Irish greenways

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Ireland's greenways are off-road routes for walkers, cyclists and other non-motorised transport in Ireland, which are often created as rail trails on abandoned sections of the Irish rail network. In the Republic of Ireland, several greenway initiatives have been centrally funded by the Irish government. [1] In Northern Ireland, greenways are typically part of the collective British National Cycle Network (NCN). [2]

Contents

Examples

There are a number of greenways (including several rail trails) in Ireland. Notable examples include the:

Under construction

Ireland

A number of greenways have been proposed to be built (or are under construction or partially opened) in the Republic of Ireland. For example, in 2018, a 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) section (from Athry to Cloonbeg) of the proposed 76 kilometres (47 mi) Connemara Greenway was opened. [12] [13] In County Kerry, the Tralee-Fenit Greenway was partially completed as of 2021. [14] Some sections of the Dublin-Galway Greenway, proposed ultimately to be a 276 kilometres (171 mi) 'coast-to-coast' greenway and rail trail, have been partially opened. [15] [16]

Other examples include the Athlone to Mullingar Cycleway, [17] some sections of which opened in 2015. [18] and Cork Greenway. Progress on the proposed South Kerry Greenway was subject to planning challenges and decisions as of late 2021. [19] [20]

Northern Ireland

In 2016, Derry City and Strabane District Council in partnership with Donegal County Council, Sustrans Northern Ireland and the Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland) secured funding to construct 46.5 km of greenway and segregated cycling routes linking Derry in Northern Ireland to Muff and Buncrana in County Donegal. [21] The project team was established in 2017, [22] and the plan was to complete construction works by 2021.[ needs update ] The project, funded by INTERREG VA and administered by the Special European Union Programmes Body, was titled the 'North West Greenway Network'.[ citation needed ] As of late 2021, work on some sections of the North West Greenway Network had reputedly begun, [23] while other sections of the proposed cycleway have reportedly met with planning objections and land use issues. [24]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lists of long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland</span>

These are lists of long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland, and include recognised and maintained walking trails, pilgrim trails, cycling greenways, boardwalk-mountain trails, and interconnected national and international trail systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canal</span> 19th century construction in Ireland

The Royal Canal is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from Dublin to Longford in Ireland. It is one of two canals from Dublin to the River Shannon and was built in direct competition to the Grand Canal. The canal fell into disrepair in the late 20th century, but much of it has since been restored for navigation. The length of the canal to the River Shannon was reopened on 1 October 2010, but a final spur branch, to Longford Town, remains closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moate</span> Town in County Westmeath in Ireland

Moate is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail trail</span> Railroad bed converted to a recreational trail

A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcars, or with disused track. As shared-use paths, rail trails are primarily for non-motorized traffic including pedestrians, bicycles, horseback riders, skaters, and cross-country skiers, although snowmobiles and ATVs may be allowed. The characteristics of abandoned railways—gentle grades, well-engineered rights of way and structures, and passage through historical areas—lend themselves to rail trails and account for their popularity. Many rail trails are long-distance trails, while some shorter rail trails are known as greenways or linear parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlingford Lough</span> Glacial fjord or sea inlet in Ireland

Carlingford Lough is a glacial fjord or sea inlet in northeastern Ireland, forming part of the border between Northern Ireland to the north and the Republic of Ireland to the south. On its northern shore is County Down, the Mourne Mountains, and the town of Warrenpoint; on its southern shore is County Louth, the Cooley Mountains and the village of Carlingford. The Newry River flows into the loch from the northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omeath</span> Village in County Louth, Ireland

Omeath is a village on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It is roughly midway between Dublin and Belfast, very near the County Louth and County Armagh / County Down border. As of the 2016 census, Omeath had a population of 603, up from 439 during the 2006 census. It is approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) from Carlingford and about 8 km (5.0 mi) from Newry. By sea, Omeath's nearest land neighbour is Warrenpoint on the south County Down coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland Great Western Railway</span> Former railway company in Ireland

The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railways in 1924. At its peak the MGWR had a network of 538 miles (866 km), making it Ireland's third largest network after the Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) and the Great Northern Railway of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenway (landscape)</span> Shared-use path or linear park with vegetation

A greenway is usually a shared-use path along a strip of undeveloped land, in an urban or rural area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection. Greenways are frequently created out of disused railways, canal towpaths, utility company rights of way, or derelict industrial land. Greenways can also be linear parks, and can serve as wildlife corridors. The path's surface may be paved and often serves multiple users: walkers, runners, bicyclists, skaters and hikers. A characteristic of greenways, as defined by the European Greenways Association, is "ease of passage": that is that they have "either low or zero gradient", so that they can be used by all "types of users, including mobility impaired people".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bike paths in Sydney</span> Bike paths

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Southern Trail</span> Hiking and cycling trail in Ireland

The Great Southern Trail, comprising the Limerick Greenway and North Kerry Greenway, is a greenway rail trail under development in County Limerick and County Kerry in Ireland. As of October 2022, 40 kilometres of the Limerick Greenway and 10.5 kilometres of the North Kerry Greenway were completed. When fully completed, the route is intended to be 85 kilometres long and run from Limerick to Tralee. It is an off-road trail intended for use by cyclists and walkers along the route of the Limerick-Tralee line, formerly operated by the Great Southern and Western Railway, which opened between 1867 and 1880 and was closed in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westmeath Way</span>

The Westmeath Way is a long-distance trail in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is 100 kilometres long and begins in Kilbeggan and ends in Athlone. It is typically completed in two days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Westmeath County Council and the Westmeath Way Committee. The trail forms part of the Dublin-Galway Greenway, part of the route 2 of the EuroVelo European cycle network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin–Galway Greenway</span> Rail-trail and greenway in Ireland

The Dublin–Galway Greenway is a partially completed 'coast-to-coast' greenway and partial rail trail, in Ireland, funded by the Department of Transport, which is due to become the western section of EuroVelo EV2, a cycle route from Galway, Ireland, crossing Europe and ending in Moscow, Russia. The 276 kilometres (171 mi) route was planned to be completed by 2020. It is due to be the fourth greenway in Ireland, after the Great Southern Trail, the Great Western Greenway and the Waterford Greenway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canal Greenway</span> Greenway in Ireland

The Royal Canal Greenway is a greenway, in Ireland, which will become part of the western section of EuroVelo EV2, and the Dublin-Galway Greenway. Since its official opening in March 2021, it is the longest greenway in Ireland. It spans from Maynooth County Kildare to Longford and Cloondara, County Longford passing through counties Meath and Westmeath.

The Boyne Greenway or Boyneside Trail is a greenway, cycle track and walkway along the Oldbridge section of the Boyne Navigation in Ireland. It runs from Pass, County Meath to opposite the entrance to the 'Battle of the Boyne' Visitor Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athlone to Mullingar Cycleway</span> Trail in Ireland

The Athlone to Mullingar Cycleway is a long-distance cycling and walking trail in County Westmeath, which forms a section of the Dublin-Galway Greenway. It is a 42 kilometres long rail-trail over the disused Athlone-Mullingar rail line beginning in Athlone and ending in Mullingar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tralee–Fenit Greenway</span> Partially completed walking trail in Ireland

The Tralee–Fenit Greenway is a greenway and rail trail in Ireland, which is due to form part of EuroVelo EV1 and the Great Southern Trail. The 14km route was planned to be completed by 2021, but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a rescheduled opening of summer 2022. The first phase of the greenway, comprising 6.5km of the route, was opened in June 2022, this was extended to 11.2km in October 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Kerry Greenway</span> Hiking and cycling trail in Ireland

The South Kerry Greenway is a proposed greenway rail trail in County Kerry, Ireland. It is intended to be 27 kilometres long when completed and run from Glenbeigh to Cahersiveen. It is an off-road trail intended for use by cyclists and walkers along some of the route of the Farranfore–Valentia Harbour line, which opened 1893 and closed in 1960. The line was operated by the Great Southern and Western Railway.

County Cork has a number of rail-trails and greenways and, as of 2022, there are plans and proposals at various stages of preparation to create a network of walking trails for the county. The term "Cork Greenway" has been used in press coverage, but is not yet used officially.

References

  1. ↑ "Press Release - Funding of €63.5m for Greenways in 2021 confirmed by Ministers Ryan and Naughton". gov.ie. 9 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "National Cycling Network - The Argus". Cyclist.ie. 20 August 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "Boyne Greenway". drogheda.ie. Retrieved 20 January 2022. The 1.9km long Boyne Greenway brings you from St. Dominic's Park [..] Drogheda [..] to the site of the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre at Oldbridge
  4. ↑ "Carlingford - Omeath Greenway Greenway". The Argus . 18 June 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015– via Independent.ie.
  5. ↑ "The Carlingford Lough Greenway - Phase 1 Completed". newrymournedown.org. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. Retrieved 29 May 2020. Louth County Council has already constructed 6.2km of Greenway from Omeath to Carlingford Marina and this [..] opened in 2014
  6. ↑ "Cycling the Grand Canal". Waterways Ireland . Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Grand Canal Way". IrishTrails. Irish Sports Council. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  8. ↑ O'Brien, Tim. "Former west Limerick railway line reopens as 40km greenway". The Irish Times.
  9. ↑ "Trail Map". Great Western Greenway. Retrieved 1 August 2011. Mayo's Great Western Greenway is a 44km off-road route
  10. ↑ "Greenways - Royal Canal Greenway". WaterwaysIreland.org . Retrieved 20 January 2022. Royal Canal Greenway is 130km of level towpath, ideal for walkers, runners and cyclists
  11. ↑ "Ireland's longest greenway opens in Waterford". RTE.ie. RTÉ News. 25 March 2017.
  12. ↑ "6km section of Connemara greenway opens to cyclists". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 28 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "Connemara Greenway". Department for Transport, Ireland. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  14. ↑ Brouder, Simon (3 February 2021). "Concerns over fencing along Greenway". The Kerryman . Retrieved 4 July 2021– via Independent.ie.
  15. ↑ "Galway to Dublin Greenway". Galway City Council. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  16. ↑ "Latest section of Dublin-Galway coast-to-coast Greenway opens - Varadkar". DTTAS.ie. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "Athlone to Mulligar Greenway". GalwayCity.ie . Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  18. ↑ "Taoiseach to perform official opening of Mullingar to Garrycastle cycleway". Shannonside FM. 11 September 2015. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "High Court ruling brings South Kerry Greenway one step closer". RadioKerry.ie . Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  20. ↑ Kelleher, Sinead (23 December 2021). "€2m for South Kerry Greenway as Supreme Court decision is awaited". The Kerryman . Independent.ie . Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  21. ↑ "European Union Invests €23 Million In A New 'Green Way' Forward For Cross-Border Travel" (PDF) (Press release). Special EU Programmes Body. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  22. ↑ "Funding offer and new jobs to deliver the NW Greenway project". Donegal News. 2 October 2017.
  23. ↑ "Works begin on first stage of Inishowen greenway". donegaldaily.com. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022. Works have begun on the first stage of the Inishowen Greenway in Muff [..] The greenway is part of the North West Greenway Network, which also includes a 7.2km route from Lifford to Strabane
  24. ↑ "Donegal Greenway route disagreement". donegallive.ie. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022. Landowners impacted by the preferred route [..] have forced the project organisers to examine an alternative route [..] North West Greenway Network, which is based within Donegal County Council, met with a number of objections when it was exploring [routes]
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