Beaches and Water Safety

performances, this has been supported with grant aid from the local Creative Ireland fund and have also partnered with 59 community groups in 2018 including Fleadh Nua, Ennis Street Arts Festival, Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan, Ennis Food Festival, Clarecare, as well as many youth organisations, and over 1,800 young people performed on Glór’s stage.

In terms of capacity and delivery, direct costs have increased in line with the increased growth in activity and the team continues to seek new funding through public sources, conferencing, corporate and individual patronage, sponsorship and fundraising, working closely with Glór’s Board of Directors. In 2019, Glór will work closely with the County Library and Gallery Design team on the imminent construction of the new library. The café at Glór has been managed in-house since March 2017 and this set up is expected to continue until construction is complete circa 2021. The strategy for audience, participants and communities in 2019 is to continue partnerships with a wide range of community groups and organisations.

The budget 2019 provides for the same level of support to Glór as 2018.

Beaches and Water Safety

The International Blue Flag awards in 2018 saw the award of 9 blue flags for Lahinch, Kilkee, Cappagh Kilrush, Whitestrand Doonbeg, Whitestrand Milltown Malbay, Fanore, Ballycuggeran, Mountshannon and Spanish Point. The three green coast awards were retained for Bishopsquarter, Seafield Quilty and Ballyalla Lake, Ennis. This is testament to the quality of the bathing waters and experience at the County’s beaches.

In total Clare County Council has 12 bathing waters which are tested in accordance with the EU bathing water regulations including all of the blue and green flag beaches above. All of these are rated excellent in terms of water quality based on these regulations for 2018.

It is intended to continue to direct resources towards the monitoring and management necessary to maintain the quality of our bathing waters to this standard and to retain the prestigious blue flag status at our beaches in 2019.

The 2019 provision for water safety will allow for a similar level of lifeguarding services in 2019 as in 2018, where 32 lifeguards were employed at 11 blue flag/green coast beaches. In September 2018, the outdoor competition element of the European Junior Lifesaving Championships was held at Kilkee beach. The international competition was hosted by Irish Water Safety with grant assistance of €10k provided