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Galway Council will meet the Minister to try to break the empass on the Dublin Galway Greenway Route

According to the Connacht t ribune and Galway Bay fm newsroom – County Council officials will meet with the Transport Minister next week to discuss funding and land ownership issues regarding the Galway to Dublin greenway. Maps outlining the proposed greenway route corridor were presented to councillors at this afternoon’s meeting of the Loughrea municipal district. Director of Services Liam Gavin says the project is vital to the East Galway region, but the concerns of home and landowners along the proposed route must be taken into consideration. It was suggested that the old N6 could be used as part of the route to avoid fragmentation of farmland – but the director said the road is too fast, and would not satisfy safety requirements. Councillors at the meeting were in agreement that the project is a positive development, but say farms cannot be cut in half by the route, and that alternatives to this measure should be thoroughly considered. Cathaoirleach of the Loughrea distric

Dublin Galway Greenway Route

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Several people have contacted us and asked if there is single source of information on the proposed Dublin Galway greenway route. The route crosses 6 county borders and will involve the cooperation of at least 8 local authorities and government bodies. So its not surprising, given the number of bodies involved, that there isn't one single place that lays out the entire route. Note that many of the proposed route is subject to planning and land holder agreements. The RCAG Royal Canal Amenity Group has made a good start to list the sections along the Royal Canal and the following is our understanding of the proposed route. Please get in touch and help us to keep this information up to date. Dublin: Guild Street to Sheriff Street to Castleknock. See Map . Note that Dublin City Council have recently announced plans to proceed . Kildare: No work has commenced. Subject to Planning Meath: No work has commenced. Subject to Planning Westmeath: Westmeath/Meath border to Cooln

North South Ministerial Council calls for the connection of cross border Greenways

The North South Ministerial Council (22 April 2015), which was attended by political representatives from both sides of the border, has heard of the social and economic benefits of greenways. The ministers welcomed the continued investment by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Department for Regional Development on the promotion and development of sustainable transport options, including cycling. The North South Ministerial Council is a body that has its origins from the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement (1998) which provided for co-operation and implementation for mutual benefit. A number of interesting presentations were given by representatives from bodies such as Waterways Ireland, Tourism Ireland and local authorities. Some mentionable presentation were: Presentation from Waterways Ireland on Greenways and Blueways Presentation from Tourism Ireland on Branding Ireland Other presentations from local authorities and government bodies

Center Parcs in Longford could prove to a hit on the Dublin Galway Greenway

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According to reports today, Center Parcs are finalising a deal to develop a forestry village resort in Ballymahon, County Longford with 600 jobs in the construction stage and a potential of 500 jobs when in operation. Center Parcs is in talks with Coillte over a site at Newcastle Woods, Co. Longford, near the River Inny and the Royal Canal.  Center Parcs resorts, which are Dutch-style forest holiday villages, already have five UK resorts and British staycationers love them. According to the Irish Independent, the resort experiences are centered on activities - ranging from kayaking and raft-building to high ropes courses, bike hire, paintball, archery, adventure golf, tennis and more. There will also be a Subtropical Swimming Paradise set at the heart of the complex. The recent announcement by the Longford County Council to develop the Royal Canal cycle and walkway (Royal Canal Greenway) to the Westmeath border now looks like a very sensible decision. It will mean that

200,000 Euro allocated for the Royal Canal Greenway in Fingal County Council (FCC) Programme of Works 2015

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200,000 Euro for the Royal Canal Greenway has been allocated by the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Fingal County Council (FCC) in their Programme of Works 2015. The spending allocation has been allocated for the: o Finalisation of the design, planning and preparation of tender documents for this section of the Royal Canal Route from Phibsboro to Ashtown – €100,000 o Planning and design of cycle route on Royal Canal towpath, from 12th Lock to the county boundary with Kildare (including ‘deep sinking’ section) – €100,000 In particular the planning and design will focus on a section called the "Deep Sinking"  where there is a significant grade difference between the towpaths and water surface of the canal. In a previous report by Fingal County Council an option included the construction a cantilevered boardwalk type facility. The height of the boardwalk would be high above the canal in some parts and w hen completed a boardwalk style canal path could prov

Waterways Ireland encourages new business to set up along Blueways

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At a Longford Tourism event last night (24th Mar 2015), Waterways Ireland and Longford Tourism urged entrepreneurs and businesses in Longford to develop new enterprises along the Shannon Camlin Blueway. A 10 kilometre looped trail of the Shannon and Camlin River, is to be opened next month which it’s hoped will be a focal point for boating, canoeing or other outdoor pursuits. Details were also presented of a 3 day Blueway festival that will be held in Clondra from April 24th to 26th. The Camlin is complemented by the Royal Blueway, a 16 kilometre stretch of off-road walking and cycling route, from Clondra to Longford town. At the event, Michael Carrigy from Longford Tourism and Eanna Rowe from Waterways Ireland outlined the plan to connect the royal canal cycle way all the way from Clondra/Longford town to the Westmeath border. It was highlighted that this would complete provide a significant spur off the planned Dublin Galway greenway. When combined with the section lin

Longford Council and Waterways Ireland present ambitious plan for Royal Canal

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At a recent meeting on local tourism in Longford, Waterways Ireland and Longford County Council presented an ambitious plan for trails in County Longford. The meeting on the 24 th  Feburary at Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre was organised by Longford Tourism and was attended by various local people. Eanna Rowe from Waterways Ireland present their vision for connecting the waterways and walking routes into a series of connected trails labelled as BlueWays. In a futher development, Longford council has just issued proposals to undertake the provision of a shared pedestrian and cycle track along the Royal Canal towpath from Cloonsheerin Bridge in the Townland of Cloonsheerin (i.e. completing the link from Longford to Abbeyshrule). The development will consist of improvements to the towpath along the Royal Canal to provide a shared pedestrian and cycle path and plans and particulars of the proposed development are now available When completed this route would join to the Dublin Ga

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has announced plans for Dublin section of Dublin Galway greenway

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has announced plans to build a cycle path along the Royal Canal in Dublin. The project includes a cycle and pedestrian route along the Royal Canal from Sheriff Street Upper to Ashtown. The 7.5 km route has been divided into three phases and the work is expected to cost between €10-12 million. The plans are part of the Royal Canal Greenway project which includes a fourth, already constructed, 400m link which runs along Guild Street from North Wall Quay to Sheriff Street Upper. Once finished the path will complete Dublin’s section of the national cycle route from Dublin to Galway – which will be used in the  EuroVelo Route 2 .

Minister cautions "Field of Dreams" approach to Greenways

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The latest comments from the  Minister of Transport and Tourism  Paschal Donohoe provide some insight into the new ministers view of national greenways. While his comments will be welcome be some it may disappoint many looking for a coordinated strategic plan from central government on a connected set of greenways in Ireland. The minister appears to be opening up a debate on whether there should be dedicated funding streams for greenways regardless of their viability. He seems to believe that there is an expectation building that his department will be funding greenways in every "highway and byway" in Ireland. According to Ministor Donohoe, the government has awarded €6.3m under the National Cycle Network Funding Programme 2014-2016 to three local authorities for the delivery of greenways following a competitive process. However, he appears to throw cold water on other schemes that may not be viable and cautions local communities and local authorities on a "

Royal Canal featured in Irish Time's Ten great walking weekends

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Great articles from  Manchán Magan in the Irish Times The Royal Canal  Following this mercurial strip of silver, silky water that runs from Dublin through Kildare and Westmeath to Longford is like stepping back into Ireland of 200 years ago. The 144km journey from Croke Park to Clondra, where the Royal Canal meets the Shannon, takes three days to cover, mostly on gravel or tarmac towpaths. Though the stretch around Dublin is grim, the rest is tranquil, unspoilt countryside with perfect relics of late 18th-century industrial architecture.