Baysports

Baysports

Review

Having reviewed and endorsed thousands of attractions across Ireland and the British Isles over the past 15 years, I approached my revisit to Baysports, once proudly listed as a Hidden Gem in my last edition of the Top 100 Attractions on the Island of Ireland book, with genuine optimism. Unfortunately, what unfolded at 2:30pm on Friday, 11th July 2025, was one of the most disappointing experiences I’ve encountered in my professional career thus far.

As I always do when rewriting my books, I contact the attractions to arrange a revisit before attempting to write a new review. I had pre-arranged a visit and catch-up with Richie O’Hara Jnr, one of the owners, to discuss potentially including Baysports again in my upcoming edition. Upon arrival, I was directed to wait in a catering tent with a coffee. Despite seeing me seated for in and around 40 minutes, Richie appeared more focused on engaging with an RTE camera crew than on the pre-agreed meeting, now we’re all busy, but who is endorsing who here? Eventually, he sat down briefly but was clearly distracted and disinterested in anything I had to say. His demeanour was erratic and unengaged, offering no meaningful conversation about the attraction, its developments, or its future. To be honest, this behaviour to me, seemed very bizzare to say the least.

When I politely expressed that I would be cutting the visit short due to the unproductive nature of the meeting, Richie’s tone shifted dramatically from being shocked, to aggressive. His behaviour became unnecessarily confrontational and, in my opinion, crossed the line. It was uncalled for, totally unprofessional, and left me deeply uncomfortable. As a journalist, I visit hundreds of attractions every year, and I cannot recall a time where I felt so disrespected during a professional encounter.

Baysports to me, once had a strong reputation, built on hospitality, innovation, and integrity. Sadly, my recent experience does not reflect those values. While the facilities may remain popular with visitors on a sunny day like the day I visited, it is my experienced opinion, that it is professionalism and respect that ultimately sustain a business. Based on my experience that day, I cannot in good conscience recommend Baysports to you, or anyone at this time.