Members of Seafield Conservation Forum are frequently asked by visitors to Seafield Pier, why the land bordering the beach has never been developed. On this page, we provide the answer.

The area we are referring to is Seafield Commonage, which is a single parcel of private land intersected with a public right of way (pier road) that runs from Seafield to Seafield Pier. It does not include the derelict residences at Seafield Pier, as they are separately owned.

Please click on each question to reveal answers.

Why is land designated as Commonage?

Because of its location, soil type or geology, not all land is suitable for development. In the days when landlords ruled the countryside, they referred to this type of land as ‘unassigned land.’ Because it wasn’t useful for anything else, tenant farmers often paid a landlord to graze their animals on unassigned land. When the landlords left, it was the job of The Land Commission to decide how best to manage this unassigned land throughout the country. Their solution was to enable tenant farmers to continue grazing the property. They termed the land ‘Commonage’ to reflect the fact that a group of specific individuals had received the right to graze the land in common with each other.

As there are houses and fields throughout Seafield, how come land around Seafield Pier was designated as Commonage?

Anyone who farms in Seafield is familiar with the soil structure and geology of the place. As you drive towards Seafield Pier, the Commonage on the left-hand side once contained a lake, called Lough Bran. In the 1920’s the landlord drained this lake because it is believed it was prone to flooding. Therefore, this part of the Commonage or sand dunes contains a naturally occurring lakebed. Certainly not suitable for building on, particularly as it is relied upon today as part of Seafield’s drainage system.

On the right-hand side, you see what remains of what was a much larger area of sand dunes and the old roadway to the Pier, which has long since eroded into the sea. This area was also designated Commonage. Our great-grandparents and grandparent’s generations knew that to have a healthy beach, you need healthy sand dunes and vice versa. Sand dunes are not stable enough to build upon by themselves. The groundworks necessary to create stable structures on the dunes would damage the dune system to such an extent that coastal erosion would accelerate, compromising the land and buildings.

How do we know that building on Seafield Commonage could be damaging?

The old road to the Pier that existed generations ago eroded into the sea. The Land Commission understood the land and its potential, as did our grandparents generation. They did not build on it.

So what, that was decades ago. Why can’t we go ahead and build there today?

The type of sand dunes and land in Seafield hasn’t changed, there is just a lot less of it!

There are other factors to consider as well:

  1. Seafield Commonage contains part of the wider Carrowmore Point to Spanish Point and Islands Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Mid-Clare Coast Special Protection Area under the E.U. Birds Directive (SPA). Essentially, areas designated SAC or SPA are protected habitats with strict controls governing the nature and extent of activities that may take place within these areas. The remaining land mass of sand dunes is not large enough to develop without significantly damaging the bird habitats that rely on Seafield.
  2. Ownership structure. Seafield Commonage is privately owned farmland with cattle roaming freely throughout. In the 1960s and 1970s onwards, the Land Commission offered tenant farmers the chance to buy out their shares in Seafield Sand Dunes outright. This they did. As a result, the land has been privately owned for at least five decades and continues to be actively used as farmland. It is still referred to as Seafield Commonage for historical reasons. It is jointly and privately owned by a group of landowners (shareholders) who have deeds and folios for this land as they do for any other property that they own. As with any private property in the State, the list of owners is a matter of public record.
  3. Landowners (either collectively or individually) may not allow any developments on their property that would be in breach of any laws or regulations. This is the same for any landowner anywhere in the country. The environmental and planning regulations applying to Seafield Sand Dunes are significant.

What access rights do the Public have when it comes to Seafield Commonage?

Simply put, the Public has no access rights to Seafield Commonage. It’s private land.

Members of the Public do not have a right to drive onto someone else’s land, park their cars or campervans there, set up tents or light fires or campfires. No person or group has a ‘right’ to enter other people’s property to start ‘developing’ it or using it as they please. Seafield is no exception.

The only ‘public’ space at Seafield is the Pier itself and the beach area below the high tide mark.

Clare County Council can force the landowners to hand over their land for a ‘Public Benefit’ can’t they?

No, it can’t. Clare County Council, through its officers and staff, must also comply with the laws of the land. Failure for them to do so, or facilitating others to engage in legally questionable activity, could result in investigation by the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO), by the Office of the Ombudsman or could result in legal action being taken against the Council through the Courts.

We hope the Questions and Answers section outlined above gives you a much better sense of how Commonage land operates. We also hope you have a better understanding of why Seafield still remains a beautiful green space with two beach areas for all to enjoy by the sea!