfing spot and I do not think tha many local or Clare surfers are best pleased with your opinion that the place can just be sacrificed. I am assuming you do not live any where near there. I, for one, do not want Lahinch or the rest of Clare turned into a crappy Newquay.

How much of an impact do you really think surfing will have on Shannon?
Do you think that, say it were even remotely possible to add 100,000 to the numbers flying through Shannon just for surf, that it would make a huge difference to the airport? Break that down then, almost an extra 300 surfers dropping into the line up around Clare per day. What impact is that going to have? It will ruin surfing in Clare for anyone who has ever spent any time there. And that is assuming year round visits.

Also Doughmore is not a place that you encourage people to head to. There are access issues, parking issues, environmental issues and it is a dangerous beach.

Well its not a great beach break. The reefs in that area are class though.

Candleman

I have not heard of this new resort or sea apparatus thing but it does sound like it could work.
Surfing is not good-weather dependent as we all know
Ireland is perfect for a resort of this type if it were ever to take off.
Infrastructure wise I'm not sure lahinch is up to it and infact its creaking based on my last experience - would require huge investment.
Perhaps the development I mentioned originally could be used as phase 1?
Its certainly a step in the right direction as far as I can see.

loctite

My 2cents........

The West coast of Ireland has been riddled with surplus accommodation, for example, Kilkee. It has, IMO been ruined with shoddy tax incentive led developments. And from my experiences in Lahinch, there is plenty of good accommodation available at a decent rate. Just because you found you were over charged doesn't warrant building some more seafront accommodation.

If you are not finding any, maybe you should post a new thread to ask:D.

It is rare that I agree with what old guys rule says, but I have to on this occasion. There is already no shortage of retail outlets in Lahinch....... Why the hell build more.....? IMO we have a long way to go before retail begins to improve in this country yet.

And as for developing a flow rider/ surf park. I think it will be a complete waste of money. It would most definitely be better suited to a city or an industrial estate closer to the surfing population IMO. As soon as the winds turn onshore surely the target market will just head off up/down the coast to other spots?????

eiresurfer

conno16 wrote: »

it involves a series of pulley systems, much like the basis for a ski resort that takes you out (up to 750m) into the ocean so that one can quickly catch a new wave

No it doesn't. Because you're either (a) clueless, or (b) trying a wind-up again.

lets just say i work in the industry and am familiar with the territory...
...everyone knows lahinch beach is a poor surfing spot for anyone who knows what they are at

No, you most certainly do not work in the industry, and you most certainly don't know the territory.

For the record, here is a copy of the article that appeared on the Irish Time last week (from a cached version on Google), hence copied here:

Objections to Lahinch surf lodge plan raised

SURFERS IN Lahinch, Co Clare, and beyond are objecting to plans to build a €5 million national surf lodge overlooking the resort’s promenade.

Last month Séamus Carroll lodged plans with Clare County Council to demolish an amusement arcade on the prom and replace it with the surf lodge, capitalising on the reputation of Lahinch as a surf destination.

The four-storey plan with basement is to comprise a 29-room activity centre, two retail units, a bistro and a board rental unit. Also included is an indoor “flow rider” or wave machine for surfers.

In a submission by the Lahinch-based West Coast Surf Club, its chairman Dave Flynn says the proposed building “is inappropriate for its setting”.

Mr Flynn told the council that neither the West Coast Surf Club nor the Irish Surf Association – the representative body for Irish surfers – supports the application.

eiresurfer

Personally, I would actually support some sort of Surf Club at Lahinch. Charge an annual fee that would allow members to use showers, lockers, etc. You could even set up a café to subsidise it - it's something that's quite common in Australia, and seems to work well.

OldGuysRule

Eiresurfer,

There is a surf club in Lahinch, the West Coast Surf Club, worth joining if you are down and around much. As for the facilities mentioned, these are wish list only at the moment.

Just as an aside, the press are incorrect when they stated that the WCSC objected against the proposed development. They did not object, but did lodge a series of four or fve observations.

NickDrake,
When querying the statement about Lahinch being poor surfwise, I was not limiting to the beach. Lahinch to most surfers stretches from the reefs to the south, through the main left and all along the different banks that form at different times through the year. Sometimes the beach can be crappy while the reefs are firing, other times there is a perfect little bank somewhere along the beach. Overall, the choice of waves there is anything but poor.

OldGuysRule

conno16, pm set regarding some of the nonsense issues you raised. Would be interested to hear back.

spaceHopper

OldGuysRule wrote: »

conno16, pm set regarding some of the nonsense issues you raised. Would be interested to hear back.

Save your breath you only have to read two lines to know he's muck raking for his own ammusment.

Besides what he's suggesting would never got off the ground - what council would approve it, what bank would put up the money, what jack ass would fly to ireland because they can't be arsed paddling out and we have sky run out the back one beach.

Besides how long would it last in a strom a good 10 m swell with any south in it would make shory work of it.

loctite

spaceHopper wrote: »

Besides what he's suggesting would never got off the ground - what council would approve it, what bank would put up the money, what jack ass would fly to ireland because they can't be arsed paddling out and we have sky run out the back one beach.

I wouldn't be surprised it was approved........ I read somewhere about wheel chair access being provided for a tidal region at the Pollock holes in Kilkee.... (Before anyone starts slating me for discriminating against persons in wheel chairs, this area is basically full of small ledges and holes that would cause extreme difficulty to navigate with a buggy, let alone a wheel chair)
Haven't heard any more since and I am sure that this would be decided at a town council level anyway but still.......Hopefully someone saw some sense and decided not to proceed