This article is from page 19 of the 2007-03-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
ORGANISERS are hopeful that a re- vamped Lisdoonvarna Festival will be granted planning permission by Clare County Council, despite the local authority’s refusal to allow it to take place in Clare in 2003.
The festival was forced to relocate to Dublin following a decision not to grant planning permission for the event by the local authority in May of 2003.
In a written statement issued by the
planning department, it stated that “the unsuitability of the road net- work serving the area in terms of ca- pacity and width and the unsuitabuil- ity of proposed car parking facilities and threat to pedestrian safety” were the main reasons for not allowing the festival to take place.
The council also said the concert would unduly interfere with safety and the free flow of traffic and en- danger public safety by reason of traffic hazard but did accept “the general suitability” of the concert
venue Site.
A group of 200 motorcyclists from Waterford were blamed for marring the last festival which took place in Lisdoonvarna is 1983.
The large group reportedly de- scended on the north Clare town on the Saturday evening of the festival wielding iron bars and threatening festival-goers.
The scene was described at the time by Superintendent Tim Leahy as “one of the roughest and dirtiest we have experienced”.