This article is from page 16 of the 2006-05-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
AFTER centuries of darkness, Pol an Ionain cave was opened up to the public at the weekend to allow visitors view, for the first time, the largest free-hanging stalactite in the world.
The opening of the cave, containing the 23-foot long Great Stal, follows a 16-year struggle by north Clare couple, John and Helen Browne, to develop it as a tourist attraction.
“The Stal is a wonder of nature. The cave is like an underground cathedral and the Stal resembles this great mass of huge organ pipes coming down from the ceiling. Anyone who has seen the Stal is stunned by the sight,” Ms Browne said.
The Brownes secured planning for the project last year, despite opposition from An Taisce and the Pol an Ionain Action Group.
An Bord Pleanála stated that the Great Stal was “a significant part of Ireland’s cultural heritage due to its scientific and aesthetic importance”.
Planning permission was first granted in 1991, but the Brownes became embroiled in a High Court land dispute. By the time the dispute had been resolved, the planning permission had lapsed, forcing the couple to re-apply in 1999.
A scaled down version of the original plan now in place, has a capacity for 55,000 visitors each year.
“There were lots of time when we thought we’ve had enough, especially the trips to the High Court. But we were in so deep, we had to keep going. Our backs were to the wall and we invested all our savings, sold two self-catering homes and some land to keep the project going.”
In all, Ms Browne believes that €1.5 million has been spent on the project to date.
“It is a very good example of lowimpact sustainable tourism and all the monitoring of the cave so far shows that the humidity or temperature have not been affected in any way, which we are delighted with.”
The planning permission ruled out any blasting to access the tunnel, so contractor John O’Connell and his colleagues spent almost nine months hand-tunnelling an access passage to the main chamber.
“The specialised back-breaking work they have done is amazing,” said Ms Browne.
Adults will have to pay €20 each and €12 for children to access the cave.
Ms Browne said that the admission price was due to the limited numbers allowed under the planning permission.