Deputy Ciaran Cannon has this week welcomed an investment of some €367,000 in outdoor recreation facilities across County Galway as part of an ongoing national programme of investment by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys.
The Outdoor Recreation Investment Scheme is designed to support local communities and local authorities in developing and enhancing outdoor recreation projects which encourage people of all ages to become active, and to attract tourists to rural towns and villages.
Adventure tourism is a major growth area internationally, and Galway and the west of Ireland are being marketed as perfect locations for those interested in experiencing the outdoors.
The investment in Galway will support 11 different projects, namely Carrabane Forest Walk (€29,250 ), Connemara Greenway (€55,350 ), East Galway ECO Park Kilconnell (€50,000 ), Glenamaddy Walking Trails (€21,072 ), Gort River Walk (€27,424 ), The Hymany Way (€28,316 ), Luba Loch Chualainn (€26,024 ), Luibin Cnoc Choillin (€30,000 ), Monivea Woods Trail (€27,000 ), Portumna Outdoor Recreation Park (€49,950 ), and Mountbellew Riverside Nature Park (€23,075 ).
"This is a most welcome investment in our rural towns and villages and forms part of Our Rural Future, our Government's plan to continue investing in the future of rural Ireland," Deputy Cannon said. "The focus of this funding is to develop rural Ireland’s unique natural amenities and support outdoor pursuits and adventure activities, and our county of Galway, with its beautiful and diverse landscapes, certainly lends itself to this kind of development.
"These are all wise investments in our local communities, in their tourism potential, but also in the quality of life of those who live there," he added. "Each of these grants across County Galway will improve access to our unique natural amenities such as our lakes, rivers, and beaches, as well as our forests, mountains, and bogs. This is exactly the kind of investment we need to be making and I'm very grateful to Minister Heather Humphreys and to Galway County Council for their support in getting these projects under way."
