County Clare embraces its maritime heritage

A newsletter and poster illustrating structures along one of Ireland’s longest stretches of coastline will be distributed to schools, museums and libraries throughout the county over the coming weeks. Detailed results of the two year survey have also been published and made available to members of the public.The survey incorporated coastal structures from the Shannon Estuary to Aughinish Point in North Clare and from the Loop Head peninsula to the shores of Lough Derg. The surveyed structures included piers, slipways, batteries, lighthouses, Martello towers, boathouses and quays, as well as the bridges and locks of the Shannon Navigation and Hydro-Electric Scheme Canals.

Commenting on the survey, Ms. Gráinne O’Connor of the Clare County Council conservation office said, ‘The survey has highlighted the scale, variety and importance of coastal architecture in Clare down throughout the years. Their survival today is testament to the skill of the craftsmen who constructed them and to those who continue to promote and preserve them today.’

Ms. O’Connor indicated that the diversity and sheer extent of architecture encountered throughout the progression of the coastal survey greatly exceeded what was initially anticipated.

‘The condition of many of the structures and in many cases their continued use today is a legacy to the importance of the waters in and around Clare in the social, recreational and economic development of maritime activities within the county’, she added.

Using the information gathered by the survey team, Clare County Council has now produced a full colour newsletter/poster, which will be circulated to schools, museums, libraries and other relevant venues. The poster was launched during a field trip to Seanmuckinish Castle, near Ballyvaughan.

The Local Authority also recently organised field trips for ten schools to visit coastal architectural sites that were included in the survey. The schools were taken the various sites including Seanmuckinish Castle, where they were given tours and engaged in practical activities like drawing and quizzes.

‘The field trips and the poster are both methods of making the information available to the general public’, explained Mr. Tomás Mac Conmara of the Clare County Council heritage office.

‘The purpose of conducting surveys like the coastal architecture project is to gather information about aspects of our county’s heritage. Having gathered this information, it is incumbent on us to ensure that the information gathered is made accessible in as many ways as possible. This will help to ensure that our rich coastal architecture is known, understood and appreciated’, Mr. Mac Conmara concluded.