Category: Greenways

RTE have an article on their site about the Limerick Greenway (formerly the Great Southern Trail).

TraleeToday.ie reports that the Tralee – Fenit Greenway (along the former railway between the two towns) opened last weekend.

I’m sure Irish Rail are delighted to have offloaded another liability and the awkward questions around how a railway that was not abandoned could have a supermarket carpark built on it.

The Anglo Celt reports that a public consultation on the next phase of the Ulster Canal Greenway – from Clones to Smithborough – is underway this week.

RTE is reporting that work is to commence on an extension to the Waterford Greenway – at the Waterford City end of same.

This will extend the Greenway from Bilberry to Waterford City. Unfortunately, this will not re-use the former Suir railway bridge, which remains derelict and out of use.

Finally, something other than railways, but it is still about greenways, which appear to be the new thing for local authorities all over the Republic of Ireland.

The Irish Times reports that Dublin City Council are to seek Part 8 planning permission to widen the towpaths of sections of the Royal Canal in their administrative area.

Public consultation on this is supposed to be available but I cannot see any reference to it on Dublin City Council’s website, nor on Waterways Ireland’s.

Per the Irish Times, the sections to be widened (which means narrowing of the canal) are:

600m west of Lock 6, 345m west of Broomebridge and 85m west of Lock 8.

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I wish there was some non railway IH news to report, but there isn’t so it is another railway post!

Wicklow County Council are apparently carrying out surveys for a greenway along the entire Woodenbridge to Shillelagh trackbed – a very small part of which near Tinahely is a walkway (co-incidentally, I was there yesterday).

It will be interesting to see how the home owners at Tinahely will take this – one of these (the old goods store) won an award for the conversion of the building to a house a few years ago but such was their concern for privacy, the location of the house was unstated (I was able to figure it out). The station building is also now a private residence.

Separately, I see the car dealership that was in the goods store at Aughrim (another former station on this route) is now closed. As it is not generating rates income for Wicklow County Council, maybe they should see about buying the site/building, using the trackbed for the greenway and granting themselves planning permission for conversion of the goods store to a house, a la Tinahely. This would enhance the value of the building to be sold on to a third party.

Euronews have an article about greenways in Ireland. One of the routes mentioned is the Great Western Greenway in Mayo and how the landowners generally allowed permissive access to the land at no charge.

What is not mentioned is that this is not a long term, sustainable solution as such permission can be revoked (as has happened on occasions) if an issue arises – even if this is nothing to do with the greenway.

It also establishes a bad principle which is that individuals should give access to their property for free, in order to allow others to profit from the provision of services to those who turn up to use it. Just as the principle that the polluter pays is now accepted, the principle that those who benefit from a public good should pay for it, needs to become established.

Another post about railways – just the way the news is flowing!

I missed this when it happened in March but it is worth noting. Wexford County Council apparently had plans to seek to convert the closed South Wexford line to a greenway but have now abandoned these and are instead considering a possible greenway along the abandoned Macmine Junction to New Ross route, where it would continue into the already approved New Ross to Waterford greenway.

IndustrialHeritageIreland welcomes both decisions.

DonegalDaily.com report that Donegal County Council have tarred a 2km section of the railway walk from Burtonport to Meenbannad, greatly improving this amenity.

The Irish Independent reports on the reopening of the greenway along the former North Kerry line in Limerick, referring to it as previously being known as the “Great Southern Greenway” (sic).

This doesn’t do justice to those behind the former Great Southern Trail, who championed (and delivered) the idea of what we now call greenways long before anyone in Ireland knew what that term meant.

Further south, there appears to be little movement on the section of line in Kerry nor on the Fenit branch.