'Historic day for Iveragh Peninsula' as South Kerry Greenway gets green light

Part of the route for the proposed South Kerry Greenway.

The way has been paved for the construction of the South Kerry Greenway following the Supreme Court's refusal to allow leave for two appeals. The go-ahead comes a decade after the project was first mooted. 

The greenway will run along the abandoned rail line skirting the Ring of Kerry, starting at Glenbeigh and finishing outside Caherciveen, for about 30km over spectacular scenery and old bridges overlooking Dingle Bay.

The idea of a greenway was first proposed a decade ago by a local development organisation, planned by Kerry County Council and formally announced on the old rail viaduct at Kells by the then junior transport minister Alan Kelly in 2014. It was intended to be the flagship project in a necklace of countrywide greenways.

It was also intended as the best project to arrest the economic decline of Iveragh, which began with the closure of the railway line in 1960. However, planning and engineering difficulties, strong opposition by farmers to the decision to acquire lands for the construction by compulsory purchase order as well as concerns by environmentalists, combined to stall the project.

An Bord Pleanála gave the go-ahead in 2020 for both the greenway and the CPO following a protracted and often bitter oral hearing, which was held in 2019 in Tralee. However, legal action by objectors followed. The Supreme Court has now rejected both appeals before it, paving the way for the development of the multimillion-euro project.

Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council and the cathaoirleach of the Kenmare Municipal District have both welcomed the decision. Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council Cllr Jimmy Moloney (FF) said the South Kerry Greenway would be “ transformative” for the county and the South-West region

“I am delighted that this matter has been settled by the Supreme Court and that Kerry County Council can now proceed with the construction of the greenway. Coming as it does so close to the scheduled opening of the Tralee-Fenit and Listowel-Abbeyfeale greenways this summer, this is an enormous boost for the local economy and the tourism industry in Kerry,” said Cllr Moloney.

Cathaoirleach of Kenmare Municipal District Cllr Michael Cahill (FF), a native of Glenbeigh, said the greenway had the potential to transform south Kerry. 

“This project will be of enormous benefit to south Kerry and the entire county from an economic and tourism perspective. It has the potential to attract thousands of visitors to the area every year.

“This is a historic day for the Iveragh Peninsula and the whole of Co Kerry. It will be one of our most iconic attractions and leisure amenities and I look forward to its construction over the coming years,” Cllr Cahill said.