Clare council gets Cliffs of Moher trading ban

Clare County Council has secured a temporary court order preventing casual trading and unauthorised busking at the Cliffs of Moher, where a new visitor centre is due to be officially opened shortly.

At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, Judge Carroll Moran also granted an order that busking could take place only in line with the terms offered to 17 people who had been offered busking licences at the cliffs.

Counsel for eight of the 19 defendants before the court, Pat Whyms, said the order did not apply to his clients as they had given an undertaking to the council not to trade and only busk in accordance with the busking licence offered, pending a full court hearing on the case.

Mr Whyms said his clients had no difficulty giving the undertakings to the court provided that the case would be heard over the next six to eight weeks.

Four weeks away from the official opening of the €31.5 million visitor centre at the Cliffs of Moher, Judge Moran said the temporary order and undertakings would be in place until Friday, February 2nd, when the full case would be heard at Ennis Civil Circuit Court.

The centre is to be officially opened on February 8th by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

John Casey, solicitor for trader Des Roche, told the court yesterday that Mr Roche was one of the original three traders at the site, selling blackthorn sticks, and would like to be part of the proceedings.

In all, there are 19 defendants in the case. However, a number of the buskers have been accommodated in a licensed busking system that the council is putting in place.

The council has also provided accommodation for six craft units in the development.

The licences were offered to the 17 buskers after the council advertised for the licensing system and interviews were held with the people involved.

"We have been very pleased with the approach of the applicants and the genuine interest in having a properly managed busking scheme at the Cliffs of Moher," project leader, Ger Dollard, said last month.

"We are satisfied that the applicants represent a good mix and will result in a very positive addition to the visitor experience. On the basis of the information at the interviews we do not see it as necessary to proceed with auditions at this time but reserve the right to do so at a future date."