The village of Kilbaha is the most westerly tip on the Loop Head Peninsula but that doesn’t lead to any sense of isolation, according to sisters-in-law Liz Greehy and Ailish Connolly who own and manage Kilbaha Gallery.

The two young women are passionate about the area and its potential as a tourism destination. They are equally passionate about ensuring that tourism is sustainable and that it complements the local communities.

In the short-term, ideally this means smaller electric buses bringing tourists to the area. “The roads are narrow and big buses meeting tractors, hikers, walkers and cyclists just doesn’t work. As well as that, the local businesses are just not large enough to cater for so many people at the one time. We don’t want the problems of mass tourism.”

Liz Greehy was born and raised locally. Her dad Jim is the well-known sculptor and advocate for rural resettlement. Having lived in London for a period, she found the draw to return home and live by the sea irresistible.

“I have a passion for Kilbaha. It is sophisticated and beautiful and accessible to all.”

Ailish Connolly, on the other hand, is from Dublin and is married to Liz’s brother Seámus. She moved to Kilbaha with three young children and worked with Rural Resettlement. “Then the time came for me to do my own thing so I signed up for a ‘start your own business’ course only to find that Ailish had done the same thing.”

Their ideas were similar so together they developed an ‘‘amazing’’ business plan for a business on the tip of the peninsula and presented it to the bank manager. “You should have seen his face. But the figures backed up our case. The Wild Atlantic Way was on its way and we had a vision of creating something beautiful.

That ‘‘something beautiful’’ turned out to be Kilbaha gallery and café – a gallery to showcase the contemporary creations of professional artists and crafts people. The gallery quickly won ‘‘Best New Business’’ in Clare and came in the top three in Munster in the Bank of Ireland Start Up Awards.

“This little business employs seven people. Keatings, the pub and restaurant around the corner employs another eight. There are about the same number working in the lighthouse. This is what community-led tourism is all about and it’s what’s brilliant about Loop Head,” says Ailish.

Contact Kilbaha Gallery on 065-9058843 www.loophead.ie/kilbaha-gallery-crafts/