Dog owners face fines of up to €1,270 if found taking their dog - even those on a lead - for a summer afternoon stroll on Clare's beaches from this Thursday.
The ban on dogs is to come into force from June 1st to the end of August between 11am and 6pm. Clare County Council confirmed yesterday that gardaí have been drafted in to support the implementation of the contentious beach bylaw.
A council spokesman said there would be a "softly-softly" approach at first when the emphasis would be on education. The bylaws state that dog-owners face on-the-spot fines of €125 and fines up to €1,270 if a case goes to court.
The spokesman said gardaí were supportive of the bylaws. However, he said that apart from expenditure on signage, no additional funding has been made available to implement the new laws.
Clare's dog warden will not be in a position to enforce the ban at the busiest time, weekends, as he works Monday to Friday.
But beach lifeguards, other council staff and gardaí will be imposing the new laws.
The bylaws will also seek to control littering, lighting of fires, camping, trading and regulate the use of motorised craft and water sports activities at Clare beaches.
Chief Supt Liam Quinn welcoming the bylaws, said: "For a long time, we have campaigned for the introduction of such bylaws. They give the gardaí and Clare County Council the authority to rid the county's coastal amenity areas of nuisances.
"The number of fires being lit and parties being held on the county's beaches concerns me. The beach bylaws will enable gardaí to limit this activity."
The council's environment special policy committee chairwoman, Cllr Patricia McCarthy, said: "It is very welcome that the bylaws are coming into force in the interests of safety, health and well-being of the population.
"Dogs banned from beaches is standard practice all over the Continent and it is not safe to have dogs roaming on beaches. It will take time for the bylaws to settle down."
However, Cllr Joe Carey (FG), who voiced his opposition to the move earlier this year, yesterday described the beach bylaws "as a draconian measure".
He warned: "The council may come to regret the decision as Clare is a tourist county and the ban on dogs is not a family-friendly policy."
Cllr Colm Wiley (FF) said: "I don't think the dogs ban will work because the council has neither the staff nor the resources to enforce the law. I hope the ban doesn't work because people should be able to bring their dogs for a walk on the beach if the dog is on a lead."
The council imposed a ban on dogs from the county's beaches in spite of opposition from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) and international best-selling author Nuala O'Faolain.
ISPCA general manager Mark Beazley urged the council to leave a section of each beach accessible to dogs on a year-round basis, marked out by wooden posts or signage.
A submission from Nuala O'Faolain, who owns a house near Lahinch, offered similar views to the ISPCA. "It seems a pity to prohibit families and visitors the company of their dogs.
"Couldn't part of the beach be designated dogs allowed?" she asked.
The beaches to be included are Lahinch, Kilkee, Bishop's Quarter, Spanish Point, Doolin, Seafield, White Strand (Doonbeg), Carrigaholt and Brews Bridge.
