It’s claimed visitors coming to Miltown Malbay feel the town is “asleep” and are gravitating towards Lahinch and other nearby areas.
A group made up of local business owners there has been established, calling for more to be done to promote the town and ensure a viable future for it going forward.
For the past couple of months, the Miltown Malbay Business Network has been working behind the scenes, in an effort to figure out what the town needs to inject a new lease of life into it.
Now, they’re calling for more to be done both at a local and a national level to give them a leg up and help them put their best foot forward.
Despite being located on Clare’s coastline, they say Miltown struggles to attract the same number of visitors as some other areas – except during this week’s annual Willie Clancy Summer School.
AirBnb owner Fiona Whyte is one of those who is on the newly established committee and says it’s plain to see from her reviews what the issue is.
Dublin native Eddie Keane set up home in Miltown decades ago and is concerned now that it’s no longer an attractive place to come and live.
But, he feels it wouldn’t take too much effort to bring it back to life.
The focus now is on ensuring that the local businesses in Miltown make the most of the droves of people who are attending Willie Week, which goes on until Sunday.
But Ray Flynn of The Players Club Bar feels once the dust settles, it’s vital to ensure that they promote the town as a music hub.
And despite the concern for Miltown Malbay on either side of Willie Week, Harry Hughes of the organising committee for the festival feels it will continue to be the main driver for their economy.
