*Caherlohan. Photograph: John Mangan
€3.2m in funding has been granted to Clare GAA from the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund to develop Caherlohan.
On Monday morning, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD (GP) and Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne TD (FF) the second round of funding allocations under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). This follows the first LSSIF round of allocations announced in January 2020. The total amount of grants awarded is €173 million, benefiting 35 individual projects
Funds allocated will result in an expansion of the gym space to accommodate full panel training in Caherlohan, the addition of two new full-sized sand based playing pitches, twelve new floodlights and a spectator stand with a capacity of over 1,300. Floodgates are set to be provided at pitches three and four with the stand planned for pitch three. The funding is also set to facilitate further integration of Clare Camogie and Clare LGFA with Clare GAA.
Construction of a new hurling ball-wall with a synthetic surface apron are part of the plans along with a new machinery shed and equipment store. There will be a dedicated area to the north of the existing building which is earmarked for use as a farmers market. Walkways, public allotments, wildflower meadows, a sensory garden and bee keeping area were also part of the application. Resurfacing of the car park will take place and 250 spaces including those for buses and EV charging are to be included.
An extension of the dining room will be completed, the existing building will be extended to form a reception area and accessible public toilets. A first floor extension will be carried out to provide additional player welfare facilities including new video analysis room, a multi-purpose room for County Board meetings, exercise classes, social, dining, community group use and an administrative area. Unfinished rooms are to be fitted out to cater for physios, medical and referees room.
Head of Operations with Clare GAA, Deirdre Murphy when discussing the plans for Caherlohan told a meeting of the County Board, “The estimated cost of the development is €5 million and if our grant application succeeds it will provide 70 percent”.
Welcoming the granting of the funding, Murphy said Clare GAA were “absolutely thrilled”. She stated, “This will lead to the development of Caherlohan so that its facilities truly reflect its name. We will turn the venue into a vibrant facility for the whole community. It will enable us to move with purpose towards the integration of the GAA, Camogie Association and LGFA in Clare”.
She continued, “Thanks to everyone who put so much focussed work in a very short time frame to ensure this successful outcome, particularly our Clare GAA officers and staff, Pat Dowling and Jason Murphy and his team – Helen Quinn, Morgan Lahiffe, Tim Forde, Barry O’Loughlin, Catherine O’Hara and Kay Nolan in Clare County Council and our elected representatives who gave such fantastic cross-party support to this project. Particular thanks to Timmy Dooley, Roisin Garvey and Cathal Crowe for their tenacity and dedication in getting this over the line and to Joe Cooney who initiated a cross-party meeting of Clare politicians with Clare GAA last December. The subsequent visit of Thomas Byrne to Caherlohan, facilitated by Timmy Dooley and Cathal Crowe was also critical”.
According to Murphy, Clare GAA had to follow “an extremely rigorous” application process. She said they were “indebted” to Stephen Lohan and Peter McKenna in Croke Park for their assistance along with Kieran Leddy and John Brennan of Munster GAA and Stephen Lowry of PITCH consulting. Other individuals singled out for praise by the Head of Operations were Mark Quinn, Conor Gilligan, Jamie Vaughan, Niall Fitzgerald, Brian Lohan, Terence Fahy, Caroline Madden, Jimmy Browne, David Hoey, Michelle Moroney, Micheal Duffy, Jean Meier, Aoife Leyden, Joe O’Donnell and Sean Lenihan.
Opened in 2015 after it was purchased in 2005, Clare GAA’s Centre of Excellence at Caherlohan regularly appeared in the headlines from 2019 to 2021 as a handful of club delegates particularly those from Whitegate, Tulla and Wolfe Tones were vocal in their criticisms of the facility. Since the retirement of Pat Fitzgerald as County Secretary in July 2022, there has been little to no negative remarks passed about the facilities by delegates.
Costings provided in November 2019 by then Chairman Joe Cooney revealed that the property was purchased by Clare GAA for €2.3m, phase one development cost in the region of €700,000, phase two cost an approximate €1.5m, phase three development cost €210,000 while €90,000 was spent on dressing rooms, teams room and the dining area. The Saffron and Blue strategic review published in October 2021 recommended that Caherlohan be made the long-term headquarters of Clare GAA.
Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) described the Government investment as “transformative”. He commented, “This multi-million-euro investment in Clare GAA is hugely welcome and is a wonderful end to a hugely successful sporting year for the county”. The Meelick native added, “As someone who has a lifelong love of sport, I am all too familiar with the link between successful teams and proper training and support facilities, and this investment in Clare GAA will be pivotal in future successes. The desire, talent and determination is there in abundance by everyone involved in Clare’s Gaelic Games teams and an enhanced Caherlohan will act as the spine to future sporting success from those wearing the Saffron and Blue”.
General Election candidate, Leonora Carey (FG) said, “This project will completely transform the Caherlohan centre from one which is poorly presented, unfit for purpose and unable to meet the needs of existing users, into a high quality, accessible sporting venue that will facilitate sports participation at recreational and competitive levels”.
All applications submitted under the LSSIF Fund were required to have the prioritised endorsement of a National Governing Body for Sport (NGB) or a Local Authority. This prioritisation was one of a number of factors taken into account in the assessment and ultimate ranking of projects. It was informed by factors such as the potential to enhance sports participation, sustainability, similar access for both men and women, and the ability to execute the project within a specified timeframe.
In September, Clare GAA received €478,668 for an all-weather pitch under the latest round of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme.
