Let’s Make Clarecastle Better Together!
A community plan is created by the community, for the community. Community planning allows us to:
- Discuss ideas for the future of Clarecastle
- Agree on what’s needed to ensure the village thrives
- Come up with new projects which benefit the community
- Decide together on our key goals and priorities
- Strengthen connections between us all
- Move forward with a united voice!
It’s up to us – the people of Clarecastle – to drive the plan forward and bring it to life.
The plan will be used in lots of ways:
- Inform and influence decision-making about Clarecastle by Clare County Council and other state agencies
- Advocate for improved services and facilities in the village
- Apply for grants and funding to deliver projects and initiatives that are named in the plan
- Motivate ourselves to work together as a community to deliver local projects
- Promote Clarecastle as a great place to live, work and visit!
Consultation Process
Hundreds of you took part in a comprehensive consultation process to tell us what matters to you. We asked you to tell us what’s important for Clarecastle to thrive under the themes below.
As part of this process, we:
- held meetings with the wide variety of community groups
- met with people in key volunteer roles
- held community meetings in the school hall
- hosted an online workshop, ‘Women in Clarecastle’
- got with views of fifth and sixth class student from Clarecastle National School on what they think is important for the village
- held two workshops with teenage boys and girls to get their opinions
- circulated comment cards and information leaflets widely across the village
- had a community plan stall at the Clarecastle Regatta
Clarecastle Village Team
After the consultation process was completed, a planning group (called the “Village Team”) was established to produce a draft plan. The Village Team is based on the Government’s “Town Team” model and Town Centre First Policy. (click here to view)
Anyone can join the Village Team – residents, community and voluntary organisations, local businesses, local elected representatives and other stakeholders – with everyone working together to make decisions on goals and actions to include in the plan.
Meetings are facilitated by an Independent Facilitator.
Celebrating Clarecastle's Spirit of Community and Voluntary Effort!
The plan will acknowledge all the great work that goes on every day in the village from a wide range of organisations, examples below:
- Abbey Hall Committee
- Circular Clarecastle
- Clarecastle GAA
- Clarecastle National School
- Clarecastle Show Society
- CNS Parent’s Association
- Comhaltas
- Community Development CLG
- Community Garden
- Community Lotto
- Day Care Centre
- Heritage and Wildlife Group
- Men’s Shed
- Parish and Pastoral Council
- Playground Group
- Regatta Committee
- Scouts
- Sports Complex
- Tidy Towns
- Walking Group
- Women’s Group
This project was initiated by Clarecastle Community Development CLG. Local woman, Sinéad Doody (Doody Facilitation and Consulting Ltd) was appointed to facilitate the development of the plan. Sinéad has many years’ experience in community development and social inclusion.