Clontarf golf club offered land swap

Corpy · 06-11-2025 09:19AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123881711#Comment_123881711

There was a vote 3 or 4 years ago (before Cairn Homes) on the proposed straight swap. I was at the SGM and the vote was unanimously against a swap and the feeling then (and now) was that this was not even worth considering. While there are of course some members who because of their own circumstances might be open to selling the club at a certain price, those people are a small number and even they think an offer like this is not worth considering. 100K 17 years ago at CGT of 20% is worth an awful lot more than 100K at CGT of 33% today (and that's not the current offer). In my case, 17 years ago 80K (after tax) would have made a huge difference to my life but not so much now. Added to that, 17 years ago the offer was for an existing course in Portmarnock, which is an awful lot easier to access than a course not yet built in Kinsealy. They might be better looking at buying Portmarnock links and offering that.

blue note · 19-11-2025 02:43PM

Is Portmarnock Links easier to access than Abbeyville estate? It's further from Clontarf golf club than Abbeyville. And add to that summer traffic in Portmarnock, or the train traffic if you're going that way - I'd be amazed if Portmarnock is easier to access.

I know a former member from Clontarf golf club who left because of the way things were run in the club (and the new handicap system played a part too). But from what he described, it didn't sound like the members, or at least those running the place, wanted a "modern" golf club. It sounded to me like they wanted the type of course they had and not the type of modern course that would be built in Abbeyville.

I just can't see this happening.

joinme · 19-11-2025 03:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124000769#Comment_124000769

Have to agree, Portmarknock can be a nightmare especially during summer months. Kinsealy I would think is more accessible by car for the majority of current members, who you would also have to assume live within close proximity to CGC. Now, whether they want the hassle of travelling further to play a round of golf , that's up for debate.

Citizen Six · 13-06-2026 05:23PM

..

joinme · 13-06-2026 06:30PM

This won't be a popular opinion, but I'll be disappointed if this comes to pass. Why is every scrap of land up for grabs!? I don't play golf, I'm not a member of the club, but I live nearby and I like the fact a huge area of green space, trees etc. is there providing a crucial lung in that part of north Dublin. Instead now we'll have blocks and blocks of apartments that will enrich only a very few. Will any be for sale on open market? Will they be affordable? Seems unlikely.

Hopefully some nice drone footage/photos will be taken for posterity before the land is destroyed.

copacetic · 13-06-2026 06:55PM

very surprised, obviously a long way off still, but the deal must have been significantly sweetened for members pockets.

billy3sheets · 13-06-2026 06:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124548493#Comment_124548493

Can you post the link to this article? Not the picture you posted.

VW 1 · 13-06-2026 08:30PM

Old article - nothing new proposed to the club members

copacetic · 13-06-2026 09:40PM

it’s not an old article, it was published today in the business post.

Citizen Six · 14-06-2026 10:39AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124548855#Comment_124548855

Wake up. Members have already voted to accept the deal. 🤣

copacetic · 14-06-2026 07:01PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124549826#Comment_124549826

it’s a weird one alright, spoke to two people today who also said nothing had changed and no new vote had taken place. Appears Cairns chanced their arm in their submission and business post just printed it without checking its true

finglashoop · 14-06-2026 07:48PM

Members of clontarf got an email to deny the above

billy3sheets · 14-06-2026 07:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124550798#Comment_124550798

Same here. I know a good few in Clontarf and nobody heard anything about a new vote. Last I heard that proposal was dismissed. No interest in it from members.

I don't buy the physical Business Post paper. Laura Roddy, the author, is from Clontarf. Pretty bad if they printed that without verification.

Corpy · 15-06-2026 01:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124550899#Comment_124550899

Email from the club said they had contacted the SB post to tell them the story was not true asking them to remove the online version of the story.

There was no vote and there is extremely little interest in moving. The subject was raised at the last AGM with some motions proposed and then withdrawn when it became obvious the lack of support for moving. In fact the club is moving towards a new governance structure which would mean that the members wouldn't benefit financially from any sale and that would kill this for ever.

joinme · 15-06-2026 04:23PM

Honestly if there is nothing to this story that is terrible journalism. Have SBP even taken it down yet? If the author is from Clontarf why didn't they verify with some club members, surely that would have been straightforward…

FixdePitchmark · 15-06-2026 08:24PM

Hope this never happens - green spaces needed - and recreational spaces.

Anyway - the whole thing is bizzare - land is not theirs anyway.

Citizen Six · 16-06-2026 12:53AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124553455#Comment_124553455

Council would have no problem doing a deal for housing.

joinme · 16-06-2026 12:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124553979#Comment_124553979

But housing is not the only area DCC has responsibility over. They also need to balance housing needs with green space, local amenities, and housing density. This idea that because there is a 'housing crisis,' every scrap of land is fair game needs to be challenged.

blue note · 16-06-2026 01:02PM

If the golf club wasn't already there you'd never in a million years consider putting one there. And that would be fair, it's an appalling use of land in that area.

But it is there, so good luck to them.

FixdePitchmark · 16-06-2026 01:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124553979#Comment_124553979

Yes but most developments around the area end up one of these massive short term lets or end up in the likes of a Canadian pension fund or some massive international portfolio entirely bought out.

Can't see wider societal gain.

If DCC were taking entire plot back for full social housing or an extension to likes of Donnycarney great.

But we can't have public green spaces transfered to private companies for their own wealth creation. It literally a transfer of land and space and wealth to private companies...

Citizen Six · 16-06-2026 02:13PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124554939#Comment_124554939

I agree with you for the most part. But the government, and the council, just wants houses/apartments built. They want the numbers, and don't really care how it's done, or who makes the profit out of it. They aren't the ones who will be paying for it in the long term.

billy3sheets · 16-06-2026 06:13PM

I saw a copy of the email club sent to members. They have requested SBP to publish a retraction. Dreadful journalism and editing. I hope they incur a financial penalty on top of the damage to their reputation.

FixdePitchmark · 16-06-2026 07:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124555122#Comment_124555122

The council and the government are elected. They have to to reflect and govern as per the desires of the electorate and locals in the case of DCC. There are green spaces across the clontarf front - St Annes Park - there is an actual cricket pitch in the heart of Clontarf. We are hardly saying rip it all up for numbers.

Ultimately this is a private company pursuing public land - or recreational land to build houses for profit.

They can pursue their activities on private land purchased by them. Find the whole concept a bit twisted. Why do they think they will get planing.

Gandalph · 21-06-2026 06:25PM

Just reposted on their LinkedIn as of 10h ago…so much for retracting their article I guess, someone in there just said **** it lets double down!

joinme · 21-06-2026 07:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124569022#Comment_124569022

Usually there's no smoke without fire, so hard to know what's going on here. Is it possible a faction of CGC have gone ahead with a gentleman's handshake without consulting the wider membership?

MojoMaker · 22-06-2026 04:59PM

Wouldn't be the first time such a thing happened.

dmakc · 22-06-2026 05:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124550899#Comment_124550899

Wouldn't be Laura's first error or last

Clontarf golf club offered land swap

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