Clare County Council insists that swimming restrictions at four of Clare’s beaches are simply as a result of heavy rain, and not an infrastructural failure.
Heavy rain over a short period created unsafe conditions for swimming, resulting in a ban being introduced at Kilkee and Quilty, with a swimming advisory issued in Doonbeg and Miltown Malbay.
Clare County Council carries out testing at fourteen coastal locations and inland lakes between May and September each year, to ensure that the water quality is safe for people who are bathing.
It’s those tests that flagged issues at Kilkee, Quilty, Doonbeg and Miltown Malbay this week, resulting in these notices.
On the advice of the HSE, a temporary swimming ban has been put in place at Kilkee and the front beach at Quilty, while a notice advising people not to swim is in place at Whitestrand, Doonbeg and Whitestrand, Miltown Malbay.
Chair of Doonbeg Community Development, John Flanagan fears this will keep potential visitors away.
An Environmental Scientist with Clare County Council admits it doesn’t send out a good message ahead of the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Cathal Brodie insists it’s a result of natural events and not infrastructural issues in any of the four areas.
He says the council are doing everything they can to mitigate this, but says the issues are likely to arise more often because of climate change.
It takes 48 hours for tests to be turned around, so while Clare County Council is continuing to monitor the situation on a daily basis, there will be a wait for these notices to be lifted.
Kilkee Councillor Cillian Murphy is hopeful that can happen before the Bank Holiday weekend, saying locals and visitors are angry and confused over the situation.
The Fianna Fáil Councillor believes it’s important to get the message out that on this occasion, Kilkee is a victim of its own geography.
