Grassroots for greenways – the Déise greenway victory

Published by David Hayden on

February 7, 2017

Greenways are in! Unspoiled nature has always been Ireland’s unique selling point when it comes to tourism and one of the best ways to enjoy our beautiful landscapes is by walking or cycling along dedicated greenways.

A greenway is a trail, sometimes a wildlife corridor, frequently created out of disused railway lines as well as undeveloped land near an urban area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection. Take a look at this promotional video of the Déise greenway from the Visit Waterford website: [x_video_embed type=”16:9″][/x_video_embed]

Re-purposing derelict railway lines for Sustainable Tourism  

The Great Western Greenway which stretches the 42km between Westport and Achill in Co. Mayo was opened in 2011, that same year it won the European Destinations of Excellence Award (EDEN) and captured the imagination of many of Ireland’s walkers, cyclists and nature lovers. EDEN is an initiative that was set up by the European Commission to promote sustainable tourism development models, the re-purposing of derelict victorian railways has turned out to have broad appeal. Mayo’s ‘Great Western’ traces the former Achill extension of the Westport railway line which was constructed in the 1890’s and was in operation until 1937. The route boasts magnificent views of Clew Bay and has received acclaim by locals, visitors and the European Commission. Following the success of the Great Western Greenway Minister for Transport Shane Ross announced  the award of funding for greenway projects in Kildare, Meath, Longford and Westmeath. The minister also stated that funding was awarded for the Kildare & Meath sections of a coast-to-coast greenway from Galway to Dublin. During the announcement Minister Ross stated that he has been particularly struck by the far-reaching benefits that greenways can bring to localities.

Déise greenway – a grassroots movement

Waterford has has big plans to become the walking and cycling capital of Ireland for some time. After negotiating a licence from CIE to take over the Waterford-Dungarvan railway line, a stretch near Dungarvan was quickly completed. However, not everyone was happy with the plans and a legal injunction ensued in 2007/2008. The project was left in limbo, much like the Limerick to Listowell section of the Great Southern Greenway where a small patch of objecting landowners have held up plans for  for several years. For a few years, it looked as if the Déise Greenway dream was dying but a small group of like-minded people came together to take action.

Working for more than a decade, local farmers, county councilors and enthusiasts refused to let the project disintegrate. As photographers and communications experts got on board the project began receiving a great deal of attention on social media. There were weekly meeting held on Tuesday evenings where solicitors, photographers, drone operators and more offered their skills free of charge in support of the greenway.

In 2013, in a symbolic event, these signatures were presented to then City and County Mayors under the Kilmacthomas viaduct. The group printed thousands of flyers and leaflets, designed a logo, and printed t-shirts advocating the Greenway. They also did a lot of legal groundwork which they felt would be useful to the Council. Waterford’s politicians were approached and many changed their minds on the project, more than 600 people made submissions as part of the VIII process and 94% were in favour of the greenway, 23 councilors voted in favour at the ratification meeting.

The 23km between Kilmacthomas and Dungarvan is now open for use and the full spectacular 46 km off-road cycling and walking trail will be open before the summer.

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David Hayden

David is a contributor to the Green News. He has a Bachelor's Degree in International Business and French from UCD as well as a Master's Degrees in French literature and New Media from the University of California at San Diego and the Johns Hopkins University.