€3.4m greenway project a huge boost for Kerry
Public Transport Minister Alan Kelly yesterday announced €3.4m for the greenway from Glenbeigh to Cahirciveen, on a section of the Great Southern Railway which closed in 1960.
Describing it as “an exceptional and unique visitor attraction,” he said it would bring cycling tourists and visitors from all over the world to the Ring of Kerry, creating upwards of 80 jobs between construction and sustainable employment when in operation.
Mr Kelly said it would be the country’s number one greenway. The project will be part of a €11m funding programme for cycling infrastructure nationally. Between time to be spent acquiring land and construction work, the project will take two years to complete.
The line runs close to, and in places parallel to the winding Ring of Kerry road, one of the country’s busiest tourist roads.
The hillside route, running over a viaduct at Kells and through tunnels, commands spectacular sea and mountain views and the development follows the success of the Great Western Greenway, in Co Mayo, which has resulted in about 40 new jobs and the sustaining of another 50 in the local economy.
The announcement was welcomed in south Kerry, an area hard hit by unemployment and emigration.
Pat Kavanagh, manager of IRD Foilmore/Kells, said it was a “fantastic project” that would benefit a wide area. “Thirty-eight groups nationally applied for funding for similar projects and very high criteria had to be met, but this one ticked all the boxes.”
Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin said a lot of work, consensus and agreement remained outstanding to bring the greenway to fruition and hoped progress would soon be made to grasp an unprecedented opportunity for south Kerry.
Kerry County Council, expected to put up matching funding of more than €350,000, and South Kerry Development Partnership have for several years been promoting the project and the funding application.
A further greenway will be developed in Co Waterford, running from Clonea along the coast to Durrow.
The projects are being funded as part of the Government’s National Cycle Network. Separately, nine towns will receive €6.5m to improve their cycling infrastructure.
The programme aims to support walking and cycling in towns outside the Greater Dublin Area with new cycle lanes, walkways and behavioural change initiatives in local schools and workplaces to encourage people to switch their transport modes.
