Donald Trump hopes to build a seawall to protect his Irish golf course, and potentially ruin a popular surfing beach. Photo: trumpgolfireland.com
Controversial U.S. Presidential Candidate, Donald Trump seems to love walls. His latest is a massive seawall in Ireland to protect his luxury golf course from sea-level rise (which he publicly does not believe in) and will destroy one of Western Ireland’s most consistent beachbreaks at Doughmore Beach. Home to a hearty community of local surfers who depend on its sculpted sandbars, it offers a wide swell window for year-round surf.
Along with our local partners, we at Save The Waves Coalition have launched #NatureTrumpsWalls as an international campaign to defeat the controversial seawall and preserve the waves at Doughmore Beach. With over 80,000 signatures to date, we urge you to sign the online petition, and convince local authorities to reject the proposal for good.
Save The Waves Director of Programs, Nick Mucha, explains the threat by Trump’s wall to the Irish coastline.
The proposed wall on Doughmore Beach would run 2.8 kilometers, reach 15 feet tall, and consist of 200,000 tons of rock dumped on a public beach to protect Mr. Trump’s private course. The wall would traverse an expansive sand dune system known as Carrowmore Dunes; a 31-acre renowned ecological treasure that is considered a ‘Special Area of Conservation’ by the European Union Special Habitats Directive. The sand dunes play a critically important role for Doughmore Beach as they contribute to the sand supply for the wide, popular beach and nourish the offshore sandbars that make Doughmore Beach a consistently fun surf spot. The project would also restrict public access to the beach, particularly during the lengthy construction period.
Fergal Smith, Irish big-wave legend and environmentalist, has joined the #NatureTrumpsWalls campaign. “It’s so important that we stand up for nature and not get bullied by business,” he said. “We must respect nature and have to learn to work with it, not just impose what some humans want. We are at a time in history where we can no longer watch money be more important then environment.”
Save The Waves is working alongside prominent Irish and European environmental and surfing groups to defeat Mr. Trump’s proposal. The coalition of organizations includes the Surfrider Foundation Europe, Friends of the Irish Environment, the Irish Surfing Association, the West Coast Surf Club, Friends of the Earth Ireland, and the Irish Seal Sanctuary.
To take action, sign and share the petition. And check out the campaign website.
