Open countryside - Time ripe to resolve access issue

Landowners had for many years an understandable case for opposing passage through their land , on the basis that they were liable to have to pay damages if somebody got injured by walking into a hole or through some misadventure.

Now landowners are supposed to be indemnified against such claims, but the issue of walkways has led to a stand-off between interested parties over the past four years.

Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon O’Cuiv and his officials met last week with a delegation from Irish Farmers Association. They agreed on principle that landowners should be compensated for work done on the provision, maintenance, and upkeep of walkways. This will involve around 5,000 landowners and some 2,000 kilometres of defined walkways.

It is important that this issue is fully resolved, as there has been a dramatic decline in hill and mountain walking tourism in this country over the past 10 years. Numbers have fallen by around two-thirds.

Keep Ireland Open, the lobby group dedicated to maintaining open accesses to the countryside, is likely to have reservations. This is an issue that requires compromise in working out the details, but that compromise must be based on common sense.