BELIEVE it or not, but it’s now possible to take a drive out the N69 and end up on what looks like the Ho Chi Minh trail with the crackling of machine guns and the whirring of Black Hawk helicopters overhead.
Don’t panic! Hostile Viet Cong guerrilla fighters have not invaded West Limerick and you haven’t woken up in some alternate universe where the good people of Shanagolden have declared war on Southeast Asia. No siree, Bob!
In fact, the only bombshell dropped out these parts, is that of a new 80-acre adventure playground complete with a 25-acre movie-set paintball mission zone, 30 minutes from the city.
Without fear of losing limb or life, you can now let loose and reenact skirmishes on the battlefields of Vietnam and Normandy or partake in a life-sized Black Hawk Down helicopter mission.
The custom-built Basecamp Action Adventure Park expects to attract 50,000 people to Shanagolden in the next three years generating €4 million to the local economy. The new West Limerick tourist attraction will provide an exhilarating outdoor experience like never before seen in Ireland for all kids aged from eight to 80 with 80 per cent of them travelling from outside the county.
Owned by Limerick native Wayne Slattery, the adrenalin-fuelled adventure park with a staff of 20 resulted from a substantial six-figure investment. Plans are also in place to recruit additional 25 staff members over the next five years.
“Having operated Combat Zone Paintballing for almost 15 years, we knew that there was an increasing appetite for adventure experiences in Ireland, particularly amongst families, corporate groups and stag parties,” the Raheen entrepreneur told the Limerick Post.
The culmination of more than two years of international research, planning and construction, the park will contain thrilling outdoor activities such as 3D forest archery, survival challenges, bushcraft, paintball and splatball, as well as other high-octane entertainment.
“With 80-acres to play with, we set about creating something that would not only cater for our existing customer base, but would also attract school groups, families, sports teams and hen parties. And, from the very beginning, we were clear that we wanted to offer a world-class product that people would be prepared to travel to,” Wayne explained.
“We have chill-out zones, high-energy challenges, target ranges, a kids base camp and a host of other dedicated action areas, including a 25-acre movie-set paintball mission zone containing a life-sized Black Hawk Down helicopter mission, a Viet Cong village, the famous D-Day, an adrenalin pumping lockdown fortress and a number of other high-octane missions. We also have the only survival-skills training and bushcraft activities in the region.”
Mr Slattery sees Basecamp Action Adventure Park in County Limerick as just the beginning of a wider strategy of expansion that will see a park open in Dublin next year, generating a further 50 jobs.
The Shanagolden adventure centre have created a range of two-hour to full-day packages to attract family, corporate, school and sporting groups, as well as hen and stag parties, many of whom it is hoped will stay overnight in one of the park’s partner hotels in Limerick city.
