The Galway Greenway has been given a significant boost with the announcement that €403,000 has been allocated for the first phase of the project.
The funding is part of a €1.4 million investment announced recently by the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, in key tourism sites along the Wild Atlantic Way, which is Ireland’s first long distance touring route. The three projects to benefit from this tranche of funding include the Galway Greenway, the Signature Discovery Point at Downpatrick Head, North Mayo, and the Old Head of Kinsale. A total of €10 million is to be invested by Fáilte Ireland during 2014 to ensure that the Wild Atlantic Way, which stretches from the Inishowen Penisula in Donegal through Galway to Kinsale in County Cork, draws significant interest from overseas visitors.
“I am delighted that Minister Ring has provided funding for the first phase of the Greenway which will start in Clifden and will connect with the existing cycle/walkway already in existence at Derrylea, says local Fine Gael county councillor Eileen Mannion.
“The addition of the cycle/walkway will be an added attraction for visitors to the area and also a welcome amenity for walking and cycling enthusiasts in the area.
Work is expected to start in the next few months and the route should be operational in 2015.
Also welcoming the announcement was Fine Gael TD for Galway West, Sean Kyne, who said: “The Greenway, which will be similar to the hugely successful one in Mayo. The first phase of development will focus on the stretch between Oughterard and Clifden. Growing numbers of tourists are pursuing active holidays involving walking and cycling, and Connemara has huge amount to offer to them.
“ The Greenway forms part of the National Cycle Network prioritising traffic-free cycling to encourage people to get on their bikes. Indeed, Clifden is one of the cycle hubs in this project, with lots of scenic traffic-free routes marked out for local people and tourists alike.”
“The Wild Atlantic Way is the Government’s top tourism project for 2014 and it is great to see investment such as this focused on the West.”
