‘A GAME CHANGER’ – 130KM ROYAL CANAL GREENWAY LAUNCHES AS IRELAND’S LONGEST GREENWAY
The Royal Canal Greenway officially launches today as Ireland’s longest greenway, with 130km of level towpaths taking walkers and cyclists from Maynooth, Co Kildare to Cloondara, Co Longford, with a little time-travel along the way.
The refurbished route, a €12million project co-ordinated by Waterways Ireland, follows the 225-year-old canal past arched bridges, 33 locks, harbours and heritage buildings dotted through farmland and waterside towns like Mullingar and Enfield along the way.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan described the route as “a game changer for outdoor tourism and leisure in Ireland”, and said it was part of a growing network of greenways to be funded by this government.
A rebooted Limerick Greenway will also launch later this year, and funding of €63.5m has been allocated to several off-road walking and cycling projects in 2021, including €9m for the New Ross to Waterford Greenway, €10m for Cork’s Midleton to Youghal Greenway and €5.5m for an expansion of Mayo’s Great Western Greenway.
“In the past year, Ireland’s great outdoors has proved to be a lifeline for the nation, with a surge in those running, walking and cycling,” Minister Ryan added.
“When we travel again, the Royal Canal Greenway will be a fantastic attraction ready to be enjoyed by all.”
For now, of course, lockdown and travel restrictions mean the Greenway is only accessible to people living within 5km. But this summer it is hoped that the historic towpaths will open up domestic tourism in the four counties through which it passes – Kildare, Meath, Westmeath and Longford.
In the future, there are plans to link the route all the way to Spencer Dock in Dublin.
Shorter designated stretches along the way range from 6km to 15km, and high-profile attractions linked by offshoot trails range from Carton House to the Corlea Trackway and Center Parcs.
The old towpaths are “continually reimagining and reinventing” themselves, said Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, who described the historic route as “a 225-year-old engineering marvel that is now a respite for the modern age”.
The Greenway also includes the bulk of the 165km National Famine Way, which launched last year and follows the footsteps of 1,490 emigrants – known as the ‘Missing 1,490’ – who walked from Strokestown, Co Roscommon to Dublin’s docks in 1847.
In the future, local communities will benefit not just from the amenity itself, but jobs and business creation through bike hire, accommodation, restaurants and cafes along the route, said John McDonagh, CEO of Waterways Ireland.
The Royal Canal Greenway was completed in partnership with local authorities; the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland. It also forms part of EuroVelo 2, a 5,000km “Capitals Route” that passes through Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Russia.
Irish Independent
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Michael McDonnell Managing Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine & Plan Magazine
