Viewing platform in Keem

kippy

irishgeo wrote: »

they asked joe nicely would he clean it up.:rolleyes:

the council are paying for the steel piles holding the road up they do in fact own it.

the way it s gone now the pub would be a goldmine in the summer, although i heard a rumour the minauin view bar might be reopening.

It's a pity really, the lack of options in the village of Keel for the past few years (especially with the good summers) has probably put a lot of people off going back to Achill.
Really hope the Minaun does re-open but that's been rumoured for a while now.


I dunno, there's a lot of things that can be done on the Island ahead of getting this viewing platform sorted as far as I can see.

muddle84

Is it not how the minaun had to close though because of dosgy foundations? Surely they would have to rebuild it to reopen it. Such a great pub! Its opening is badly missed every patricks day.

nuac

irishgeo wrote: »

they asked joe nicely would he clean it up.:rolleyes:

the council are paying for the steel piles holding the road up they do in fact own it.

the way it s gone now the pub would be a goldmine in the summer, although i heard a rumour the minauin view bar might be reopening.

Tourist season in Achill has always been short.

May be difficult to get finance to b uild a pub in compliance with current planning etc requirements.

Also if it has not traded for more t han five years, may be difficulties in getting the licence

muddle84

nuac wrote: »

Tourist season in Achill has always been short.

May be difficult to get finance to b uild a pub in compliance with current planning etc requirements.

Also if it has not traded for more t han five years, may be difficulties in getting the licence

is it 5 years since the minaun closed already? A good summer woukdnt be enough to keep a pub going would it?? There was planning grantes for the Amethyst wasnt there? I think They didnt go ahead though because of financial problems!

kippy

muddle84 wrote: »

is it 5 years since the minaun closed already? A good summer woukdnt be enough to keep a pub going would it?? There was planning grantes for the Amethyst wasnt there? I think They didnt go ahead though because of financial problems!

It's not closed 5 years (3 I think) but I could be wrong.

Nuac mentioned above but the tourist season in achill is very short. Coupled with a different drink culture etc it may be hard justify opening a bar if you need to spend a wad of cash on it.

The biggest issue is, as nuac said, the tourist season is short. This needs to be addressed and in fairness the Greenway has gone someway to extend it.
But why is it so short and why aren't there more people going there?
I'd suggest cost as a major factor. Lots of holiday homes but can be pricy.
Secondly there's a distinct lack of anything to do (particularily with kids) when the weather goes against you.
A swimming pool or indoor play area are required I'd suggest but the investment needed mightn't make sense for one person however if the whole island and business' on it looked at it as an investment worth making to make the island more appealing outside of the summer that could make a different.

nuac

kippy wrote: »

It's not closed 5 years (3 I think) but I could be wrong.

Nuac mentioned above but the tourist season in achill is very short. Coupled with a different drink culture etc it may be hard justify opening a bar if you need to spend a wad of cash on it.

The biggest issue is, as nuac said, the tourist season is short. This needs to be addressed and in fairness the Greenway has gone someway to extend it.
But why is it so short and why aren't there more people going there?
I'd suggest cost as a major factor. Lots of holiday homes but can be pricy.
Secondly there's a distinct lack of anything to do (particularily with kids) when the weather goes against you.
A swimming pool or indoor play area are required I'd suggest but the investment needed mightn't make sense for one person however if the whole island and business' on it looked at it as an investment worth making to make the island more appealing outside of the summer that could make a different.

I was referring to the old Village Inn site. New pub licence there would be problematic now.

The short tourist season in Achill has been a problem for generations.

In earlier days up to the fifties it was family resort, which tied it to the school holidays.

In the early sixties it became very popular with young singles from all over the country and enjoyed a boom from that trade from all over the country as the goto place. Sadly a lot of that trade lost when cheap air travel arrived.

While there is a lot in Achill for those interested in outdoor activities, there is little for families when the weather worsens.

The Seaside Resort Scheme ( which included Achill ) was availed of in Mulranny and Westport to install swimming pools etc. That did not happen in the island.

The Greenway extension may be part of the solution

kippy

nuac wrote: »

I was referring to the old Village Inn site. New pub licence there would be problematic now.

The short tourist season in Achill has been a problem for generations.

In earlier days up to the fifties it was family resort, which tied it to the school holidays.

In the early sixties it became very popular with young singles from all over the country and enjoyed a boom from that trade from all over the country as the goto place. Sadly a lot of that trade lost when cheap air travel arrived.

While there is a lot in Achill for those interested in outdoor activities, there is little for families when the weather worsens.

The Seaside Resort Scheme ( which included Achill ) was availed of in Mulranny and Westport to install swimming pools etc. That did not happen in the island.

The Greenway extension may be part of the solution

Apologies, thought you meant the Minaun.

Yeah, theres no chance of anyone building a pub on the Village Inn site in the current environment.

I think the advent of cheap flights, the expensive rental of houses, the changes to drinking culture and the lack of indoor facilities have led to the "short" season getting even shorter.
A look at what facilities could be put in place to give families more options when the rain is pelting down is badly needed.

muddle84

nuac wrote: »

I was referring to the old Village Inn site. New pub licence there would be problematic now.

The short tourist season in Achill has been a problem for generations.

In earlier days up to the fifties it was family resort, which tied it to the school holidays.

In the early sixties it became very popular with young singles from all over the country and enjoyed a boom from that trade from all over the country as the goto place. Sadly a lot of that trade lost when cheap air travel arrived.

While there is a lot in Achill for those interested in outdoor activities, there is little for families when the weather worsens.

The Seaside Resort Scheme ( which included Achill ) was availed of in Mulranny and Westport to install swimming pools etc. That did not happen in the island.

The Greenway extension may be part of the solution

When was that scheme? Was the swimming pool in mulranny not private?

nuac

muddle84 wrote: »

When was that scheme? Was the swimming pool in mulranny not private?

The Seaside Resorant Development Scheme was brought in about mid 1996. It provided extensive tax allowances for tourist related investment.

It had been extended to Mulranny so that the then owners could avail of it. However An Taisce filed an objection which was upheld. By the time a new owner had got permission, the Seashore Resort Scheme had ran out. So M84 is correct, the current investment was privately funded, afaik.

muddle84

nuac wrote: »

The Seaside Resorant Development Scheme was brought in about mid 1996. It provided extensive tax allowances for tourist related investment.

It had been extended to Mulranny so that the then owners could avail of it. However An Taisce filed an objection which was upheld. By the time a new owner had got permission, the Seashore Resort Scheme had ran out. So M84 is correct, the current investment was privately funded, afaik.

Im pretty sure the old swimming pool was private also. It was on the grounds of the hotel.That was built long before 1996.

nuac

muddle84 wrote: »

Im pretty sure the old swimming pool was private also. It was on the grounds of the hotel.That was built long before 1996.

The old swimming pool was built in hotel ground about 1960. Filled by seawater, unheated. A great facility in the day. A very progressive manager McLoughlin organised.

That hotel was a major tourist attraction back in the day. Before the Achill line was taken up, an all-in booking could be got from London by train, ferry and train again to the rear of the hotel. Very fashionable and popular resort.

My parents recalled being at weddings and dinner dances there.

After railway was closed from Westport down c 1935 there wasn't any major investment there by the railway company appart from that swimming pool.

a good nine hole golfcourse just to the west of the present course was abandoned. It was built on commonage, but no real effort was made to buy out the tenants in common over the years.

Salmon and seafishing rights were available in the area but were not pursued by the hotel.

It was the major enployer in the village giving employment to at least 60 in high season.

There was a perception that the owners were more interested in growing the hotels in Bundoran, Sligo, Galway and Kerry. There were even stories of the better cutlery, delph, linen being moved to the other hotels,

After changing hands a few times, and a period of dereliction the present owners have made a big investment and a trojan effort there. I wish them well.

The Greenway since it started c 2010 is bringing a lot of business there. I hope it continues to prosper

John_Rambo

Hello. I have started holidaying in Achill over the last few years. What was that giant hole in Keem? What happened, what's the story? Thanks in advance.

muddle84

John_Rambo wrote: »

Hello. I have started holidaying in Achill over the last few years. What was that giant hole in Keem? What happened, what's the story? Thanks in advance.

You sure you dont mean keel?

John_Rambo

muddle84 wrote: »

You sure you dont mean keel?

Sorry, yeah, Keel. Anyone know what happened?

Mickeroo

John_Rambo wrote: »

Sorry, yeah, Keel. Anyone know what happened?

That's the site of the Village Inn which has been mentioned in this thread already. Someone posted this earlier regarding the council moving to take ownership of it: http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21222:council-move-to-compulsorily-acquire-derelict-keel-site&catid=23:news&Itemid=46

John_Rambo

Mickeroo wrote: »

Someone posted this earlier

Ah, thanks Mickeroo, I missed it earlier. What a mess.

farmchoice

i have been holidaying in achill since i was a kid first with my parents and brothers and sisters then with my mates then with my girlfriend and now with my wife and kids.

i love it and i don't think there is anywhere like it, i nearly always stay in keel. i have been there 3 times in the last year all out of season and i thought it was quite busy on each occasion, busier then 5 years ago. the futre of achill is out door activities, cycling, hill walking and most of all water sports.

But the people of achill and the county council have got to get their act together. the place is going backwards, as for the great big ****ing hole in the middle of keel, well there are no words. at the very least the local community should have erected hoardings around it painted it white and got the local school kids to paint murals on it or something.

why is the situation with rubbish bins constantly over flowing not sorted out.
compare the amount of work the county council put into westport or more recently ballina with what is done in achill, who is responsible for this?

achill has massive massive potential but the people of achill have to be at the forefront of developing it, and bord failte and the county council and all the other state agencies have to work with them but the people will have to take the lead.

nuac

farmchoice wrote: »

i have been holidaying in achill since i was a kid first with my parents and brothers and sisters then with my mates then with my girlfriend and now with my wife and kids.

i love it and i don't think there is anywhere like it, i nearly always stay in keel. i have been there 3 times in the last year all out of season and i thought it was quite busy on each occasion, busier then 5 years ago. the futre of achill is out door activities, cycling, hill walking and most of all water sports.

But the people of achill and the county council have got to get their act together. the place is going backwards, as for the great big ****ing hole in the middle of keel, well there are no words. at the very least the local community should have erected hoardings around it painted it white and got the local school kids to paint murals on it or something.

why is the situation with rubbish bins constantly over flowing not sorted out.
compare the amount of work the county council put into westport or more recently ballina with what is done in achill, who is responsible for this?

achill has massive massive potential but the people of achill have to be at the forefront of developing it, and bord failte and the county council and all the other state agencies have to work with them but the people will have to take the lead.

Westport and Ballina had, up to recently, their own Town Councils which led to local authority focus on development, including tourist development.

Also they have a strong commercial tourism base, and those in the business work well together, especially in Westport.

The recent Local Authority "reforms" have created a local electoral area combining the former Westport and Belmullet areas. Too unwieldy. Needs review

6541

I see a lot of talk about Achill. I will be frank about Achill, some of you are not going to like what I say, but I will say it.
In all my years I have never met people like Achill People. There short sightedness knows no bounds. It may be historical reasons, but there is a unique begrudgery on Achill. Put two Achill people in a room and only one would come out. I am sorry if you don't like what I say. I can provide loads of examples as I have been dealing with Achill people for years. Now when I hear someone is from Achill when I am doing business I proceed with caution.

irishgeo

6541 wrote: »

I see a lot of talk about Achill. I will be frank about Achill, some of you are not going to like what I say, but I will say it.
In all my years I have never met people like Achill People. There short sightedness knows no bounds. It may be historical reasons, but there is a unique begrudgery on Achill. Put two Achill people in a room and only one would come out. I am sorry if you don't like what I say. I can provide loads of examples as I have been dealing with Achill people for years. Now when I hear someone is from Achill when I am doing business I proceed with caution.

Hmm I am from achill. I'll agree with some of that. As a lots of suspicion occurs when people try new things. Although I think its changing but with no jobs and very few young people staying at home its going downhill fast.

muddle84

6541 wrote: »

I see a lot of talk about Achill. I will be frank about Achill, some of you are not going to like what I say, but I will say it.
In all my years I have never met people like Achill People. There short sightedness knows no bounds. It may be historical reasons, but there is a unique begrudgery on Achill. Put two Achill people in a room and only one would come out. I am sorry if you don't like what I say. I can provide loads of examples as I have been dealing with Achill people for years. Now when I hear someone is from Achill when I am doing business I proceed with caution.

That is an interesting statement.
Just wondering, what busniess you are in that you deal with so many people from achill? Also are you referring to people that still live on the island or people that have left it?

kippy

I dont agree entirely with 6541, as in there are lots of Achill people that get on well with eachother and there is a deep and as good a sense of community there as anywhere else in this country, moreso than most places I'd say.
There are however a few who don't like to see too much progress, specifically in the tourism field. There have been plans for various things throughout the years that were either shot down by one or two interests. Even the plan for this viewing platform is meeting with resistance (mind you, not from long term Achill residents I would add).
There were proposals years ago for a hotel with a pool on the island, never happened for one or another reason and indeed the local businesses who would often benefit from such initiatives don't always provide enough support for them. A bit of a "Me fein" attitude in that if the business cannot see how they would directly benefit then they are against it.
I'd add this is not all business's etc
There are moves over the past few years and going forward to improve things, such as with this project and others around cycling and outdoor activities and there are a few people working hard towards that but again more needs to be done.
As echoed in the past few posts, sustainable jobs outside of Tourism or heavily supported farming are few and far between on the Island, the youth are leaving, probably never to return and while the population took a bounce in the past decade that trend is being reversed again.

The island needs to focus on tourism and becoming a desitinaton for various types of tourism and for this a few things need to happen.

1. Cost and type of accommodation. Holiday homes are all the rage but the cost of these can be prohibitive (in my opinion). There are also a few campsites which is good and a couple of B and B's a hotel or two. But generally these need to be improved.
2. Activities. There are forever of outdoor activities that are essentially free however there could be more work done to promote these and indeed improve access to same and develop some more. Cycling and walking come to mind.
3. What happens when it rains? This is the big one. The island needs a. A leisure center with a focus on swimming pool, indoor activities for kids etc. b. A visitor center with associated restaurant etc where all of the islands history and stories can be easily accessed together with integrated points of interest on a map with similar facts about the place written down and made visible for all to see. c. tied in with 2 but more work done to promote water sports which don't stop just because it is raining.

Theres plenty more but they are the basics that need to be addressed in my opinion and it will take a mix of private and public funding to get to that point.

nuac

Used to get some friction or whatever between upper and lower Achill.

Some families have put a lot of investment into their businesses there

Far more people are interested in outdoor activities these days, the internet reduces the cost of promotion. Hope this results in more business for Achill.

kippy

nuac wrote: »

Used to get some friction or whatever between upper and lower Achill.

Some families have put a lot of investment into their businesses there

Far more people are interested in outdoor activities these days, the internet reduces the cost of promotion. Hope this results in more business for Achill.

Friction between upper and lower Achill? Really - perhaps the business' but in general this is not the case.

muddle84

kippy wrote: »

Friction between upper and lower Achill? Really - perhaps the business' but in general this is not the case.

I agree, the friction between upper and lower achill really is no more than friendly banter in my opinion and experience. Old Scanlon cup rivalries are often pulled into the banter too which is great!

With regard to the reference to people that oppose any propose any development opportunities, this is not just achill. Nearly all rural communities have people that "fear change" and oppose it with all there might. There is examples of that all over the country.

kippy

muddle84 wrote: »

I agree, the friction between upper and lower achill really is no more than friendly banter in my opinion and experience. Old Scanlon cup rivalries are often pulled into the banter too which is great!

With regard to the reference to people that oppose any propose any development opportunities, this is not just achill. Nearly all rural communities have people that "fear change" and oppose it with all there might. There is examples of that all over the country.

Ah yeah, friendly banter.

An yeah, lots of rural communities display the same issues but I've not seen it be a hindrance to progress that would assist everyone in a place as much as it has in Achill. But then again I probably amnt as familiar with anywhere else either.

muddle84

kippy wrote: »

Ah yeah, friendly banter.

An yeah, lots of rural communities display the same issues but I've not seen it be a hindrance to progress that would assist everyone in a place as much as it has in Achill. But then again I probably amnt as familiar with anywhere else either.

Dare I mention Bellanaboy as an example of people opposing progress in another rural community...........:eek:

irishgeo

This visitors centre for achill. i see a prime spot in the middle of keel which the council will own soon as a good location for it.