Support for Motorhomes in Cork Area

wohnmobile

It appears that motorhomes are not wanted in West Cork according to the County Mayor Cllr. Harrington. In a recent article by Peter Lavy in the Cork Examiner Cllr Harrington made suggestions that a teacher wouldnt say to his pupils. Support is needed by the Munster Motorhome Club to lobby Cork County Council by all motorhome owners. Should you wish to add your voice to this request please email munstermotorhomeclub@hotmail.com
It would appear that Cork County Council wish to kill off visitors with motorhomes who make the efford to travel to West.Cork

peasant

Could you possibly elaborate on what was said / what was proposed ?

CJhaughey

I can only say that motorhome owners that behave responsibly are welcome, however I have experience this week of the contents of the greywater tank being dumped on the pier in Castletownbere, leaving a filthy mess.
Then in Glengarriff I noticed a woman breaking flowers off a Hydrangea bush in Quills carpark, she went back to a Cork reg camper.
I am not tarring the vast majority of responsible campers with this brush, and I understand that facilities are badly needed for campers but this kind of behaviour leads to friction and a poor image locally for campers.
The campsite in Ballylickey, Eagle point is a fantastic facility but the only one for miles around.

wohnmobile

From Cork Examiner By Peter Levy
I wonder should we kill off what’s left of the tourist trade by harassing the few remaining motoring tourists who make a big effort to get here by making a long ferry crossing usually from France?
Well that’s what some Co Cork councillors are proposing by targeting camper vans, which seem to have become of hate in some public representatives’ minds. The County Mayor, Cllr Noel Harrington, wants action to be taken against the owners of camper vans to prevent them from parking in places other than official licensed camp sites.
Cllr Harrington made the remarks at recent meeting of Cork County Councils Western Committee in Clonakilty and gota lot of support from other councillor's. Some were quite scathing about the camper van and it soon became cleat that they are not wanted here, under and circumstances. Fianna Fail councillor Joe Carroll objected to them, saying that camper vans took over narrow roads, while another Fianna Fail councillor Donal O Rourke, said he found galling to see them in public lay-bys using councils-provided facilities such as refuge bins and water taps.
But the criticism was not all on Fianna Fails side. Fine Gael Cllr Jim Daley said campers in general brought little to the local economy because they brought in their own supplies and left just rubbish behind them
“We shouldn’t be taking a softly, softly approach to this” he said It may not be that difficult to get rid of camper van tourists, if that’s what we really want to do. People who are travelling around in camper vans are often elderly foreigners, so it wouldn’t take much to put the windup them.
It would all have to be done legally, of course. To start the ball rolling, Cllr Harrington proposed bringing in bylaws to discourage them. Those would, presumably, involve penalties for parking overnight at beauty spots, beaches or other places of interest. Enforcement, I suspect would have to be by something more effective than parking tickets, which could simply be ignored by the ferry bound tourists.
I have a few suggestions. A better prevention method, maybe would be to use wheel clamps to keep the campers stranded until they could call a taxi to take them to the councils offices to pay a big fine to get the clamp removed. Or maybe a big notice, saying ROADESIDE CAMPINGFORBIDDEN in several languages could be fixed to the windscreen with strong glue (like illegal parking notices used by hospital car parks security people). This would take hours to remove and could easily spoil a holiday.
Or maybe they could be forced to attend council meetings to receive verbal abuse from our county councillors.
One snag with parking restrictions, though, might be implementation. Council officials at the meeting said the issue was a “complex legal area and it had been referred to the council’s legal section”. The other major problem with the introduction of bylaws was enforcement. Campers tended to set up at night, so enforcement was difficult and led to the possibility of night time duties for council staff. God forbid.
An alternative approach, said the officials( who seem to have more cop-on than the councillors). Would be to ensure that there are adequate facilities for campers and to make sure that these facilities are promoted in tourist, information booklets and websites and are properly signposted. And this is where we come back to reality.
There are actually only 12 camping parks in the whole of Co Cork and some are quite a long way apart. So anyone driving a camper around could be easily caught out for somewhere to stay. The alternative is a guesthouse, but tourists are deserting the guesthouses in droves because of the high prices. In France, for instance, where many of the camper van tourists hail from, you can stay in a B&B for as little as €45 a night for two, including a continental breakfast, which is around half what some establishments are charging here. In fact, if you arrive here in aa camper van from France, you’re in for a bit of shock. Because in France the local authorities take a positive attitude towards camper vans and actually provide facilities to encourage them. Just about every town or village in the tourist area have places for a small number of camper vans. These service stops provide water, electricity and rubbish and sewage disposal. All are fully automated and many require a small charge of about €3, payable through a coin machine or extracted from your credit card via a swipe card system — and some sites even free of charge. Local authorities here, on the other hand, offer nothing — exceptabuse at council meetings.
If our camper van visitors could actually find one of the 12 privatly-run campsites in the country they are faced with hefty charges for overnight stays. A bill for a family in a camper van can come to €25or so and in some sites there’s a petty €10 deosit for the loan of an electricity cable. Thatsroughly what’s chargen in France for sites with generous facilities like bars, restaurants andswimming pools.
The Breton department of Finisterre, which is only a small part of Brittany (6,773 sq km) is smaller than Co Cork (7,457 sq km), yet it has 61 campsites , compared toCo Cork’s 12 and, of course, the almost free facilities for camper vans. No wonder they camp on the roadside.
Finally, our councillors are alos talking rubbish about the camper van tourist bringing their own food and spending nothing. You can’t bring much food in the kind of facilities supplied in camper vans. The fact is, camper van tourists are spenders. Highly mobile, they are frequent visitors to heritage sites, shopping at local shops and eating in local restaurants. They are the lifeblood of what remains of motering tourism and should be encouraged.

camper guy

Well done great post wohnmobile.

These politicians are going to keep this political football going as long as there is no voice to counter their points.

Any ideas ?

Should we be sending letters to the cork examiner with all the positives about motorhome users as a group?

What about organising a lobby group to set up facilities for campervans / motorhomes like in france?

boyoh

Just sent an email to Cork Co Co, hope it helps,it might be an idea to have all would be local politicians IQ tested.
boyoh:P;)

camper guy

boyoh wrote: »

Just sent an email to Cork Co Co, hope it helps,it might be an idea to have all would be local politicians IQ tested.
boyoh:P;)

hi boyoh whats the email address we can all get behind this.:pac:

boyoh

Hello lads,
The address i used is corporate.affairs@corkcoco.ie yes it's time we woke up these small minded people.
boyoh:D;)

peasant

wohnmobile

While I understand (and share) your disgust at what is being discussed in this article, it would be helpful if you could separate the actual article from your personal comment. Otherwise it becomes very difficult to have an informed discussion when it is not clear what is reported fact, journalist spin and your opinion.

Is this article online anywhere ...or perhaps a protocol of council meeting ?

camper guy

peasant wrote: »

wohnmobile

While I understand (and share) your disgust at what is being discussed in this article, it would be helpful if you could separate the actual article from your personal comment. Otherwise it becomes very difficult to have an informed discussion when it is not clear what is reported fact, journalist spin and your opinion.

Is this article online anywhere ...or perhaps a protocol of council meeting ?

I dont understand this do you not think this is an excellent post ,with good relavent points.I just passed english in my leaving cert and i dont mind making mystakes , twenty years ago mind you. I think people should be encouraged to post their opinions.

aerosol

Thanks for bringing this to our attention wohnmobile,I for one will be sending an email but also would like your quote from the examiner as it was and not with your comments included.Don't get me wrong,I'm in agreement with you but would just like to read the article as It was:)

peasant

camper guy wrote: »

I dont understand this do you not think this is an excellent post ,with good relavent points.I just passed english in my leaving cert and i dont mind making mystakes , twenty years ago mind you. I think people should be encouraged to post their opinions.

I have to put on my moderator hat here:

1) The Cork examiner might be rather perturbed to find an article by one of its journalists "quoted" here that is not quoted in its original form but altered ...there could even be legal consequences from this.

2) It's just very difficult to read when there is no clear distinction between quote and comment.

That doesn't mean that I disagree with the underlying sentiment of the post, it just has to be done properly, that's all

wohnmobile

peasant wrote: »

wohnmobile

While I understand (and share) your disgust at what is being discussed in this article, it would be helpful if you could separate the actual article from your personal comment. Otherwise it becomes very difficult to have an informed discussion when it is not clear what is reported fact, journalist spin and your opinion.

Is this article online anywhere ...or perhaps a protocol of council meeting ?

Perhaps you should contact the Cork Examner for a copy of the paper. I wrote it word for word from the paper and did't add any personal comments. You assume that I have added personal comments. Perhaps you could contact Cork County Council Western's Committee Meeting in Clonakilty and look for a copy of the minutes of their meeting. Good Luck with your endeavour

peasant

wohnmobile wrote: »

Perhaps you should contact the Cork Examner for a copy of the paper. I wrote it word for word from the paper and did't add any personal comments. You assume that I have added personal comments. Perhaps you could contact Cork County Council Western's Committee Meeting in Clonakilty and look for a copy of the minutes of their meeting. Good Luck with your endeavour

Oh ..I'm sorry. I really thought that comments like "God forbid" etc weren't part of the original article.:o

In that case ...thanks a bunch for typing it all !!

And I shall write an e-mail as well.

camper guy

peasant wrote: »

Oh ..I'm sorry. I really thought that comments like "God forbid" etc weren't part of the original article.:o

In that case ...thanks a bunch for typing it all !!

And I shall write an e-mail as well.

We should all be writing email to the common adversery,

The thing is this is an excellent site with great people and a common interest.
And snipeing and point scoring is never going to achieve anything. As an enthusiest and very ametuer blogger i wish this site could be more friendly less of the cross the t and dot the i.
Just say your sorry and well all move on.

stapeler

I have to agree that we're being shafted by the councils when it comes to overnight parking and facilities A few years ago we arrived in Clonmacnoise on a day trip, traveller traps blocked the carpark so decided not to give them our business.
Looked across to the Shannon where tax payers money was used to build a lovely marina. All along the Shannon and in most costal areas there's fantastic facilities in place for Boating/Cruising mostly financed with public money. Facilities include toilets/showers/waste water collection points and rubbish collection.
I think this issue should be taken up with more than Cork co.co. (& Kerry co.co from previous posts) I think the Irish Tourist Board, Office of Public works, Dept. of Enviroment all need to be lobbied for more facilities. Well done to the MunsterMotorhomeClub for highlighting this but there's several other Motorhome clubs in this country too that should be actively lobbying for facilities.

pathfinder1

stapeler wrote: »

I have to agree that we're being shafted by the councils when it comes to overnight parking and facilities A few years ago we arrived in Clonmacnoise on a day trip, traveller traps blocked the carpark so decided not to give them our business.
Looked across to the Shannon where tax payers money was used to build a lovely marina. All along the Shannon and in most costal areas there's fantastic facilities in place for Boating/Cruising mostly financed with public money. Facilities include toilets/showers/waste water collection points and rubbish collection.
I think this issue should be taken up with more than Cork co.co. (& Kerry co.co from previous posts) I think the Irish Tourist Board, Office of Public works, Dept. of Enviroment all need to be lobbied for more facilities. Well done to the MunsterMotorhomeClub for highlighting this but there's several other Motorhome clubs in this country too that should be actively lobbying for facilities.

I have been following this thread with interest. We as individuals have no power when it comes to tackling this or other problems that will arise. We should all join a club and have power to challenge these Cllr. You may ask why should I join a club? I am all right as I plod along around the country,. Wrong ! Now these Cllr don't want us. Many years ago we were paying very high road tax and insurance, thanks to a strong club at the time it was reduced. Cllr dont realise that when motorhome users arrive in their area that they are spending some of thier hard earned euros. Clubs will have power to challenge these Cllr.Example The thread Campers not wanted in Kerry, The enviornmental officer for Kerry admitted that it was travellers that were causing the problem, when challendged by the Munster Club. The same club were very much involved in setting up the only Aires de Service in the Republic of Ireland. Stapeler seems to be of the same opinion as I, perhaps there are many more out there with the same views. Lets all band together and have one strong voice.

camper guy

What about a meeting to organise this?

And is there much support for an organisation to support the motorhome movement?

Can we use some of the groups that are already in place.

From what im reading the munster group might just need propping up with emails and ideas from ordinary joes like ourselves any ideas?Picture 068.jpg

camper guy

Posted some of what we are talking about to two diffrent motorhome clubs .
Getting good feed back from the munster one . Has anyone else been emailing organisations?

aerosol

The journalist has a unique style of writing!
I think the clubs are in the best position and strength to get behind this and other similar and possible future Cllr b*llsh*t.

The way the country is heading(already there) surely it should be bending over to accommodate any form of tourism.

Are any of you already members of any of the Irish clubs? After several inquiries with the motorcaravan club I certainly won't be joining:mad: Don't have any knowledge of the others

camper guy

aerosol wrote: »

The journalist has a unique style of writing!
I think the clubs are in the best position and strength to get behind this and other similar and possible future Cllr b*llsh*t.

The way the country is heading(already there) surely it should be bending over to accommodate any form of tourism.

Are any of you already members of any of the Irish clubs? After several inquiries with the motorcaravan club I certainly won't be joining:mad: Don't have any knowledge of the others

Im not a member of any club but strongly thinking of joining the munster club I had a reply on the motorhome issue the following day.

And of course great strength in numbers.

sunchaser

aerosol wrote: »

The journalist has a unique style of writing!
I think the clubs are in the best position and strength to get behind this and other similar and possible future Cllr b*llsh*t.

The way the country is heading(already there) surely it should be bending over to accommodate any form of tourism.

Are any of you already members of any of the Irish clubs? After several inquiries with the motorcaravan club I certainly won't be joining:mad: Don't have any knowledge of the others

It would appear that your attitude is I am OK Jack. Wohnmobile went to the trouble of typing out the article which appeared in the paper. You have tried one of the many clubs in the country, why not get some information from the others. As stated by other replies to the threas, the only way of overcoming problems like the one in Cork is by being a member of a club with a strong lobby group. I am not pluging for any of the clubs, but would strongly recommend to all readers of threads to join one of the clubs. Will 30 or 40 euro break you.?

aerosol

sunchaser wrote: »

It would appear that your attitude is I am OK Jack. Wohnmobile went to the trouble of typing out the article which appeared in the paper. You have tried one of the many clubs in the country, why not get some information from the others. As stated by other replies to the threas, the only way of overcoming problems like the one in Cork is by being a member of a club with a strong lobby group. I am not pluging for any of the clubs, but would strongly recommend to all readers of threads to join one of the clubs. Will 30 or 40 euro break you.?

Hi sunchaser,you have my attitude all wrong man;) As stated I'm very grateful for the effort Wohnmobile has gone to to bring this to this wider stage.

I've only owned a motorhome since March of this year and have had no real reasons to join a local club,Ok initially I thought about it but easily managed to source my own cheap insurance/breakdown cover/meet other owners so haven't as yet bothered me h*le as it was.

Now having read a couple of articles like the Cork and Kerry (I've also read numerous incidents like theses in the uk recentley)I'm now thinking,this is the time to join a club and show support as a combined unit with numbers and strentgh.

No,30 or 40 euros wouldn't break me,after all its hard to stay a couple of nights anywhere for this;)

I'm not going to start bashing any club but I'll just say that the couple of emails and phone conversations I've had with the motorcaravan club has put me off it forever. nough said.

As you've suggested sunchaser,I'll get out there and check the other clubs out and show my support,as I believe we all should do.

sunchaser

Please accept my apologies Areosol
Enjoy your motorhome.

chrisblack

I've posted an appeal for help on the UK Motorhome Forum - motorhomefacts.com here http://motorhomefacts.com/ftopicp-500417.html#500417

If we can get potential tourists/visitors to join in then it may help??

Chris

wohnmobile

Due to a technical problem with e mail address:- munstermotorhomeclub@hotmail.com the club has had to change their e mail address to the following
munstermotorhomeclub@mail.com

Perhaps you could e mail them with your support to the problem with Cllr in Cork.

camper guy

Hi whonmobile just wondering have you had much interest in this thread by email.

As im getting information allerts from boards on his thread from late at night to early morning.

Not that im moaning mind its good to get behind something worth while.:D:D:D.

corklad1

how about campervan owners from allover cork turn up outside city hall to voice our concerns?:mad:

2 stroke

wohnmobile wrote: »

Fine Gael Cllr Jim Daley said campers in general brought little to the local economy because they brought in their own supplies and left just rubbish behind them

I find this laughable, Yes I do bring supplies, I also eat out, drink and replenish supplies as necessary and I usualy stock up with groceries for the house before I go home.

camper guy

2 stroke wrote: »

I find this laughable, Yes I do bring supplies, I also eat out, drink and replenish supplies as necessary and I usualy stock up with groceries for the house before I go home.

I agree with two stroke theres very little room for grub in the little fridge that comes with these things and when on hollidays clothes take up a lot of space.
Its much easyer to support your little shop ,pub ,and cafe,as much as we enjoy our vehicles its nice to get a break to.

Have people joined there local motorhome caravan club to put presure on these bully boys?

And look at them this week trying to rob the old folks.Sick.

sunchaser

Bord Failte is an agency to promote Ireland and entice tourists to our shores with a Céad Mile Failte, yet the local councils in some parts of Ireland want to destroy their good work and that of individuals who encourage the motoring tourist to our shores.

During the late Summer and early Autumn many criticism have been levied at motorhome owners, from Ireland and overseas. Yet local county councils haven’t the vision to see the potential revenue that can be generated from motorhomes, or done anything to encourage motorhome users to visit their areas. No, the opposite would appear to be happening with Cllr in Cork County Council, at a Western Committee Meeting in Clonakilty , where councillors are targeting motorhome owners, who seem to have become hate, in some public representatives’ minds. You sir, wants action to be taken against the owners of motorhomes to prevent them from parking in places other than official licensed caravan parks. Yet there are only 12 Caravan & Camping Parks in Co Cork. Most of which are closed from early September to March. Another councillor, said he found it galling to see them in public lay-bys using councils-provided facilities such as refuge bins and water taps. Perhaps you would be good enough to point out to the writer where there is a lay-by with a water tap and a refuge bin. In France there are 1,600 places where camper vans or motorhomes can use facilities such as emptying waste water, toilet and refuge and also spend a night there if they so desire. These placer are known as Aired de Services.
With the tourist industry at its lowest in many years, we should be encouraging motorhomes from overseas to holidays in Ireland, and not intimidating them, as suggested by some councillors from Cork and Kerry.

The vast majority of responsible motorhome users have a number
of rules that they follow:-

Respect the Environment,
Elect to use un-crowded Aires
Shop Locally
Park responsibility
Exercise courteous behaviour
Communicate with others
Totally abide by these rules

Motorhomes can be used all year, prolonging the tourist trade. Caravan & Camping Parks in Ireland, are mainly family run and tend to close for business at the end of September. In most European countries local governing bodies have encouraged motorhome users to visit their area by setting up Aires de Services. These Aires are self financing, by placing a small charge on the users. Askeaton in County Limerick have had the vision to set up one of these Aires, with the help and financial support from Limerick County Council. The business community and local tourist guide have confirm that there has been an increase in business to the area. Perhaps other County Councils would follow suite. Looked across the Shannon, where tax payers money was used to build lovely marinas, and in most costal areas there's fantastic facilities in place for Boating/Cruising mostly financed with public money. Facilities include toilets/showers/waste water collection points and rubbish collection. Councils have also spent vast sums of money setting up halting sites. The motorhome community only require an Aires unit to be provided at some county council car parks. It is generally accepted amongst the motorhome fraternity that one doesn’t park up at an Aires until late evening when car parks are empty, thus not restricting parking during daylight hours.

County Councillors are of the opinion that motorhome users bring in all provisions for their stay in Ireland, this is not so. Caravan parks receive some of the revenue they spend, as dose the butcher, baker, the post office, bank and service station to name just a few. There are no recognised parking places for motorhomes during daylight hours in public car parks. If a motorhome owner wishes to park in Waterford city, with its vast car parks on the quays motorhomes are restricted due to height barriers, thus depriving the local business community of their revenue.


In France, Supermarkets recognise the potential income, and provide service points near the fuel station. French law forbids caravans and tents from using these Aires, they are just for motorhomes. You are permitted to park and cook and sleep in your motorhome. However you are not permitted to wind out awnings, or put out tables and chairs or washing. If you want to camp, use one of the many caravan parks in the country. These rules also apply to Spain, Germany and Italy. You also may be limited to a stay of 24/48 hours. Now, with many shopping centres in this country perhaps an Aires could be set up in a corner of some of them. The provision of Aires de Services discourages motorhomes from parking in lay-bys and beauty spots, when an Aires is located nearby. One could then enforce a no overnight parking sign. You will also stop pollution as there would be a place to dispose of Grey water and Toilet Disposal.

Should the article published in the Irish Examiner by Peter Levy have appeared in any of the following motorhome magazines in Europe, Motorcaravan Motorhome Monthly a UK publication, Plain Air an Italian publication, Camping Car a French Publication, Pro Mobile a German publication you would have destroyed the motorhome tourist to our shores. There are many clubs out there promoting “Visit Ireland in your motorhome”, and the one which seems to be doing the most work would be the Munster Motorhome Club, which from their literature, state that West Cork and Kerry are the jewel in the Munster Crown and perhaps the most visited area of Ireland. You should be encouraging your colleagues in council chambers to follow the example set by Limerick County Council.. Askeaton received a great of publicity both in Ireland and overseas after the Aires was opened. Your county would have the second Aires in Ireland


Perhaps Board members may like to e mail this letter to their local Cllr and TD