Royal Canal Greenway | |
---|---|
Length | 130km [1] |
Location | Maynooth-Longford and Cloondara, Ireland |
Trailheads | Maynooth, County Kildare Longford town Cloondara, County Longford |
Use | Hiking, Cycling |
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. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Since its official opening in March 2021 [update] , it is the longest greenway in Ireland. [7] It spans from Maynooth County Kildare to Longford and Cloondara, County Longford [8] passing through counties Meath and Westmeath.
The greenway uses the routes of former towpaths of the Royal Canal.
The route makes up most of the older Royal Canal Way which links Ashtown, Dublin to Longford and Cloondara along the Royal Canal.
The official "starting" point for the Greenway is at Maynooth harbour, [9] 28 km from the Eastern end of the Greenway; but works are either in planning, under construction or completed along the entire length of the Royal Canal Way.
The development of the greenway, by Waterways Ireland with the local authorities along the route, was supported by government departments for Local Government, Tourism and Public Expenditure. [10] [11] [12]
Athlone is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of 21,349 in the 2016 census.
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.
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,634 at the 2022 census. The county is based on the historic Gaelic territory of Annaly (Anghaile), formerly known as Teffia (Teathbha).
County Westmeath is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of Meath, which was named Mide because the kingdom was located in the geographical centre of Ireland. Westmeath County Council is the administrative body for the county, and the county town is Mullingar. At the 2022 census, the population of the county was 95,840.
Ballymahon on the River Inny is a town in the southern part of County Longford, Ireland. It is located at the junction of the N55 National secondary road and the R392 regional road.
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census.
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.
Maynooth is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University and St Patrick's College, a Pontifical University and Ireland's sole Roman Catholic seminary. Maynooth is also the seat of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference and holds the headquarters of Ireland's largest development charity, Trócaire. Maynooth is located 24 kilometres west of central Dublin.
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.
The villages of Killucan and Rathwire are co-located in the east of County Westmeath, Ireland. They have a combined population of 1,370 according to the 2016 census. Killucan is on the R156 road about 15 km (9.3 mi) from Mullingar and 60 km (37 mi) from Dublin.
The Dublin to Sligo main line is a railway route operated by Iarnród Éireann in Ireland. It starts in Dublin Connolly station, terminating at Sligo Mac Diarmada railway station in Sligo. The route is a double-track railway as far as Maynooth, being a single-track railway with passing loops between there and Sligo.
National Cycle Route 9 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from Belfast to Dublin. It is the lowest-numbered route on the National Cycle Network outside of Great Britain.
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.
EuroVelo 2 (EV2), named The Capitals Route, is a 5,500 km (3,400 mi) long EuroVelo long-distance cycling route running from Galway, Ireland to Moscow, Russia. This east-west route passes successively through seven countries – Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Russia – and visits all their capital cities.
EuroVelo 1 (EV1), named the Atlantic Coast Route, is a 8,186 km (5,087 mi) long EuroVelo long-distance cycling route running from North Cape in Norway to Sagres in Portugal. This north-south route runs (mostly) along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean of Western Europe and passes successively through eight countries: Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, France, Spain and Portugal.
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 km 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.
Farbill is a barony in east County Westmeath, in Ireland. It was formed by 1672. It is bordered by County Meath to the south and east and three other baronies: Fartullagh, Moyashel and Magheradernon and Delvin. The largest centre of population in the barony is the town of Kinnegad.
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.
The Waterford Greenway, also known locally as the Déise Greenway, is a route on a former railway track in County Waterford, Ireland, used for cycling and hiking. It opened in March 2017, on what was originally the Mallow/Waterford railway line, and forms part of EuroVelo 1 route.
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. In Northern Ireland, greenways are typically part of the collective British National Cycle Network (NCN).
53°22′42″N6°35′25″W / 53.378261°N 6.590205°W