Lough Gur has continuously risen to meet the needs of its patrons and the most recent addition to this beauty spot is the highly acclaimed Lough Gur Lakeshore Park Environmental Information Point.
The Kiosk was declared officially opened on Thursday of last week by CEO of Ballyhoura Development, Padraig Casey.
Applauding the venture, Pat said, “This project is a valuable addition not only for the immediate area but also the wider region.”
The project was funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development under the LEADER programme (administered through Ballyhoura Development) and match funded by Limerick City and County Council.
Lough Gur Development also availed of the event to ask Cllr. Brigid Teefy to present framed images by Jack O’Shea to the tour guides who recently featured in This is Lough Gur, the online tour of Lough Gur.
Cllr Teefy commended the guides on offering their time voluntarily to take part in the online tour video and also praised the community for supporting the addition of the new Kiosk: “Limerick City and County Council were delighted to support the Kiosk project and we wish Lough Gur Development continued success with future initiatives.”
A go to destination
The new Lough Gur Lakeshore Park Environmental Information Point Kiosk, managed by Lough Gur Development Community Group, has made Lough Gur a go to destination for days out in Limerick.
Although a Kiosk may not rival large scale corporate builds, this small but significant unit has served as a safe point during the pandemic when visitors could not access the visitor centre. When Limerick people went in search over the last year for places to walk and spend time outside with family, Lough Gur and the new Lakeshore Park Kiosk provided an important point for information, refreshments and a semblance of normality.
It continues to bring life, warmth and security to the entrance of Lough Gur. It can be difficult for those who are not in the know or oblivious to signage, to ascertain how to find the visitor centre on the hillside, intentionally hidden, as it is, from view behind natural hedgerows.
Thursday last marked the first safe opportunity the local community had to officially mark the completion of this significant project and declare the new addition to the area, officially open. Manager for Lough Gur, Kate Harrold commented, “As we see a resumption of indoor services on the horizons, the Lough Gur Lakeshore Park Kiosk will continue to serve the growing number of people who have found a new or renewed love for the great outdoors.”
Unique aspects
The Lough Gur Kiosk was established to provide environmental information about the unique aspects of the local landscape and protected species who call Lough Gur their home. All staff received expert training on bird life, plant life and lake life. In an effort to not only promote the rich archaeology and history, the Information Point Kiosk focuses specifically on delivering information to visitors about the importance of biodiversity and being aware of our own impact as visitors. Lough Gur Development as part of this initiative has become an accredited Leave No Trace Ireland training centre, adopting their Love this Place, Leave No Trace ethos. However, no one can argue that the high end sustainably produced fresh coffee now on offer is also most welcome, all served from sustainable and recyclable cups and packaging. Moving from automatic to barista in recent weeks, Lough Gur is now exceeding visitor expectations for hot and iced caffeine infused beverages.
Understanding that visitors do come to Lough Gur to become immersed in nature and spectacular scenery, the operating community group Lough Gur Development also understand that visitors’ expectation for quality and service has evolved significantly in recent years. With the proliferation of social media all visitors both local and international have developed sophisticated demands from visitor attractions such as Lough Gur.
Impressive projects
As a not for profit organisation, Lough Gur Development as the managing group for the Kiosk, Visitor Centre and Playground reinvest all income generated back into improving the area.
The official opening joins a long line of Lough Gur projects already completed or underway including the most recently opened Lough Gur Solstice Park playground, refurbished visitor centre, improved access and park signage, upgrade to park trails and development of school tours and on the water activities for the summer season.
All projects are made possible through working partnership arrangements between Lough Gur Development community group, Ballyhoura Development and Limerick City and County Council. The Lough Gur Lakeshore Park Kiosk is open from 10am to 6pm Monday to Thursday, and also from 10am to 8pm, Friday to Sunday.
Log on to www.loughgur.com for further information.