Doonbeg golf club criticised in report on row

SOME OF Doonbeg golf club’s actions over a disputed right of way have been ill-advised and could have been handled better in the interests of community relations.

That is one of the conclusions of inspector Marcus O’Con- nor, who has recommended the extinguishment of a disputed right-of-way across the 4th and 14th fairways at the club.

Last October, Mr O’Connor chaired a Clare County Council two-day oral hearing into the controversy in Doonbeg.

Prior to that hearing, the long-running row over the disputed right-of-way involved two separate High Court actions and Doonbeg golf club constructing a wall across the disputed right-of-way.

Three senior council members, including Clare’s mayor, Made-leine Taylor Quinn (FG), outlined their opposition to the extinguishment of the right-of-way at the oral hearing along with a number of members of the local community.

In his report, Mr O’Connor said he recognised “that there is an amount of ill feeling between some members of the local community and Doonbeg golf club”.

Ms Taylor Quinn, along with a number of others, suggested that a tunnel be built under the course to the beach as a means of resolving the dispute. However, Mr O’Con- nor dismissed the tunnel option as “undesirable from a planning and environmental point of view”.

Mr O’Connor said: “I also believe that such a tunnel would be very intimidating and potentially unsafe and that people might be unwilling to use it.” On the proposal to extinguish the right-of-way with some modifications, Mr O’Connor said that it “represents a way forward and a reasonably satisfactory solution to the problem”.

He said: “Doonbeg golf course and Doughmore beach are superb amenities and I hope that in time, good relations are restored and that the local community and commercial interests derive maximum economic and recreational benefits from both amenities.” One of those councillors opposed to the extinguishment, Tom Prendeville (FF), said yesterday that he has reservations about the report.

However, Kilkee councillor Patrick Keane (FF) said: “I’m happy with the report. A right-of-way will still be provided to the beach only a few metres from the one that is to be extinguished. I don’t know why there has been so much fuss over this.”