What the hell has happened to Kilkee?

ThorsMane

Dacia1300 wrote: »

Does anyone know if there are any pictures/map drawings/artists renderings/etc of what Kilkee looked like before it was developed as a seaside town? Ie back when it was a small fishing village? It would be interesting to see although I have yet to come across anything...

There are Facebook groups, Kilkee By The Sea and West Clare Is Calling You, they often post very old photos of Kilkee.

Dacia1300

ThorsMane wrote: »

There are Facebook groups, Kilkee By The Sea and West Clare Is Calling You, they often post very old photos of Kilkee.

Thanks. Not on Facebook myself but I’ll try & see if I can access them. Cheers...

feargale

Dacia1300 wrote: »

Does anyone know if there are any pictures/map drawings/artists renderings/etc of what Kilkee looked like before it was developed as a seaside town? Ie back when it was a small fishing village? It would be interesting to see although I have yet to come across anything...

Kilkee began to develop from about 1820, i,e. before the invention of photography so I don't think you will find any photos to be of help.

mrsoundie

Clare County Library has a photograph archive (here), it's not working at the moment.

The Red Ace

Dacia1300 wrote: »

Does anyone know if there are any pictures/map drawings/artists renderings/etc of what Kilkee looked like before it was developed as a seaside town? Ie back when it was a small fishing village? It would be interesting to see although I have yet to come across anything...

If you Google Mary John Knott/Kilkee you will find an interesting account of her two month visit to Kilkee in the mid 1800s

Tikki Wang Wang

Is this place worth a weekend visit ?

nthclare

Tikki Wang Wang wrote: »

Is this place worth a weekend visit ?

There's plenty to see, do and eat in that arena.
Lot's of fishing,surfing, cliff walk's and drive's.

Although I prefer Doolin myself it's more central, closer to the Burren and the Cliff's of moher and the Arran island's...

4ensic15

Tikki Wang Wang wrote: »

Is this place worth a weekend visit ?

There will be very little open during the low season. Many of the businesses in the town only open in the summer months. It can be difficult to get a good meal during the winter months. It all depends on what you go for.

Tikki Wang Wang

4ensic15 wrote: »

There will be very little open during the low season. Many of the businesses in the town only open in the summer months. It can be difficult to get a good meal during the winter months. It all depends on what you go for.

Is The Strand restaurant any good?

Macdarack

Tikki Wang Wang wrote: »

Is The Strand restaurant any good?

Hickeys has good food, Stella's is grand too.

CraftySue

Any word on kilkee bay hotel opening?

davidjtaylor

CraftySue wrote: »

Any word on kilkee bay hotel opening?

It'll need tidying up. Jeez what a welcoming eyesore. And a misnomer - not even on the bay.

Pissartist

I love Kilkee it's a paradise in the summer, but very quiet the rest of the year.

chuckles30

davidjtaylor wrote: »

It'll need tidying up. Jeez what a welcoming eyesore. And a misnomer - not even on the bay.

There seems to have been work ongoing inside throughout the winter - have seen lots of trade vans there.

JCX BXC

Heard a local rumour that it was to open for Easter weekend, but has faced delays.

hobie14

The Red Ace wrote: »

If you Google Mary John Knott/Kilkee you will find an interesting account of her two month visit to Kilkee in the mid 1800s

Quote .... " at the end of nearly two months in Kilkee, she had not seen one woman under the influence of drink and only two men. This is a fascinating glimpse of another era."

Things don't change much ......

Clockpics

Did anyone else here there's going to be a halting site on the dunlickey road? Council s under a lot of pressure to arrange traveller accommodation and apparently they own a bit of land up that direction.

It would be interesting to see what the great and good from Limerick think of that

JCX BXC

Clockpics wrote: »

It would be interesting to see what the great and good from Limerick think of that

Home from home!

Where are the travellers currently housed? Much like the asylum seekers (see Clonea Strand, Waterford), it's absurd that the council thinks it's a good idea to move these people to prime seaside locations.

Radio5

Has the Kilkee Bay reopened?

Sterling Archer

Radio5 wrote: »

Has the Kilkee Bay reopened?

Yes, new owners, place got a lick of paint too by the looks of it

Facebook post screenshot

Can't seem to paste that image without it being huge

branie2

Do people still go to the beach there?

JCX BXC

branie2 wrote: »

Do people still go to the beach there?

No......they prefer to go to the fields of kilkee?

Clareman

I was back there today for the Triathlon, it was a great day, great buzz about the place, loads of people, great weather.

Shapey Fiend

When did the arcade/funfair close down? There used to be 3 or 4 arcades in town and now I've a kid to keep entertained at the beach I particularly miss having any option at all. They've got thriving retro arcades in Cork and Dublin now so I think it'd do better than, say, 5 years ago. Seapoint in Galway is always hopping.

Kablamo!

O'Neill's across from the roundabout was open a few weeks back anyway. Big red building there out the road a bit.

mrsoundie

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

When did the arcade/funfair close down? There used to be 3 or 4 arcades in town and now I've a kid to keep entertained at the beach I particularly miss having any option at all. They've got thriving retro arcades in Cork and Dublin now so I think it'd do better than, say, 5 years ago. Seapoint in Galway is always hopping.

Lynch's is or was being developed into flats out the back, as for the O'Curry St side has not opened in awhile.

Wallys was demolished and the Waterfront was built on it. For awhile there was an arcade in there, but became the pub.

O'Neills is still going was opne there last weekend.

Shapey Fiend

Ah cool it's often a weekday when I'm there good to know O'Neill's is open at the weekend I'll have a look in see if the rustiest Bubble Bobble on the planet is still running. Partial to that Sega ambulance racing game too.

mrsoundie

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

Ah cool it's often a weekday when I'm there good to know O'Neill's is open at the weekend I'll have a look in see if the rustiest Bubble Bobble on the planet is still running. Partial to that Sega ambulance racing game too.

There are shooting games but half the switches are broken. With a renaissance in arcade gaming in the rise, you would think a small bit of investment would payoff?

Shapey Fiend

I think there's one distributor for Clare/Limerick/Galway who does the bowling alleys, airport etc and he's definitely not into repairing stuff. If the screens not dead it's fit for purpose. My favourite game ever is Scud Race and the cabinet (used be in the Porter Stall in Ennis, currently in Shannon Airport) has had a broken gear shifter since about the year 2000.

4ensic15

mrsoundie wrote: »

There are shooting games but half the switches are broken. With a renaissance in arcade gaming in the rise, you would think a small bit of investment would payoff?

Kilkee has an 8 or 9 wek season. there is no competition. How much more revenue would be raised if there was an investment?

Shapey Fiend

You can get spare parts for these older machines it doesn't cost much fix guns, sticks and buttons. Sadly maintenance has never been a priority in most Irish arcades. You're not going to get repeat business if the experience is bad but they seem to assume the audience is all young kids who don't know better. New machines are 8 to 10 grand a pop wouldn't make much sense for Kilkee.

4ensic15

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

You can get spare parts for these older machines it doesn't cost much fix guns, sticks and buttons. Sadly maintenance has never been a priority in most Irish arcades. You're not going to get repeat business if the experience is bad but they seem to assume the audience is all young kids who don't know better. New machines are 8 to 10 grand a pop wouldn't make much sense for Kilkee.

the people who do the repairs are probably on holidays during the Summer.

Radio5

Any reports on the reopened Kilkee Bay? What has happened to the long closed Ocean Cove Hotel ?

c.p.w.g.w

Little of topic.

Just spent 2 nights in kilkee and seemed busy but much quieter than i've ever remembered for July...

Then went to ballyvaughan and hotel I stayed in looked deserted, bar closed, restaurant closed...only thing open in the village was a craft shop and spar.

These villages and towns in Clare seem to be getting much quieter, are these locations now seen as day trips/nice places to pass through on the way to somewhere else?

UsBus

I wouldn't have thought you could really judge by this weekend. Lahinch was the only place in Clare to be for the golf. The rest of the county would have been quiet in comparison..

Clareman

Lahinch was rocking and Willie Clancy was just starting as well, I would out in Ennis Saturday night and it was awful quiet.

c.p.w.g.w

UsBus wrote: »

I wouldn't have thought you could really judge by this weekend. Lahinch was the only place in Clare to be for the golf. The rest of the county would have been quiet in comparison..

Was last weekend I stayed down in kilkee, and last Monday in ballyvaughan.

So it was actually June I was in kilkee sorry.

Gary Owen

Milltown was busy Saturday night .
Big crowd around. Pubs packed .
Traffic was very heavy due to the golf but a lot of Gardaí kept it moving

4ensic15

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Was last weekend I stayed down in kilkee, and last Monday in ballyvaughan.

So it was actually June I was in kilkee sorry.

Kilkee has a 9 week season. Holidaying in Kilkee is mostly owners of mobile homes, caravans, apartments or houses together with day trippers. relatively small numbers stay in hotels, guest houses or rent self catering accommodation. That pattern is becoming more pronounced every year.

JCX BXC

4ensic15 wrote: »

Kilkee has a 9 week season. Holidaying in Kilkee is mostly owners of mobile homes, caravans, apartments or houses together with day trippers. relatively small numbers stay in hotels, guest houses or rent self catering accommodation. That pattern is becoming more pronounced every year.

Largely it's become pronounced due to a lack of a 'real' hotel. Hopefully with the Kilkee Bay being reopened under competent management it'll help increase the season and visitor numbers again.

4ensic15

JCX BXC wrote: »

Largely it's become pronounced due to a lack of a 'real' hotel. Hopefully with the Kilkee Bay being reopened under competent management it'll help increase the season and visitor numbers again.

Demand for hotel rooms in Kilkee was falling for yewars before the Kilkee bay closed. Most of the locals have given up B& B and renting out their own houses.

zweton

Where is considered a good place to eat in kilkee these days? Any recommendations?

Shapey Fiend

The restaurant at the golf club is my go to. Nice view as well.

4ensic15

zweton wrote: »

Where is considered a good place to eat in kilkee these days? Any recommendations?

Murphy Blacks is No 1 in my opinion.

Tikki Wang Wang

zweton wrote: »

Where is considered a good place to eat in kilkee these days? Any recommendations?

The Strand

finbarrk

zweton wrote: »

Where is considered a good place to eat in kilkee these days? Any recommendations?

Stella Maris would be my choice.

JCX BXC

Hickeys aren't too bad, a bit pricy but Stella Maris is even more so.

CrowdedHouse

I was there for a few days last year, I ate a couple of times in Myles Creek and it was fine.

jackboy

zweton wrote: »

Where is considered a good place to eat in kilkee these days? Any recommendations?

The long dock restaurant is very good. It is a short drive outside Kilkee in a small village called Carrigaholt.

finbarrk

The place is hopping there this weekend. Mods, change the OP’s thread title.