Mayo beaches for facelift

Plans in place for upgrade of facilities on Mayo beaches

Anton McNulty

PLANS for the upgrade of public facilities on Mayo’s beaches are well under way, according to a Mayo County Council official, who said that showers would be included in these new facilities.
The news was delivered by Mr Michael Gavin, Water Safety Officer with the Council, following a call by Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony for the installation of shower and changing facilities at some of the most visited beaches throughout the county. Deputy O’Mahony said that investment needed to be made by the Council in upgrading the facilities on the county’s beaches in light of the increasing popularity of water sports.
“I’m aware that there are facilities available at some of our beaches but I believe that we could make our beaches a whole lot more attractive to people by investing in outdoor showers and some changing units. I’m not looking for state-of-the-art facilities; just something basic that would create a much more welcoming environment for users.
“We don’t have a Mediterranean climate here so when people come out of the sea after, say, surfing, they may well have to change in cold and wet conditions. If there was a shower for them to wash off all the sand and a place to change into dry clothes the whole experience would be much more welcoming and they’d be anxious to return,” he said.
Mr Gavin told The Mayo News that he agreed with the comments made by Deputy O’Mahony in relation to new facilities and said that some beaches in Mayo were to be upgraded in time for the summer of 2009. He said that the public facilities at Ross Strand in Killala had been upgraded last May and three other beaches – Carrowniskey and Carramore in Louisburgh and Dooega in Achill – were to be upgraded for next year.
“Upgrading the public facilities on our beaches is something that Mayo County Council is seriously looking at and we are putting together a plan for the beaches around the county. We will be building new toilets at Carrowniskey, Carramore and Dooega for next year and these will include showers. If you look at many of the beaches in the UK, most would have toilets and showers and they are something we want at our beaches,” he said.
While funding has been given by Mayo County Council and Fáilte Ireland for the building of these facilities, Michael admitted they were expensive to build. He said that the design had to be incorporated into the scenic landscape and septic tanks had to be built and, because of this, there was always the prospect of objections.
Meanwhile, the Summer Walk and Talk series on Mayo’s Blue Flag beaches, organised by Mayo County Council, continues this week with a walk on Mulranny beach. The walk will take place this Saturday, August 16, at 3pm with the talk at the beach given by expert, Bronagh Joyce. All interested persons are invited to attend and there is no cover charge. More details of the schedule for the walks and talks are available on the Mayo County Council website, www.mayococo.ie, the sports partnership website, www.mayosports.ie, or by contacting the Westport Civic Office on 098 50400.