Hopefully this is not an annual award but there seems to be always one each year!
This year we had two of the worst guests imaginable visit our peaceful offgrid project in West Clare, Alan O’Connor and Sabine Sheehan are the names of the two despicable individuals concerned. On arrival Sabine was very rude to a volunteer and the volunteer asked me to meet with her as she was genuinely upset by the encounter. After meeting with Ms Sheehan I realised she is one of the ‘entitled people’ i meet on occasion who should really stay in a hotel or guest house and keep their attitude to themselves. As I have posted before people like Alan O’Connor and Sabine Sheehan are not welcome at Eco Camping Glamping and to save any frustration if you need extra comforts in life do not bother booking with us. I know that most people read up on the campsite beforehand so do not come if you are of a delicate disposition or needy. Certain people in modern society have a sense of entitlement and can be really disrespectful. There is a way of communicating a message which can be pleasant and productive and there is being downright rude and disrespectful. i personally do not tolerate rude people and you will know about it very quickly if you disrespect me or my friends. I spoke with Ms Sheehan after the volunteer’s encounter and explained to her that if she had issues with the accommodation she did not have to stay and could leave if she liked with a refund. Another guest who stayed in the pod next to her the same August bank holiday weekend thoroughly enjoyed his few days staying in a similar pod. He did say her dog was a bit annoying though and was treated more like a child than a dog. One of these toy dog crosses who has been spoiled rotten. The dog tried to bite me when I went to rub it, so I tend to agree. Sabine seemed to have changed her tune the next morning when I met her and her partner Alan and they were surprisingly friendly when I asked if they were leaving or would they be staying a second night. Her partner Alan O’Connor said everything was fine and they would be staying the second night. I recently discovered on reading a review they left online that this fake friendliness was all a big act!
If the pod was not deep cleaned they could have asked me to clean it, go out to the beach for an hour maybe. We had been busy the few weeks after Willie Clancy Week so a deep cleaning may have been overlooked. Guests bring their own mattress protectors, sheets, pillows and duvet so if you brought everything you needed you should not have a problem with the bed or mattress.
I explained to Sabine and Alan that their dog’s poo could be put in the woodland area or bushes as it will help the trees to grow when it composts naturally. Our trees have grown really fast here the past 10 years with the extra compost. Some of our alder and birch are 25 feet tall after 10 years. In Alan’s review he makes it sound like there is dog poo thrown everywhere. it is put in areas that are fenced off and have lots of trees growing. This is better than putting it in a plastic bag and into a bin with other waste that goes to landfill where it rots away mixed in with all kinds of human waste. Both Alan and Sabine seemed confused by this where a normal earth loving person understands and thinks it makes perfectly good sense. Most guests with dogs understand this is a nice change from putting it in the bins mixed with other rubbish that is then sent to landfill.
Another issue they had from their review was waste paper. We supply bins for waste paper from the toilets which is something that over two thirds of the world’s population do to prevent toilets blocking. The amount of toilet paper some people use is incredible. Disposing of waste paper in a receptacle is the normal thing to do in many countries. The waste paper is emptied each day and twice a day if it is busy.
These two drama queens brought an absolutely horrendous attitude with them. And are trying to damage, with such a negative review, a genuine offgrid Eco business that has produced all of its electricity for ten years and planted over 1000 native trees and fruit bushes in this beautiful part of West Clare. Not one mention of the beautiful trees, the two native apple trees beside you, the young native woodland and wildlife, the willow sculptures only focused on the negative. Sad karma.
Sometimes I wonder if it is worth the effort, ‘vale la pena, as we say in South America’, for the few months each year having to deal with gobshites like these. It is a service offered to people that love camping and the great outdoors and does not make much profit for the short time it it is open each year. April to September. i am constantly reminded by friends and returning visitors that people like Alan O’Connor and Sabine Sheehan are in the minority of people who visit thankfully and the genuinely good people who stay at Eco Camping Glamping each year far outnumber negative entities such as these. Le gach dea ghuí, All the best Alan and Sabine. take heed anyone who wishes to dip their toes in the offgrid camping or glamping experience for a vacation in 2027. Most people love what we offer. Amadáns like Alan and óinseachs like Sabine with their demeanour should stick to hotel accommodation… the problem is not many hotels allow guests to bring their dogs you see. Their dog was on vacation too. By the way their dog loved it!
On further research: Alan O’Connor works as a faults supervisor for ESB (Electricity Supply Board in Éire) so maybe he is annoyed that i have produced and stored 100 per cent of electricity on site using micro renewable energy systems and have not paid electricity bills for 10 years. His business model would not make any money from people like me. One of the reasons I chose to live off grid is I remember the ESB promising in the 1990s when promoting windfarms that electricity prices would come down. Not once has that happened, all the while ESB staff salaries keep going up. For example Paddy Hayes, CEO of ESB (Alan’s boss) recently took a salary increase of 29% from 318,083eur to 410,000eur. While everyday hardworking bill payers are forced to tighten their belts.
From the chart below you will see there are quite a few CEOs drinking a lot more gravy this year.
Alan claims to have stayed in many Eco campsites in his review. You can be sure this is untrue. there are not many genuine Eco campsites in Éire, that is why Eco Camping Glamping was created in 2017. I have lived in a tent for over two and a half years of my life Alan so have plenty of low impact living experience. As far as Ms Sheehan. She would be an example of a high maintenance woman as we say in our locality and should stick to her four or five star hotels when looking for accommodations. Your dog has more manners than you have. How clients cannot see through your facade. From the moment I met you I knew you were fake. Personally I will not be supporting Sabine Sheehan’s SIOCH Brand Consultacy, or Lambay Whiskey as, like herself, it probably has bitter overtones. These people actually lie with a smile on their faces. Slán agus Beannacht.
For reference: the featured photo on this post shows an Eco Camping Glamping Pod that is provided with bed linen for 120eur per night. We also offer the option of bringing your own bed linen, pillows, mattress protector for 80 eur per night.. this is the option Alan O’Connor and Sabine Sheehan chose. The cheaper of the two where you ‘bring your own bells and whistles’, as the saying goes. a more economical, as well as ecological option.
