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Surfers
in Ireland are today rejoicing,
after scoring a sound victory
against big developers who wanted
to place a marina over their
surf spot. The fight has been
going on for years, but this
appears to be the final nail
in the coffin for a boat harbor
in this small coastal town in
County Donegal. Over the past
few months, the Irish Surfing
Association has been lobbying
hard to kill the most recent
proposal, which had won initial
approval by the Town Council.
Surfers
waged a long, uphill battle trying
to convince the Council that
a surf spot was worth more financially
than a small boat harbor.They
managed to garner support from
numerous business people in the
town who benefit directly from
the business of surf-travelers,
and finally they managed to prove
their point to the Council before
the vote: that good surf can
bring in big dollars.
According
to Richie Fitzgerald, owner of
Bundoran's Beach World Surf Shop,
the most difficult argument was
in convincing the politicians
that surfers actually spent good
money in the town. Often labeled
as "barefoot tourists," surfers
are frequently mischaracterized
as being excessively thrifty
travelers. But Richie and friends
managed to convince them otherwise,
mainly from testimony from many
of the town's hotel and restaurant
owners, who have seen a dramatic
rise in profits since the promotion
of Ireland's surf.
We
at Save the Waves hope this will
be a lesson to other countries
with similar development proposals,
and similar attitudes towards
surfers and their spending habits.
A special thanks to all of you
who helped us get the word out
about Bundoran's surf!
Please
become a member by signing up HERE.
It's FREE, and by signing up you
will receive news on all of the latest
developments in our fight against
harmful development projects. If
you wish to make a donation, please
go to our Donation
Station. The staff and volunteers at
Save the Waves thank you for your
support!
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